Tualatin, OR Home Business: Zoning Restrictions (2026)

Home occupations in the City of Tualatin are codified in Tualatin Development Code (TDC) Chapter 34 (Special Regulations), with additional home-occupation-specific provisions referenced by the Planning Division at TDC 34.031-34.055 and code-interpretation pathways at TDC 31.070. The home occupation is treated as an accessory use to the dwelling: it is conditionally allowed in residential zones (including the Low Density Residential RL Zone under TDC Chapter 40) but only where the operator complies with each of the home-occupation standards. The core standards are: (1) the home occupation must be owned and operated by a resident of the dwelling at the home occupation site (no absentee-operated home occupations); (2) the operator may employ no more than one on-site non-resident employee (a second on-site non-resident employee is not allowed); off-site employees are unrestricted in number; (3) all materials and equipment must be stored inside built structures on the premises, interior storage must be secondary to the residential use of the dwelling, and storage may not be used as a material or equipment staging area; (4) noise, smoke, and odors generated by the home occupation may not exceed those created by normal residential use; (5) only one sign is permitted for the home occupation; (6) retailing of goods that were not produced by the home occupation is allowed only if the retailing is secondary and ancillary to the home occupation or if it occurs in a 'party' (e.g., direct-sales party) format no more than six times in a calendar year; and (7) customer trips to the home occupation are restricted between 10:00 p.m. and 7:30 a.m. The operator must hold a current City of Tualatin Business License and must maintain any other permits required by other agencies (state professional license, food handler permit, etc.). Common categories accepted as home occupations include professional occupations (accounting, architecture, engineering, etc.), personal services (haircutting, manicures, massage therapy), instructional services (arts, music, teaching), home craft businesses, and repair services. Uses not consistent with the standards (e.g., uses generating customer traffic at all hours, uses requiring outdoor storage, uses with more than one non-resident on-site employee, uses creating odor or noise above normal residential use) are not allowed as home occupations and require a commercial zoning district.