Ann Arbor's home-occupation standards authorize no business signage; the use must stay incidental and secondary to residential use with no external evidence perceptible beyond the property line. Any sign must fit the limited allowances for Residential Zoning Districts in the city's sign code.
Washtenaw County does not regulate residential signs; cities and townships do. Ann Arbor's Unified Development Code home-occupation rules contain no separate business-sign allowance. Instead, a home occupation must be incidental and secondary to residential use, and no dust, odors, vibration, or interference may be perceptible beyond the property line, which effectively bars conspicuous commercial signage. Signs in Residential Zoning Districts are limited by the city's sign code (UDC 5.24, Table 5.24-4), which permits only small residential sign types; address signs 12 inches or under are excluded from area calculations. Ypsilanti and each township set their own sign limits, so verify with your local planning office before posting any home-business sign.
An unpermitted or oversized home-business sign can trigger sign-code enforcement by the municipality, including removal orders and fines under the local zoning/sign ordinance.
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