Federal Way, WA Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)

010. 020, frames the chapter as a way to let commercial occupations incidental to a residence operate while protecting neighbors from excessive noise, traffic, nuisance, and fire hazard. 030(1) lists the standards a home occupation must meet to be permitted outright: the business has to be located on the same property as the owner's primary residence, be carried on by a family member who lives there, have no outside storage, exterior indication, or outside activity, skip heavy equipment or power tools not common to a residential use, avoid deliveries by commercial vehicles over 26,000 pounds GVWR, cap visits to four persons per day for goods or services, and create no noise, dust, glare, vibration, odor, or smoke adverse to the residential area.

030(2) allows process III approval instead, so long as the use will not harm the neighborhood's character, will not involve visible or audible outdoor storage, machinery, or commercial vehicles, and will not create a condition that endangers the comfort, health, or safety of neighbors. 050. The chapter cross-references Title 12 for business licensing and registration fees.