Home occupations are regulated by each Rensselaer County town or village. Troy, East Greenbush, Brunswick, and North Greenbush allow low-impact home businesses as accessory uses with conditions on signage, employees, and customer traffic. Some towns require a special use permit from the Planning Board.
Typical town standards: business must be incidental to residential use, conducted by residents only, no more than 1 non-resident employee, limited floor area (often 25 percent of dwelling), no outdoor storage, no exterior alterations changing residential character. Troy Zoning Ordinance Section 285 lists permitted home occupations. Rural towns (Grafton, Berlin, Stephentown) are generally more permissive.
Operating without required permit: zoning citations 100 to 500 dollars per day. Repeat violations may trigger cease and desist orders.
See how Rensselaer County's home occupation permits rules stack up against other locations.
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