Chicopee, MA Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)

Chicopee Code § 188-22 requires a special license from the City Council for every home occupation in the City of Chicopee. Applications come from the City Clerk's office, which also takes the completed application, the required fee and a copy of the Assessor's Map. The License Committee of the City Council holds a hearing, and the full Council then votes on the Committee's action. After the license is granted, the holder must obtain a certificate of occupancy from the Building Inspection Department and a copy goes to the Board of Assessors. A nonowner applicant must submit the owner's written permission.

All home occupation special licenses expire on April 30 of each year unless revoked. Renewal applications are made in the month of April and take effect on May 1. If a license has expired without renewal, the Building Commissioner notifies the holder, the operation must cease within five days, and the holder must renew through the License Committee. The Council can grant a waiver allowing one employee who is not a member of the family, but only on a specific finding that the waiver will not cause undue hardship to the neighborhood or disrupt the residential nature of the residence.

The license issues only if every performance standard in Subsection D is met. The standards bar any alteration that changes the dwelling's character, any nuisance beyond what an average residential dwelling produces, and any exterior storage of material or equipment used in the occupation, and they limit the total area used to 1/2 the floor area of the user's living unit. The occupation must be clearly incidental and secondary to the dwelling. Subsection E lets the Council impose special conditions such as fencing or screening, a limit on vehicles stored or parked on an adjacent right-of-way, restricted hours of operation and a shorter renewal period.

The Building Inspector enforces. When it is unclear whether an activity is a hobby or a home occupation, the Building Inspector makes the initial determination and notifies the parties, who then get 60 days to obtain a license or cease and desist. The determination can be appealed.