Bethel, CT Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)

6B of Bethel's Zoning Regulations, effective May 15, 2025, structures home-based businesses into a three-tier permit table: a Home Office requires no permit, a Minor Home Occupation requires a Zoning Permit issued by the Zoning Enforcement Officer, and a Major Home Occupation requires a Special Permit granted by the Planning and Zoning Commission after a public hearing. 6B(2) requires every home-based business to be carried on entirely within the operator's primary-residence dwelling, unless the Commission grants a Special Permit allowing it in an accessory building, and requires the business to remain clearly secondary to the dwelling's residential use, using only materials and equipment customarily incidental to a home.

6B(3) then lists blanket restrictions that apply across all three tiers: the business cannot occupy more than 25% of the dwelling's floor area above the basement; cannot involve on-site manufacturing, production, service or sales of merchandise; cannot involve outside storage of materials or equipment; cannot visibly change the residential character of the property; and cannot create objectionable noise, odor, vibration, waste, unsightly conditions, or radio/television interference noticeable off the premises. 6B(4) further bars displaying products, materials or equipment visible from the street, except for permitted signage.

2: a Home Office involves only occasional use or minimal client visits, a Minor Home Occupation allows one non-resident employee and up to five client visits weekly, and anything beyond those thresholds becomes a Major Home Occupation.