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Home-Based Businesses

The Town of Eliot has a number of home-based businesses. If you are looking to start a business out of your home in Eliot, here are the ordinances and prcoesses for your review. 

There are three types of home-based businesses listed in the Town's ordinances. These are: 

  • Home Business 
  • Home Occupation 
  • Home Office 

The first step is to check the zone of your property. You can do this by using the Town's online GIS system. Please refer to the FAQ section on how to look up the zone and setbacks for your property if you have questions. 

After you have obtained the zone of your property, you can review the Land Use Table in Section 45-290 of the Town's ordinances to determine what type of use (home business; home occupation; home office) is permissable wtihin the zone as well as what authority (Planning Board or Code Enforcement Officer) is responsible to review the use.

Home Businesses are permittable in the Rural, Suburban and Village Districts, with a Site Plan Review application process. Home businesses must comply with the requirements of Section 45-456.1 of the ordinances. Some of these standards include: 

  • Owner of permitted business must be occupant of the dwelling unit
  • Business use must be secondary to the residential use of the property 
  • A home business cannot be on the same lot as a home occupation. 
  • Home businesses cannot be larger than 1,500 square feet of floor area 
  • All structures used for the business must meet dimensional standards
  • If the use of the home business is not indicated on the use table, the applicant may ask for the Planning Board's review of a different use per Section 45-456.1e1&2.

Please refer to Section 45-456.1 for full details on the requirements for home businesses. 

Application Process for Home Businesses: Please use the Home Business Application to request site plan review and approval by the Planning Board for operation of a home business at your residence. Please submit ten copies of the requested information on the application by the deadline listed on the Submission Deadlines page. The fee to file this application is listed in Section 1-25 (Fee Schedule) of the ordinances. 

Home Occupations are permittable in the Rural and Suburban Districts, provided that the property abuts Route 236. If the property abuts Route 236, a Site Plan Review is required and the use must be visually screened from abutting (same street side) noncommercial properties (Section 45-290). Home occupations are further defined in Section 1-2 of the ordinances. Some of the provisions listed include: 

  • The use must be incidental to the residential dwelling unit. 
  • Home occupations include uses such as offices for medical doctors, lawyers, real estate brokers, or other recognized professions.
  • One member of the family who is an occupant must be engaged in the home occupation. 
  • The size of the home occupation is restricted to twenty-five percent of the total floor area of the principal residential and other structures. 
  • Retail and other sales is not permittable as a home occupation. 
  • Parking is limited to a total of ten spaces for the home occupation use. 

Please refer to Section 1-2, definition of Home Occupation, for additional detail. 

Application Process for Home Occupations: Please file a Site Plan Review application to request the Planning Board's review of a home occupation. Please refer to the Site Plan Review & Revisions page for detail on the Site Plan Review process. 

Home Offices are permittable in the Rural, Suburban, Village, and Commercial/Industrial Districts with a permit issued by the Code Enforcement Officer. Home offices are smaller than home businesses and home occupations. Here are some of the restrictions of home office use: 

  • Home offices are accessory to dwelling units, and are only for office spaces such as desks, chairs, filing, etc. 
  • Only an occupant of the dwelling unit may operate a home office
  • Cannot be larger than 200 square feet in floor area

For more details, please refer to section 45-456 of the ordinances.