Spokane County, WA Home Business: Customer Traffic Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- SCC 14.616.230(9)(h)
- Parking/traffic standard
- Set case by case by hearing examiner
- Zones
- LTA, STA, Forest Land only
- Staffing cap
- Family plus 2 outside employees
- Storage screening
- 6-foot sight-obscuring fence required
- Permit type
- Conditional use permit, chapter 14.404
Summary
A "home industry" (a broad-scope home business or bed-and-breakfast operating in agricultural or forest zones) does not get fixed customer-parking numbers. SCC 14.616.230(9)(h) instead lets the hearing examiner set parking, traffic and storage conditions case by case when it approves the required conditional use permit.
9.Home industry (LTA, STA, F zones).a.The property shall retain its residential appearance and character.b.The use shall be carried on in a primary residence or may be allowed in accessory detached structures which are not, in total, larger than two times the gross floor area of the primary residence.c.Only members of the family residing on the premises, and no more than two employees outside of the family, may be engaged in the home industry....h.Parking, traffic, and storage requirements shall be as approved by the hearing examiner.i.All storage areas shall be enclosed or completely screened from view by a maximum six-foot-high, sight-obscuring fence.j.The use shall be subject to restrictions and conditions, as may be imposed by the hearing examiner under chapter 14.404.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 63).
Full Breakdown
230(9). 404 rather than checked against a table. That review sits alongside the operation's other limits: subsection (c) caps staffing at family members plus no more than two outside employees, which in practice caps the customer and delivery volume a hearing examiner will typically approve, and subsection (i) requires all storage areas tied to the business to be screened by a six-foot sight-obscuring fence, which affects where vehicles and materials can be staged on site. 404 Conditional Use Permits, so a traffic-heavy proposal, such as one with frequent customer visits or delivery trucks, can be conditioned with specific access, driveway, or hours-of-operation limits, or denied outright if the examiner finds the traffic impact incompatible with the residential character the property must retain under subsection (a).
Violations & Fines
Operating a home industry with customer traffic or parking that exceeds what the hearing examiner approved, or without ever obtaining the required conditional use permit, is a zoning violation under SCC 14.408.040: a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine and 90 days in jail, or a civil violation carrying a $200 Level I or $500 Level II penalty plus $50 per day the violation continues, appealable to the hearing examiner within 14 days of the notice of violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many customer visits can a home industry allow in Spokane County?
Do I need a public hearing to run a home-based business with customer visits?
Can the hearing examiner limit my home industry's traffic after approval?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Spokane County
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