Blaine, MN Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)

Blaine's home occupation ordinance, Sec. 129-10, exists "to provide peace, quiet, and domestic tranquility within all residential neighborhoods" and to protect residents from excessive noise, traffic, nuisance and fire hazard from commercial activity in residential areas. A home occupation is defined in Sec. 129-10(b) as any business conducted from residentially zoned property by a resident of that property; general farming and gardening are excluded from the definition entirely. Under the Sec. 129-10(c) standards, a qualifying home occupation is capped at 20 percent of the home's total floor area, or, if located in an accessory structure, 300 square feet in most residential districts (800 square feet in farm residential and residential estate districts) while still preserving the required garage space.

Activity is restricted to 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., one wall sign up to 2.5 square feet is allowed, exterior storage is banned except for one fully enclosed utility trailer, one non-resident employee may be hired, and merchandise cannot be displayed or sold on-site, with wholesale or retail sales barred outright unless conducted entirely by mail or occasional home invitation. Vehicles over 12,000 GVW are restricted in most residential districts. Anything that doesn't fit these standards, such as a use listed among Sec. 129-10(d)'s outright prohibitions or a use only allowed conditionally under Sec. 129-10(e), can proceed only through a conditional use permit reviewed under Sec. 101-4.