Nashua, NH Home Business: Customer Traffic Restrictions (2026)

Sec. 190-20 frames customer traffic through the residential-character test: a home occupation may not 'significantly change the residential character or function of the property to the extent that the use will be objectionable to other residential uses in the neighborhood.' The Administrative Officer (for Minor occupations) or Zoning Board of Adjustment (for Major Special Exceptions) evaluates customer volume, parking demand, hours of operation, and traffic generation against this standard. Minor Home Occupations — with no nonresident employees and capped at 200 sq ft or 20 percent of floor area — are expected to be primarily off-site or remote work with only occasional one-on-one client visits (a tutor seeing one student, a counselor seeing one client, a hairstylist seeing one customer, etc.). Major Home Occupations may operate with 1 nonresident employee and a larger 300 sq ft footprint (420 sq ft for licensed child day care), and the Zoning Board of Adjustment typically imposes conditions limiting hours (e.g., 8 a.m.-8 p.m.), capping concurrent clients, and requiring all parking on-site. Sec. 190-160 (Off-Street Parking) requires adequate driveway space for the dwelling plus business — additional gravel or paved spaces may be required for a Major occupation. Group classes, retail walk-in storefronts, and salon-style multi-station businesses are generally inconsistent with the residential-character requirement and are denied at either tier. Family Child Care Homes are licensed under RSA 170-E and may serve up to 6 unrelated children plus up to 3 school-age children before or after school (see daycare-home subcategory).