Stearns County, MN Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)

29, Home Occupations, requires the use to be clearly incidental and subordinate to the residential use of the property, and it may only be conducted by persons residing on the premises; no non-resident employee may be engaged in the home occupation. D flatly prohibits. Outdoor display or storage of goods, equipment or other business materials is prohibited outright. The section also bars offensive noise, vibration, smoke, dust, odors, heat or glare detectable at or beyond the property line, and prohibits generating hazardous waste unless an off-site disposal plan is approved by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA).

A home occupation on a lot served by an on-site sewage treatment system may only generate normal domestic household waste unless a disposal plan is separately approved. 8, indicating home occupations meeting these standards are allowed by right rather than through a discretionary permit.