Fountain, CO Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)

040(A) sets the baseline standard for every home-based business in the city: it must occupy less than 35 percent of the principal dwelling's gross floor area (home-based daycares are exempted from that cap and may use as much space as Colorado Department of Human Services rules require), the owner or operator must actually reside in the dwelling as a primary residence, and the work must be carried out mainly by family members who live there. The business also cannot change the residential character of the property through added color, lighting, noise, dust, glare, heat, smoke or odors, cannot show any exterior sign of nonresidential activity beyond permitted parking or signage, and cannot use yard space for activity that would not normally belong to a house.

020's use table lists occupations permitted outright in the LLR, RA, R1 and mixed-use districts, including architects, attorneys, barbershops, chiropractors, dressmakers, insurance agents, massage therapists, photographers and real estate agents, while anything not on the table needs a conditional use permit. 040(A)(8), and the property stays open to inspection by an authorized city official at reasonable times to confirm continued compliance. The rules trace to Ord. No. 1742, § 1, adopted January 14, 2020.