Taylor, MI Home Business: Customer Traffic Restrictions (2026)

Sec. 13.01(a) sets the operating rules for home occupations: articles or services cannot be sold on the premises unless produced there by the occupation itself; the activity must be conducted entirely inside the enclosed principal building; no alterations, machinery, outdoor storage, or signage uncustomary to a residential area are allowed; only immediate family members living on the premises may be employed; the occupation must remain clearly accessory and secondary to the dwelling's residential use without changing its residential character; commercial vehicles over 4,500 pounds cannot be kept on the property; and no equipment or process may create noise, vibration, glare, fumes, odors, or electrical interference detectable off the lot.

Layered on top of those operating rules, the definitions article, Sec. 28.05(h), defines "home occupation" as a use "customarily conducted entirely within the dwelling" that does not endanger neighbors through noise, odors, unsanitary conditions, or "excessive traffic," and then expressly lists activities that are not home occupations at all, including medical clinics, day medical clinics, child care centers, beauty parlors, veterinary offices, kennels, and "professional offices where clients visit the premises (e.g., insurance, real estate, lawyer)." Because that carve-out is written into the definition itself, an operator who has customers or clients coming to the home for consultations or services is not operating a home occupation as Taylor's ordinance defines it, and Building and Safety can deny or revoke the zoning approval needed for a home-based business license on that basis.