Cowlitz County, WA Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)

552, was rewritten by Ordinance 22-079 on August 16, 2022. Subsection A permits in-home workspaces for artists, musicians, craft practitioners, clergy, professional services and other similar low-impact uses in every land use district in the unincorporated county, from the RR and SR residential districts through AG-I and the unzoned area, without a special use permit, so long as the business meets the seven standards in subsection B. Those standards require the home occupation to be clearly incidental and secondary to the dwelling's residential use; the home's outward appearance cannot be altered, and the business cannot be run in a way that makes the property look non-residential through colors, materials, construction, lighting, or sounds, exhausts or vibrations that carry off the property; only the people who live in the dwelling can work the business, though they may hire up to two nonresident employees; no more than 25 percent of the home's floor space can be used for the business; goods and equipment cannot be stored or displayed where the public can see them, beyond what is normal for a residence; adequate off-street parking has to be provided; and signage is capped separately under subsection B(8).

A use that cannot meet these standards, such as one that is not clearly incidental to the residence or that generates noise or traffic beyond what a house normally produces, does not qualify as a home occupation and instead needs special use permit review or a different zoning district altogether.