Bloomington, IL Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)

A permits a home occupation or profession as an accessory use only in the A (Agricultural) and R (Residential) Districts, and lists twelve numbered restrictions a homeowner must meet at once. The business has to be conducted entirely inside the dwelling unit or an accessory building, capped at 25% of the building's gross floor area or 500 square feet, whichever is less; a barber shop, beauty shop, or other personal service business is held to an even tighter cap of 300 square feet or 25% of gross floor area, whichever is less, and can serve only one customer at a time, by appointment.

The home occupation cannot be apparent beyond the site's boundaries, so no special outside entrance can be added for it. Outdoor storage tied to the business is banned outright except in the Agricultural District, where it is customary and incidental to farming. No person other than a resident of the dwelling can be employed on-site or report to work there for the business. The Zoning Administrator enforces these standards under Article X's applicability rule at section 44-1002, and where a use permitted by right cannot meet a use provision, the property owner can seek a special use permit under Article XVII that carries authority to waive the specific standard. Licensed home-based daycare facilities regulated by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services are exempt from all of section 44-1020's restrictions.