Ankeny, IA Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)

Section 192.04(2)(B) of the Ankeny Code of Ordinances permits home occupations as an accessory use in the R-2 One-Family and Two-Family Residence District, carrying forward the R-1 accessory use list under subsection 2.A and adding four conditions specific to running a business from a house. First, the occupation must be conducted entirely within the dwelling and solely by members of the family who live there, and it cannot take up more than half the floor area of one floor. Second, the code bars any exterior indication of the home occupation, no signage, no visible change to the house that would tip off a passerby.

Third, the use cannot require mechanical equipment that is not customary in a dwelling, and it cannot cause or produce unreasonable noise, vibration, smoke, dust, odors, heat, or glare, or otherwise be detrimental to the neighborhood. Fourth, the use cannot substantially increase neighborhood traffic. The chapter's definitions section separately defines a home occupation as any occupation of a service character that is clearly secondary to the dwelling's main use, does not change the character of the premises, and is carried on only by family members residing there.

Because home occupations are an accessory use rather than a listed principal use, they do not get a separate business license category in the zoning code; they exist only within the dwelling and only while all four Section 192.04(2)(B) conditions hold. The Planning and Building Department enforces these standards on complaint or at permit review for any exterior work.