Home business zoning in Erie County is set by each town, city, or village, not the county. Home occupations must be incidental and secondary to residential use and must not change the residential character of the property.
Erie County does not zone land; home-based business rules come from the local municipality's zoning code (for example, the Town of Amherst or Town of Cheektowaga). Amherst zoning (§ 2-4) defines a home occupation as one carried on in a dwelling unit by the resident, limited in extent, incidental and secondary to residential use, and not changing the character of the dwelling. Cheektowaga limits a home-based business to no more than 15% of the ground-floor area and requires it be clearly incidental and subordinate. Typical municipal limits cap floor area, restrict outward business signs, limit non-resident employees and customer traffic, and bar noise or parking impacts. Confirm the exact rule with your town, city, or village zoning office.
A home business that exceeds the allowed floor area, generates customer traffic or outdoor storage, or otherwise changes the residential character can trigger a municipal zoning violation, a stop-use order, and fines set by the local code.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Erie County, NY
Animal hoarding in Erie County is investigated by the SPCA Serving Erie County and prosecuted as cruelty by the Erie County District Attorney's Animal Cruelt...
Erie County, NY
The Erie County Department of Health treats improper bird and wildlife feeding as a rodent attractant and public-health nuisance and investigates complaints ...
Erie County, NY
Erie County does not license cats, but New York law requires every cat to be rabies-vaccinated, and the county Health Department runs free rabies clinics for...
Erie County, NY
Erie County sets no numeric limit on household pets. Any cap on the number of dogs or cats comes from a town, city, or village ordinance, while state law req...
Erie County, NY
Erie County imposes no countywide livestock ordinance. Keeping cattle, horses, goats, pigs, or other farm animals is controlled by each town, city, or villag...
Erie County, NY
Backyard composting is legal and encouraged in Erie County. The county has no mandate or ban on home composting; nuisance and setback details, if any, come f...
See how Erie County's zoning restrictions rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.