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

Walla Walla County Code Section 17.08.260 defines a 'home occupation' as an occupation carried on entirely within a dwelling or outbuilding by the residents themselves, and it must stay clearly incidental and secondary to the home's residential use without changing the character of the dwelling. The Type I version is the county's baseline permit: no more than one non-resident employee, and the operation cannot occupy more than 400 square feet of the residence or an accessory structure. Section 17.08.261 sets up a Type II tier for larger operations: up to three non-resident employees, with an on-site parking space required for each beyond the first, up to 800 square feet indoors, and a defined outdoor activity area of no more than 21,780 square feet (half an acre) that must be screened from neighboring residences by vegetation, terrain, or landscaping.

A legal lot of record is allowed only one home occupation; a second one on the same site is not permitted under Section 17.08.260(C). Type I applications go through the type I administrative review described in Walla Walla County Code Section 14.09.045, handled by Community Development staff rather than the hearing examiner. Retail sales on-site are limited to goods actually produced on the property or connected to the service the business provides. If the operator moves off-site or Community Development finds the business out of compliance with its conditions, Section 17.08.260(H) makes permit revocation the direct consequence, ending the legal basis for running the business from that address.