A Guide to Establishing a Home Occupation or Home Industry
Introduction
Home Occupation
Home Industry
A "home industry" is defined as a small scale industrial use in a non-residential building, which is operated as a secondary use to a single family dwelling on the same lot. A home industry use may include a carpentry shop, a metal working shop, a plumbing shop, an electrical shop, a small engine repair shop, a welding shop, a storage building for school buses, boats, snowmobiles or a similar industrial use. The retail sale of any goods or wares shall not be permitted as a primary home industry use.
Home Occupation -- Permitted Zones
- Low Density Urban Residential (R1) zone
- Low Density Urban Residential (R2) zone (but only if within a single family or linked dwelling)
- Residential (R) zone
- Estate Residential (ER) zone
- Airfield (A) zone
- Transitional (T) zone
- Rural (RU) zone
Home Industry -- Permitted Zone
Home Industry is permitted in the following zone category:
- Rural (RU) zone
Home Industry General Provisions
No home industry shall be permitted in any zone unless home industry is a permitted use and conforms to the following provisions;
(a) not more than three persons, other than the resident occupant or his/her family, shall be employed in such home industry;
(b) there shall be no external display or advertising, other than a legal sign, to indicate to persons outside, that any part of the lot is being used for home industry purposes;
(c) parking is provided in accordance with Section 5.28;
(d) the floor area shall not exceed 190 square metres;
(e) such home industry is clearly secondary to the main use of the property and does not create or become a public nuisance, particularly in regard to traffic, parking, noxious odours or emissions of smoke;
(f) the owner has been issued a certificate of occupancy by the Town.
Home Occupation Zoning Requirements
Home Industry Zoning Requirements
Home Occupation Parking and Signage
Contact Information
Common Questions and Answers
Yes, but it is important to understand how residential floor area is determined if only 25% of the floor area can be used. Residential floor area is the total floor area of a dwelling unit above grade (i.e. include all floors) plus a maximum of 25% of any part of a basement that is finished. For example, if a 2-storey dwelling contains 1,000 sq. ft. per level and has a fully finished basement of 1,000 sq. ft., the total residential floor area of the home would equal 1,000 + 1,000 + 250 (25% of 1,000) = 2,250 square feet. A home occupation could be established in this dwelling having a maximum size of 562.5 sq. ft. (being 25% of 2,250 sq. ft.). If the basement in the home was completely unfinished, the total residential floor area of the dwelling would be 2,000 sq. ft. (basement not included). In this case, a home occupation could establish with a maximum size of 500 sq. ft. Home occupations can be located within the finished main or second floor, or, within a finished or unfinished basement. Please keep in mind that the size of a home occupation dictates whether additional on-site parking will be required.
As outlined above, the requirement for providing additional parking is based solely on the amount of floor space being used and whether there is an accessory apartment within the home. As noted above, if the home occupation occupies less than 13.5 sq. m. (145.3 sq. ft.) then no additional parking will be required. Unless the home also contains an accessory apartment, in which case, one additional parking space would be required.
No. While a small legal sign is allowed, the sign must be located on the property in accordance with the Town’s Sign By-law, administered through the Municipal Law EnforcementDivision.
No. Neither the indoor (i.e. garage or shed) or outdoor storage of materials is allowed on the property. Further, there are provisions in the Town’s Zoning By-law regulating the parking of commercial motor vehicles in residential areas. Additional information can be obtained by contacting the Zoning Examiners listed below.
No. A person operating a home occupation must live in the dwelling where the use is occurring. While up to two (2) non-resident employees can work in a home occupation, only members of the resident family can be involved in the canvassing, delivery and distribution of merchandise.