Washington County, OR Home Business: Customer Traffic Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Type I customer cap
- 5 customers per day
- Type II customer cap
- 9 customers per day
- Type III customer cap
- 9 customers per day
- Permit renewal
- Annual, all three tiers
- Disability accommodation
- Review Authority may allow more (Types II/III)
- Applies to
- Unincorporated Washington County only
Summary
In unincorporated Washington County, a home-based business's daily walk-in customer count is capped by which of three home occupation permit types it holds. A Type I permit allows five customers a day; Type II and Type III permits allow nine. The Review Authority can approve more for a business owner with a disability.
[§430-63.1] H.Not have more than five customers daily entering the premises; [§430-63.2] K.Not have more than nine customers daily entering the premises. The Review Authority may permit additional customers for an applicant with a disability when the increase is necessitated by the applicant's disability; [§430-63.3] I.Have no more than nine customers daily entering the premises. The Review Authority may permit additional customers for an applicant with a disability when the increase is necessitated by the applicant's disability;
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Community Development Code: Supplement 2 | Code of Ordinances: Supplement 25).
Full Breakdown
Washington County's Community Development Code sets three tiers of home occupation permit, and each tier fixes a hard ceiling on daily on-site customers rather than leaving it to the applicant's discretion. 1(H) caps a Type I home occupation, the most limited tier operated entirely inside the dwelling, at five customers entering the premises per day. 2(K) raises that ceiling to nine customers a day for a Type II home occupation, which may also operate out of a garage or lawful accessory structure and add off-street parking.
3(I) carries the same nine-customer cap forward to Type III home occupations, a tier restricted to the AF-5 and AF-10 agricultural-forest districts and permitted limited outdoor storage. At both the Type II and Type III level, the Review Authority has discretion to approve additional customers beyond the numeric cap when the increase is necessitated by the applicant's own disability; Type I carries no equivalent allowance in the text. Every tier requires an annually renewed development permit through the county, and the customer cap sits alongside separate limits on employees, delivery frequency, noise, and vehicle storage under the same permit.
Because this is a county code, these caps bind only businesses in the unincorporated area; a home business inside Hillsboro, Beaverton, Tigard, or another incorporated city in the county answers to that city's own code, not this one.
Violations & Fines
Exceeding the daily customer cap puts a home occupation permit out of compliance with Section 430-63.1, 430-63.2, or 430-63.3, and Washington County Code Compliance can act on a complaint by requiring the operator to reduce customer traffic to the permitted tier or apply for the next permit tier up. A permit found out of compliance is subject to non-renewal at its annual renewal date, and continuing to operate above the cap without an approved permit exposes the property to the county's general nuisance and land use enforcement process.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many customers can a home business in unincorporated Washington County see per day?
Can I get approved for more than the customer cap?
Does the customer cap apply if my home is inside Hillsboro or Beaverton?
What permit type do most home businesses need to see clients?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Washington County
Compare Washington County to another location·View the Oregon home business overview
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