Royal Oak, MI Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)

Every residential zone in Royal Oak, from One-Family Residential through Multiple-Family Residential, permits home occupations as a listed use, but only if the operation satisfies all eleven standards in § 770-25. Subsection A sets the foundation: a home occupation must be clearly incidental to the principal residential use, no more than 10% of the dwelling's floor area may be devoted to it, all activity must occur within an enclosed structure, and there can be no outside display or other external evidence that a business is being conducted.

Subsection B adds that the use cannot change the residential character of the property or the surrounding area, in either use or appearance, and Subsection C bars any nuisance from noise, vibration, glare, fumes, odor, unsanitary conditions or fire hazard. Only a resident of the dwelling may be employed in the occupation (§ 770-25D), and the business cannot require or cause interior or exterior alterations to the dwelling or property (§ 770-25G). Direct retail sales to individuals on the premises are barred outright (§ 770-25I), and no goods stored or displayed inside may be visible from outside (§ 770-25J).

Community Development and the Zoning Administrator review these standards administratively, and a use that fails any one of the eleven standards is out of compliance and subject to the chapter's general zoning enforcement provisions.