Lower Merion, PA Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)

Article X of the Zoning Code, Supplemental Use Regulations, opens its home occupation standards at § 155-10.1.A by stating that home occupations are permitted as an accessory use to any residential dwelling. Minor and nontraffic home occupations in the LDR and MDR1 districts, or in any residential dwelling unit generally, are then subject to additional restrictions in § 155-10.1.A(2)(a): no one may work on the premises in connection with the business except a resident practitioner or an employee the practitioner is legally required to have there; the business must be conducted entirely within the building and cannot occupy more than 500 square feet of floor area or 25% of the home, whichever is greater; no goods may be publicly displayed; no outside storage of materials or equipment is allowed, apart from one business vehicle parked off-street behind the required front yard setback; the use cannot be visible from the exterior of the property; and no sign may be displayed beyond what Article IX's Home Occupation Sign standard allows.

Every home occupation must obtain a certificate of occupancy authorizing the specific use before opening. In MDR2, MDR3, VC, TC and special districts, § 155-10.1.A(2)(b) tightens this further: a home occupation in a multifamily building must stay within the operator's own dwelling unit, cannot exceed 50% of that unit's floor area, and in MDR2/MDR3 (apart from nontraffic uses) must be on the first floor, with building lobbies barred from use as waiting rooms.