To acknowledge the growing importance of home-based businesses in our local economy, the Urbana Zoning Ordinance allows certain activities, but there are different rules depending on the type of home occupation.
HOME OCCUPATION PERMIT CATEGORIES:
TYPE A Home Occupation - A home-based occupation that has minimal impact on the property and surroundings beyond the scope of residential use, involving only the occupants of the subject dwelling and resulting in only a minor amount of traffic from individuals not residing in the household. Examples include private consulting, non-retail arts and crafts studios, Internet-based businesses, telecommuting, and daycares with fewer than three children or adults. Such activity may involve scheduled visits with outside clients or customers and employ up to two individuals not residing in the household.
Type A Home Occupation Permits require approval by the Zoning Administrator; however, they do not need a Certificate of Occupancy or Conditional Use Permit. They have specific criteria to meet:
- Employees - No persons other than members of the household, residing in the dwelling unit are engaged in the home occupation.
- Signage - There are no signs on the premises identifying the home occupation other than a nameplate, not more than three square feet in area, only permitted as a wall-mounted sign and not internally illuminated.
- Exterior Visibility - The occupation is wholly operated and contained within the dwelling; and there is no activity, construction, or display that would indicate from the exterior of the building or dwelling unit that the building or dwelling unit is being used for any purpose other than residential, except for the signage provisions as allowed above. No storage of materials or equipment visible from outside the dwelling unit is permitted. Day Care Homes are exempt from the exterior visibility provisions to allow activities and equipment customary to day care homes, such as outdoor play equipment.
- Vehicles and Customer Visits - No more than two commercial or business vehicles used in conjunction with the home occupation may be on the premises at any one time; and no more than five vehicle visits per day.
- Parking - No more than two commercial or business vehicles, trucks, or trailers used in conjunction with the home occupation may be parked on the premises or on an abutting street.
- Equipment - No mechanical or electronic equipment is used that creates objectionable noise, odors, or electronic impulses, or otherwise creates a nuisance discernible beyond the property lines of the premises.
Type B Home Occupation - A home-based occupation that exceeds the limitations of a Type A Home Occupation and involves a minor amount of traffic from individuals not residing in the household. Such activity may involve scheduled visits with outside clients or customers and employ up to two individuals not residing in the household. Examples include music lessons, professional consultations, and personal services like clothing alterations or shoe repair.
Type B Home Occupations require approval by the Zoning Administrator and issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy. The following restrictions and conditions apply to Type B Home Occupations:
- Employees - No more than two persons, other than members of the household residing in the dwelling unit, are engage in the home occupation.
- Vehicles and Parking - No more than two commercial vehicles, trucks, tor trailers used in conjunction with the home occupation may be parked on the premises or on an abutting street at any time. Up to two additional off-street parking spaces may be required by the Zoning Administrator to accommodate commercial vehicles. The Zoning Administrator may waive or reduce the off-street parking requirement based upon demand generated by the use, location of the home occupation, and on-street parking supply. No exterior storage of vehicles, other than those owned by members of the household residing on the premises, is permitted.
- Customer/Client Visits - No more than 10 visits per day from customers, clients, or home deliveries are permitted, with no more than three visitors present at any given time, excluding Day Care Home pick-ups and drop-offs. The Zoning Administrator may require a drop-off zone as a condition of approval for the Home Occupation Permit based on demand generated by the use, safety, and on-street parking supply.
- Exterior Visibility – The occupation is wholly contained within the dwelling and there is no activity, construction, or display that would indicate from the exterior of the building or dwelling unit that the building or dwelling unit is being used for any purpose other than residential, except for the signage provisions set forth in the next bullet point. No outdoor storage of materials or equipment visible from a public right-of-way is permitted. Day Care Homes are exempt from the exterior visibility provisions to allow activities and equipment customary to Day Care Homes, such as outdoor play equipment.
- Signage – There are no signs on the premises identifying the home occupation other than a nameplate, not more than three square feet in area, only permitted as a wall-mounted sign and not internally illuminated.
- Nuisance - The occupation does not or will not constitute a violation of any nuisance code.
- Other – The Zoning Administrator may impose other conditions on the home occupation as determined by the specifics of the application to meet the intentions of this Ordinance and to protect the health, safety, and general welfare of the City of Urbana.
Type C Home Occupation - A home-based occupation that may have an impact on the property beyond that associated with Home Occupation Types A and B, or that exceeds the number of employees or daily visitors set forth as stated above for Type B. Examples might include light assembly and packaging for online sales, onsite sales of goods and services, greenhouses and plant sales, bicycle repair and sales, minor home auto repairs, group-based classes or instruction, or other occupations involving a higher volume of customer or clients than permitted under Types A or B.
Prohibited Home Occupation - Any home-based activity that may use hazardous materials, or that otherwise may pose a hazard or nuisance to surrounding properties is prohibited. Such uses may include, but are not limited to, exterminators, chemical-based lawn care, dry cleaning, and medical diagnostic laboratories.
Vehicle Repair Business - A home occupation involving vehicle repair is permitted as a home occupation only if the subject vehicles are repaired inside a garage, and no inoperable vehicles are stored outside. Any vehicle to be repaired may not queue outside the garage. Additionally, the garage must meet all applicable building and fire safety codes, and any such work may not violate any of the City’s nuisance codes and ordinances. Only minor automobile repairs as defined in Article II of the Zoning Ordinance are permitted. Additionally, no major automobile repairs as defined in Article II of the Zoning Ordinance are permitted as a home-based occupation.
Other Important Information: You can have more than one home occupation at the same place as long as you don't exceed the restrictions. If you already had a Certificate of Occupancy for a home occupation before this amendment took effect and it doesn't meet the new conditions, it's considered legally nonconforming.
NOTE: More than one home occupation at a single premises may be permitted provided that the cumulative number of total employees and visitors does not exceed the restrictions set forth in this section.
NOTE: Certificates of Occupancy for home occupations issued prior to the effective date of this amendment not meeting the conditions of Section V-12.B shall be considered legally nonconforming.
NOTE: The sale of firearms as a home occupation shall require approval of a site security plan by the Urbana Police Chief, or designee, with renewal every three years in compliance with Section VII-5.D.
APPLICATION - The Home Occupation Permit application is available on the CitizenServe portal, which is an online program that allows applicants to submit applications and pay application fees online.
A digital pdf of the Home Occupation Permit application is available below. You can save it to your computer and fill in the information requested. You can either submit the application (including the application fee) in person, mail it to our office (City of Urbana | Planning Division, 400 South Vine Street, Urbana, IL 61801), or email it to Planning [at] UrbanaIL.gov (Planning[at]UrbanaIL[dot]gov).
Note: If additional space is needed, please provide answer(s) on separate sheet of paper.
FEES
Application
The application fee must accompany the application when submitted for processing. For the current fee, please refer to the most recent version of the City’s Schedule of Fees - Excluding Liquor License Fees.
Legal Ad
The Applicant is responsible for paying the cost for a legal ad in the News-Gazette, if a Conditional Use Permit is required. The News-Gazette will bill the applicant directly.
Assistance
It is strongly recommended and sometimes required to have a phone conversation or meeting with Planning staff (depending on the type of application) prior to an application being submitted. This is an opportunity to find out what regulations and requirements are expected to be met and followed. This includes what application(s) you will be required to apply and get approval for. City staff will inform you what the process and time frame will be for getting application(s) for your intended plans reviewed and hopefully approved.
If, when you are filling out a Planning | Zoning application, you have questions or require assistance, please contact the Planning Division staff by email at Planning [at] urbanail.gov (Planning[at]UrbanaIL[dot]gov) or by calling 217.384.2440.