All applicants must read and agree to the following section of the Appomattox County Code:
§ 19.6-83- Home Occupations, Type I and Type II
It is recognized that a home occupation provides valuable services while providing income for county residents. The regulations in this section seek to prevent conflict of the home occupation with the surrounding residential areas and to ensure that the home occupation maintain a secondary posture to the main residential use.
Home occupations, where permitted, must meet the following general requirements:
(1) A zoning permit or home occupation application is required to be approved prior to commencing the home occupation activity. The applicant must be the owner of the property on which the home occupation is to be located or must have
(2) written approval of the owner of the property if the applicant is a tenant.
(3) The home occupation shall be operated only by the members of the family residing on the premises, and no article or service shall be sold or offered for sale except as may be made by members of the immediate family residing on the premises.
(4) The use is clearly incidental and secondary to the use of the property for dwelling purposes and no external alterations, which would cause the premises to differ from its residential character by the use of colors, materials, lighting, or construction are permitted.
(5) Restrictions on home occupations shall not apply to the sale of unprocessed agricultural and husbandry products.
Additional standards for all Type I home occupations: (suburban/subdivision areas)
(1) The maximum floor area permitted for a home occupation shall be ten (10) percent of the finished floor area of the dwelling unit. Storage of goods or products shall not exceed five (5) percent of the finished floor area.
(2) There shall be no display or storage of goods or products visible from a public or private right of way or any adjacent property.
(3) The sale of goods or services produced on the premises which involve a consumer coming to the premises shall be limited to no more than five (5) customers or vehicles per day. Babysitting for five (5) or less children shall be permitted.
(4) Lessons in the applied arts shall be permitted, provided that the class size for any lesson does not exceed five (5) students at any one time or a total of fifteen (15) students per week.
(5) No sign may be placed on the property advertising the home occupation.
(6) No advertising through local media, including telephone books, flyers, banners, social media or other internet media shall be permitted so as not to call attention to the residential address of the home occupation.
(7) An accessory building or structure may be used provided that the total floor area between the dwelling unit and the accessory building devoted to the home occupation does not exceed the ten (10) percent of the finished floor area of the dwelling unit.
Additional standards for all Type II home occupations: (rural areas/farm)
(1) The maximum floor area permitted for the home occupation shall be twenty-five (25) percent of the finished floor area of the dwelling unit. Storage of goods or products shall not exceed twelve (12) percent of the finished floor area.
(2) An accessory building or structure may be used with the home occupation, provided that the total floor area between the dwelling unit and the accessory building devoted to the home occupation does not exceed twenty-five (25) percent of the finished floor area of the dwelling unit.
(3) The sale of goods or services produced on the premises which involve a consumer coming to the premises shall be limited to not more than twenty (20) customers or vehicles per day. Babysitting for five (5) or less children shall be permitted.
(4) Lessons in the applied arts shall be permitted, provided that the class size for any lesson does not exceed eight (8) students at any one time or a total of twenty-four (24) students per week.
(5) One non-illuminated sign, a maximum of two (2) square feet in area shall be permitted per dwelling, regardless of the number of home occupations within the dwelling.
A zoning permit for home occupations shall expire under either of the following conditions:
(1) Whenever the applicant ceases to occupy the premises for which the home occupation permit was issued; and no subsequent occupant of such premises shall engage in any home occupation until he shall have been issued a new permit after proper application.
(2)Whenever the holder of such a permit fails to exercise the same for any period of twelve (12) consecutive months.