Minnetonka, MN Home Business: Customer Traffic Restrictions (2026)

The Minnetonka City Council allows a home occupation as a permitted accessory use in all residential districts only when every person who works in the dwelling unit lives there and the general standards in paragraph (d) are met. Extra employees who do not work in the dwelling cannot come to the property on a regular basis. A home occupation that regularly has customer, client, or patient visits to the home, or that fails the employee or general standards, moves into the interim use category and needs the appropriate permit, with compliance with every condition attached to it. The interim use permit process is in § 300.05.

Traffic is counted by the trip. A home occupation must not create additional vehicle trips in excess of 10 trips per day averaged over a period of five days per week, counting one trip for each vehicle that arrives and an additional trip for each vehicle that leaves. All parking demands must be accommodated within a garage and the existing driveway area, and vehicle parking generated by employees, customers, visitors and invitees cannot exceed four vehicles parked outside on the property. No vehicles used in connection with the home occupation and no vehicles of employees, customers, visitors and invitees can be parked on public or private streets. In multi-family buildings, parking is limited to two parking spaces in external parking areas.

Other paragraph (d) standards shape visits. No more than 25% of the habitable area can be used, no business can be conducted in an attached garage, detached accessory building or outside, and there can be no exterior storage or signs. Retail or wholesale sales on the premises are barred except by telephone, mail, Internet or other electronic medium. Mortuaries, automobile or equipment sales, landscaping and lawn maintenance, massage therapy, and repair, service and painting of motor vehicles, appliances and small engines are prohibited outright.