Bonner County, ID Home Business: Signage Rules (2026)

Bonner County Revised Code § 12-489 sets performance standards for three tiers of home business, and the sign limit is the same wherever it appears. Under Home Occupation I, which is permitted by right in applicable zoning districts, there can be no alteration, structural or otherwise, in the outside appearance of the building or premises, and no other visible evidence of the home occupation, other than one sign. That sign cannot exceed four (4) square feet in area, must be nonilluminated, and must meet applicable setback requirements.

Home Occupation II is the permit tier. The planning director approves a home occupation II permit, and the application lists the landowner, address, type of business, number of employees, the location and area of the business on a site plan, the vehicles used, expected customer visits per day, and a narrative of impacts. Even where the business activity is conducted outside the dwelling, subsection C.2.c allows no visible evidence of the home occupation other than one sign of the same size: four square feet, nonilluminated, and within applicable setbacks.

Home Occupation III requires a conditional use permit and the same performance standards as Home Occupation II, with listed exceptions and additions that cover employees, outside storage and traffic. Signage is not among those changes, so the one sign, four square foot, nonilluminated limit carries over. A lit sign, a second sign, or a larger sign does not fit within any tier. A sign placed inside the required setback also fails the standard. The standard applies only in unincorporated Bonner County. Sandpoint, Ponderay, Priest River and the other incorporated cities regulate home business signs under their own codes.