Marion, OH Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)

The Marion Codified Ordinances define a home occupation in § 1123.01 as an occupation carried on in the home provided it is incidental to the residential use and meets the requirements of § 1163.01. That section makes the home occupation an accessory use only if it clears five conditions.

Under § 1163.01(1), there shall be no nonresident employees engaged in the home occupation. Under (2), no articles produced off the premises can be sold or stored. Under (3), no mechanical equipment can be installed or used unless it is commonly used for household purposes, except office furniture, equipment and appliances customarily used in offices, and even those are barred if they create excessive noise or interference with radio or television transmission or reception. Under (4), the space devoted to the home occupation cannot exceed 25% of the gross floor area of the principal building or structure. Under (5), no goods can be displayed and there can be no external evidence of the business except an identification sign complying with § 1161.02.

The use schedule in § 1137.011, the schedule of permitted uses in residential districts, carries a Home occupations row marked with the letter X, which the schedule's footnote defines as a permitted use in the district named at the head of the column. Section 1183.012 sets the fee for Home Occupation Permits at $25.00; the use permit fee in other cases is $50.00. The Safety/Service Director enforces the zoning code under § 1175.01 and, as the zoning code requires, officials issue no permit or license for a use in conflict with it.

These conditions apply to every home occupation in the City of Marion, Ohio. Marion County and Marion Township are separate governments, and nothing in the city's § 1163.01 is administered by either.