Home occupations in Birmingham, MI

What the Birmingham zoning ordinance says about home occupations, district by district. Section numbers link to the official ordinance.

All districts

A home occupation is an accessory use in the residential districts. Section 5.02 states the standards for R1A through R3, and §§ 5.03-5.05 repeat the same standards for R4 through R8. The conditions:

Only residents of the dwelling may work in it. No outside employees.
No exterior indication of the business and no exterior sign.
No alterations to the dwelling and no non-residential equipment.
No nuisance detectable beyond the unit, including through party walls, and no extra traffic.
Off-street parking may not sit in the required front yard.
No direct sales from shelves or racks, and no outdoor storage.
Hours: 8 am to 10 pm.
At most 25 percent of the gross building area.
The occupation may be conducted in a permitted accessory building.

The hours and the accessory-building allowance differ from some neighboring cities, so do not assume another city's rules carry over.

§§ 5.02-5.05

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