Blaine, MN Home Business: Home Occupation Permits (2026)

Blaine's home occupation rules are tiered. The city allows a home business to operate in a residential zoning district without a conditional use permit when it meets three conditions: no exterior storage of materials or business equipment, the business is conducted within the residential dwelling and does not exceed 20 percent of the total floor area of the residence, and only people living in the residence are employed. When a home occupation stays inside those limits, no separate home occupation permit or CUP is needed; it is a permitted accessory use. A home occupation that goes beyond the by-right standard, for example one with limited customer or client visits, on-site help beyond the resident household, or a larger footprint, falls into a higher tier that the city reviews case by case and that can require a conditional use permit. City guidance describing the broader home occupation framework references home occupations that may include offices, service establishments, or home crafts accessory to a dwelling, with only limited retailing by appointment, conducted by residents living in the main building plus up to two additional employees, and carried on wholly within the main building (not in detached accessory buildings or garages). Because the exact thresholds and permit triggers are set in the zoning ordinance and have been amended in recent updates, anyone planning a home business should confirm the current requirements with the Planning Department before relying on the by-right exemption. There is no statewide Minnesota home-occupation license; this is a Blaine zoning determination.