A home occupation is an accessory use conducted in or from a residential dwelling or its accessory building by persons whose principal residence is on the premises. See the lists below for what uses are and aren’t permitted as home occupations:
Permitted Home Occupations
- Accessory Homestay (Airbnb, Craigslist, VRBO, etc.)
- Artist, photographer, sculptor
- Author, composer, editor, translator, writer
- Contractor or service business, with addition requirements as mentioned in §12.9.11 of the Zoning Ordinance
- Dressmaker, seamstress and tailor
- Food Preparation and Home Occupations
- Home crafts such as lapidary work, macrame, model making and weaving
- Office of an ordained minister of religion
- Office of an accountant, architect, bookkeeper, broker, clerical service, computer programmer, consultant, dentist, engineer, instructor in the arts and crafts, insurance agent, land surveyor, landscape architect, lawyer, musician, physician, real estate broker or telephone service
- Office of a salesman, sales representative or manufacturers representative
- Repair services, such as musical instruments, watches and clocks, small household appliances, and toys or models
Home Occupations Not Permitted
- Amusement or dance parlor
- Antique shop
- Barber shop or beauty salon
- Funeral home or chapel
- Gift shop
- Kennel or other boarding of animals
- Medical or dental clinic, hospital, nursing home
- Motor vehicle repair or sales
- Nursery school
- Repair or testing of internal combustion engines
- Restaurant or tearoom
- Tourist home, boardinghouse, rooming house
- Veterinary clinic or animal hospital
Submission Requirements
Home occupation permit applications must be submitted online.
- You must complete an Home Occupation Application in Permit Arlington.
- From the Create drop-down menu, select Zoning Application.
- View Permit Arlington Help for assistance with the online system.
- The applicant must be an Arlington County resident.
- A parking disclosure map is required for home occupation applications. For your convenience, the Parking Map Tool is available to assist with this requirement.
Fees
Fee Schedules provide the range of fees charged for each type of application or activity related to land development in Arlington. Fees cover permitting, plan review, enforcement, inspection, service delivery, performance agreements and conditions. There are separate fee schedules for Inspection Services Division (ISD), Zoning and the Department of Environmental Services (DES). Some permits involve fees from more than one schedule.