An Ontario home occupation must be clearly incidental and subordinate to the residential use, conducted only by the occupants of the dwelling, confined to one room occupying no more than 10 percent of the dwelling's gross floor area, and may not change the home's outward appearance or generate above-normal traffic. A long list of uses (auto repair, salons, animal businesses, machining, etc.) is prohibited.
Ontario Development Code Section 5.03.240.C sets the zoning operating standards. The activity must be clearly incidental and subordinate to the primary residential use (C.1) and only the occupants of the dwelling may engage in it (C.2) -- non-resident employees are not permitted. No more than one client or customer may visit at any one time, except in-home educational activities (music, tutoring, religious instruction) with no more than 3 students at once (C.3). The work must occur within an enclosed structure, confined to one room and occupying no more than 10 percent of the dwelling's gross floor area (C.6), with limited exceptions for floriculture, AR-2 kennels/catteries, and accessory structures used for storage. Only one associated vehicle no larger than a one-ton pickup or van may be kept on site (C.7), there may be no storage of non-household materials/chemicals (C.8), no change to fire-safety or occupancy classifications (C.9), no above-normal vehicular or pedestrian traffic (C.11), no commercial delivery vehicles other than standard parcel services (C.12), and no noise, odor, smoke, glare, dust, fumes, or vibration detectable outside the dwelling (C.13). Subsection B.2 lists prohibited uses for which no Home Occupation permit will be issued, including gun/ammunition sales, barber/beauty shops, animal harboring/training/breeding/grooming (except in the AR-2 district), carpentry/cabinetmaking, medical/dental clinics, repair shops, construction-trade storage, motor-vehicle repair or painting, welding/machining, on-site vehicle sales, and massage services (except out-call).
Exceeding the 10 percent / one-room limit, employing non-residents, generating excess traffic, or operating a prohibited use violates Section 5.03.240.C and B.2. The Zoning Administrator may revoke the Home Occupation permit and Code Enforcement may pursue abatement and administrative citations under the Ontario Municipal Code.
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