Arlington County Home Occupation and Home Business Regulations

Residents of Arlington County are permitted to conduct home occupations by-right in all Residential (R), Residential Apartment (RA), and Commercial (C) districts, provided the business remains clearly subordinate and incidental to the residential use of the dwelling. Operating a home business requires a formal agreement with the Arlington County Zoning Administrator and adherence to strict operational standards, including a limit of one nonresident employee and a maximum of 12 visitors per day [§12.9.11.C].

Permitted Home Occupations in Arlington County

Under the Arlington County Zoning Ordinance, home occupations are permitted if they are conducted within a dwelling unit and maintain the residential character of the neighborhood. Permitted uses generally include professional services, crafts, and administrative offices [§12.9.11.A]:

Professional Offices: Accountants, architects, brokers, consultants, lawyers, and engineers.
Instructional Services: Teachers and tutors, including the instruction of students.
Creative Arts: Artists, photographers, sculptors, authors, editors, and writers.
Service Businesses: Tailors, seamstresses, dressmakers, and home crafts like weaving or model making.
Repair Services: Small household appliance repair, watch and clock repair, and toy or model repair.
Contractors: Offices for contractors, provided no equipment or materials are stored on the premises and no more than one commercial vehicle is parked on-site.
Accessory Homestay: The rental of rooms to overnight lodgers, subject to specific additional standards.

Prohibited Business Activities

To protect the residential integrity of Arlington County neighborhoods, certain high-impact uses are explicitly prohibited as home occupations [§12.9.11.B]:

Commercial Retail: Antique shops, gift shops, and any display or sale of stocks-in-trade not produced on the premises.
High-Traffic Uses: Restaurants, tearooms, amusement parlors, and dance halls.
Medical/Health Facilities: Hospitals, clinics, medical or dental offices (unless approved as an existing institutional structure), and nursing homes.
Vehicle Services: Motor vehicle repair, motor vehicle sales, and the testing of internal combustion engines.
Personal Services: Barber shops and beauty salons.
Animal Care: Kennels, animal boarding, and veterinary clinics.
Death Services: Funeral homes and mortuaries.

Operational Standards and Limitations

Every home occupation in Arlington County must comply with the following technical standards to ensure the business does not negatively impact surrounding residents [§12.9.11.C]:

Requirement	Standard
Agreement Required	Must enter into an agreement with the Zoning Administrator
Maximum Nonresident Employees	1 person (must not be a resident of the dwelling)
Maximum Daily Clients/Students	12 persons per day
Maximum Concurrent Clients	4 persons at any one time
Maximum Total Floor Area	25% of the total floor area of the principal dwelling
Maximum Storage Area	10% of the total floor area for stock-in-trade
Signage	Prohibited (no signs allowed on the exterior)
Exterior Evidence	No outside display, storage, or visible evidence of business
Hazardous Materials	Prohibited
Parking	No additional parking spaces may be added for the business

Specific Regulations for Accessory Homestays

Arlington County permits "Accessory Homestays" as a specific type of home occupation where a resident rents out part of their primary residence to lodgers for periods of fewer than 30 days [§12.9.12].

Residence Requirement: The resident must occupy the dwelling for at least 185 days per year [§12.9.12.A].
Lodger Limits: The maximum number of overnight lodgers is limited to the greater of six people or two lodgers per number of bedrooms, provided it does not exceed Building Code limits [§12.9.12.A].
Permit Requirements: Unlike other home occupations, a homestay requires a specific "Accessory Homestay Permit" that is valid for one year and must be renewed annually [§12.9.12.C].
Safety: The dwelling must have working fire extinguishers and smoke/carbon monoxide detectors [§12.9.12.A].

Enforcement and Penalties

Arlington County enforces these regulations through the Zoning Administrator. Any person or firm found to be operating a home business in violation of these standards may face civil or criminal penalties [§17.1].

Civil Penalties: Initial violations typically carry a fine of $200, with subsequent violations of the same set of facts reaching up to $500 [§17.3.A].
Criminal Penalties: Certain violations, such as those resulting in physical harm or involving unpermitted land development, can be prosecuted as misdemeanors with fines up to $1,000 per violation [§17.4].

Sections Cited