Gaithersburg, MD Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)

5 sets out Gaithersburg's zoning framework for operating a business from a home, structured around a stated purpose of allowing home businesses only where they stay subordinate to the residential use and compatible with the neighborhood. Every home-based business must be operated by a resident of the dwelling, confined to the building's interior, and limited to no more than one-third of the gross floor area of all structures and accessory structures on the lot. Deliveries are restricted to common carriers or local merchants and cannot come from a dedicated truck over 14,000 pounds.

5(B)(15) categorically bars cannabis-related businesses and short-term rentals from qualifying as home-based businesses at all. The section then splits every home business into three tiers under subsection (C). A no impact business has no non-resident employees and no discernible adverse impact, and only needs to register with the city manager. A minor impact business may have one non-resident employee and up to 20 client visits per week, and must register and pay a council-set fee. 7, and the board can impose additional conditions. Registrations for no impact and minor impact businesses run three years and must be renewed triennially, during which the city manager updates the file and re-evaluates compliance.

The city manager or designee can inspect any registered or approved home business, and a pattern of refusing inspection is itself grounds to revoke the registration or ask the board of appeals to revoke a special exception. 9.