New Rochelle, NY Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)

A customary home occupation, which the code allows to include use of a personal computer, fax machine, or other home office equipment, may operate inside a New Rochelle dwelling under § 331-45B, but only within tight limits. The business must be incidental to the residential use and run by a resident, and it cannot occupy more than 25% of the dwelling's total floor area or 500 square feet, whichever number is smaller. It must be conducted entirely inside the principal dwelling unit, and Subsection (2) is explicit that the use "shall not be apparent from any public way," ruling out storefronts, workshops visible from the street, or exterior equipment.

Deliveries are restricted to passenger automobile, mail, or package delivery service, and none may arrive before 7:00 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m. The occupation cannot store equipment, materials, or goods for sale outdoors, and it cannot involve exterior alterations that change the dwelling's appearance; an external announcement sign is allowed only where another law requires one, and even then it cannot exceed that law's minimum size. Subsection (6) bars nonresident employees and caps client vehicle parking at two cars at a time. Subsection (7) is a catch-all barring any adverse impact on the residential character of the neighborhood, from added traffic and noise to glare, dust, or heat "not customarily generated by residential uses." Subsection (8) forbids storing or selling firearms or ammunition as part of a home occupation.