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

' In practice, a resident who wants to run a home-based business must obtain that certificate before opening, confirming the use fits within § 120-139's limits. The floor-area cap in § 120-139A is the headline number: no more than 25% of the dwelling unit's floor area can be devoted to the occupation, though the Code carves out family day-care homes from that cap entirely. Section 120-139B bars any stock-in-trade from being displayed or sold on the premises, so a home occupation cannot function as a retail storefront.

The remaining subsections of § 120-139 layer on further limits that apply alongside the floor-area and stock-in-trade rules: no outdoor storage of commercial vehicles or equipment (Subsection C), no commercial vehicles connected with the occupation at all (Subsection D), no noise, vibration, heat, glare or other nuisance detectable outside the dwelling (Subsection E), and instruction limited to five attendees at a time (Subsection H). Any building or lot where more than two domesticated animals are housed, groomed, bred, boarded or trained is not considered a home occupation under Subsection I and would need separate zoning approval as a kennel or similar use.