Appleton, WI Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)

Under Sec. 23-45(c), permit applications go to the Community Development Department on the city's own forms, with a scaled site plan showing property lines, existing structures, and on-site parking for customers, employees, and residents. The Director forwards a complete application to the Inspections Division, Health Department, Fire Department, and Police Department, each of which must send a written recommendation within five business days (Sec. 23-45(d)(1)). The Community Development Director or designee then approves, conditionally approves, or denies the permit within ten business days of acceptance (Sec.

23-45(d)(2)); a denial must state reasons in writing. Permits are not transferable to another person, business, or address (Sec. 23-45(e)). Sec. 23-45(g)(1) requires every home occupation to be clearly incidental and subordinate to residential use, conducted entirely within the dwelling or entirely within the attached or detached garage, never split across both. Sec. 23-45(g)(2)a caps the area used inside the dwelling at 300 square feet or 30 percent of the habitable dwelling area, whichever is less; the same 300-square-foot or 30-percent cap applies to garage-based operations against the garage's gross floor area. No internal or external alterations, including a separate business entrance, may change the character of the dwelling or garage (Sec. 23-45(g)(3)).