Home-Based Businesses

The City of Bridgeton recognizes the need for some citizens to use their place of residence for limited nonresidential business activities. 

However, to ensure that home-based businesses are accessory and clearly incidental to the residential use of the dwelling; and that home-based businesses do not create excess traffic, activity, noise, or other nuisances; and to protect and maintain the character of residential neighborhoods, the following standards apply and must be acknowledged (as part of the required Business Licensing procedure) by any citizen seeking to operate such a business:

• No persons other than members of the family residing on the premises shall be engaged in such occupation.
• The use of the dwelling unit for the home occupation shall be clearly incidental and subordinate to its use for residential purposes; and not more than one room having an area of not more than 25% of the total square footage of the structure shall be used in the conduct of the home occupation.
• There shall be no change in the outside appearance of the building or premises or other visible evidence of the conduct of such home occupation other than one non-lighted sign of a type or kind normally found in that area indicating the name and address of the resident. No equipment or materials relating to a home occupation shall be stored outside.
• No home occupation shall be conducted in any accessory building.
• There shall be no sales of merchandise to customers coming to the premises in connection with such home occupation.
• No traffic shall be generated by such home occupation in greater volumes than would normally be expected from a purely residential use of the home containing the home occupation, and any need for parking generated by the conduct of such home occupation shall be met off the street on a dust-free parking area, no larger than would normally be expected for a purely residential use.
• No equipment or process shall be used in such home occupation which creates noise, vibration, glare, fumes, odors or electrical interference detectable to the normal senses off the premises if the occupation is conducted in other than a single-family residence or outside the dwelling unit if conducted in other than a single-family residence. In the case of electrical interference, no equipment or process shall be used which creates visual or audible interference in any radio or television receivers off the premises or causes fluctuations in line voltage off the premises.
• A home occupation shall not be interpreted to include barbershops, beauty shops, restaurants, or offices of physicians or dentists, but shall include child care.
• For any new home occupation for which a business license is granted on or after April 15, 2011, no vehicle that contains signage associated with a home occupation may be parked or stored outside in a residential neighborhood unless legally parked or stored behind the building line.