Canyon County, ID Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)

Canyon County Code § 07-14-11, Home Business, sets seven standards that apply to every home business permit issued in unincorporated Canyon County, Idaho. The use must be clearly incidental and secondary to the dwelling's residential purpose and must be conducted entirely within the dwelling or a single existing accessory structure. No more than one-third of the dwelling's gross floor area may be devoted to the business, whether it operates inside the house or in an accessory building, and no more than three people who are not residents of the dwelling may work on the premises.

The business cannot adversely affect uses allowed in its zone, and it is barred outright from operating a use that is otherwise defined and allowed or permitted by the zoning chapter within the agricultural or residential zones, or any use of an industrial nature; those uses must instead seek the applicable zoning approval for that use directly. Home business permits are processed by the Development Services Department under the county's certificate of zoning compliance procedure at § 07-12-01. Canyon County's rule is distinct from the stricter Home Occupations standard at § 07-14-13, which caps the space at one-fourth of the dwelling and bars any non-resident workers.

Both standards apply only to properties in unincorporated Canyon County, Idaho; a home business inside Caldwell, Nampa or any other incorporated city in the county is governed by that city's own code, not this chapter.