Charlottesville, VA Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)

' Beyond that threshold test, the section layers on operational limits: no more than one person besides the resident may work in the business at the property at a time (clause 2), the business must be conducted entirely inside the dwelling or an accessory building (clause 11), mechanical or electrical equipment is limited to what is customarily found in a home (clause 6), and no outdoor display or storage of business goods or equipment is allowed (clause 7). To actually open, an applicant for the Accessory Use Permit authorizing a home occupation must, under clause 16, provide evidence of a City business license, or a statement from the Commissioner of the Revenue that no license is required, proof of payment of any taxes required by City Code Chapter 30, and a certificate of occupancy or other written confirmation from the City's Building Code Official that the dwelling or accessory building complies with building code regulations for the home occupation use.

Clause 17 then lists categories that can never be a home occupation regardless of scale, including funeral homes, medical or dental clinics other than counseling services, restaurants, nursing homes, and motor vehicle sales or repair, so the Accessory Use Permit application is screened against that prohibited list before Neighborhood Development Services will issue it.