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

Franklin County Code § 17.68.040 sets the environmental standards every home occupation must meet as an accessory use to a residence in a residential district, per the chapter's stated purpose in § 17.68.010. The business must be clearly subordinate to the residential use of the property, cannot involve modifying the property or the exterior of its structures to look like anything other than a residence, and has to be performed entirely within a permanent structure on the premises, not in a yard, carport or temporary shelter.

It must be conducted solely by people who reside in the dwelling, and beyond articles actually produced there, no merchandise, products or wares may be displayed or offered for sale on-site. Chapter 17.68.020 separately bars an entire category of occupations outright regardless of these standards: vehicle repair and maintenance, rebuilding motors, painting vehicles, welding, sheet metal shops, upholstering, firewood cutting, and any Group H hazardous occupancy under the county's adopted Uniform Building and Fire Code. The floor-area cap is explicit: a home occupation cannot occupy more than 20 percent of the residence's gross floor area, though an entire attached or detached garage may be used instead, up to a 600-square-foot cap on the area utilized.

Getting there requires a Franklin County business registration and a home occupation license from the planning department under § 17.68.030, with the planning director issuing a decision within ten working days (thirty calendar days maximum), appealable to the board of commissioners for a $100 filing fee under § 17.68.060.