Seattle, WA Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)

050 treats a home occupation as an accessory use to the residence itself, so it is allowed outright in every one of Seattle's zones, Neighborhood Residential, Lowrise, Midrise, Commercial, Industrial, without a conditional use permit, as long as it stays clearly incidental to living in the dwelling. The work can happen inside the principal home, inside a legal accessory dwelling unit, or outdoors on the lot, and more than one resident on a property with multiple legally established dwelling units, say a main house and a DADU, can each run a separate home occupation.

G limits the fleet to three passenger vehicles, vans, or similar vehicles associated with the occupation, each capped at 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight; commercial delivery and pickup trucks are counted separately. E. No outdoor storage of materials, inventory, or equipment is allowed under any circumstance, and the operation can never function as a drive-in business. An automotive retail sales and services home occupation faces an extra test under subsection F: it cannot cause a substantial increase in on-street parking congestion or traffic in the immediate vicinity.

Interior and exterior alterations are allowed if they meet the zone's development standards, and alterations required by licensing or construction codes for a home child care program are specifically permitted. Whatever the business generates, noise, odor, smoke, dust, light, glare, or electrical interference, must stay within the lot's property line and not create negative impacts on neighbors.