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Can I run a business from home in Falmouth, Maine?

Falmouth, Cumberland County · Ordinances checked 2026-10-15 · Reviewed · 10 cited sections

Allowed

Often, yes. Falmouth allows a low-impact home business by right if only family members who live there work in it, it generates no traffic, nothing is stored outside, and you keep no more than one business vehicle on the property. A busier home business with up to two outside employees needs conditional use approval from the Board of Zoning Appeals and is only available in the RA, RB, RD, HL, VMU and Farm and Forest districts.

By-right home business: who can workOnly family members living in the home [1]
By-right: traffic and vehiclesNo traffic generated; max one business vehicle kept on site [2]
Larger home businessesConditional use approval by the Board of Zoning Appeals after a public hearing (RA, RB, RD, HL, VMU, F) [3]
Non-family employees (conditional use)Up to 2 [4]
Floor area (conditional use)Max 20% of the dwelling's floor area (excluding unfinished basement/attic), plus unfinished attic and basement space [5]
Accessory structure (conditional use)One; floor area used can't exceed 50% of the dwelling's floor area as calculated above [9]
Parking (conditional use)Off-street parking for each employee and peak customers, on top of the home's normal parking [6]
BZA application fee$375; file 28 days before the hearing [7]
Certificate of occupancyRequired to establish any home occupation [8]

By-right home businesses

Falmouth's Sec. 19-54 lets you run a business wholly inside your home or an accessory structure without a hearing if it is incidental to living there and has no impact on neighbors. To qualify, it must be carried on only by family members living in the home [1], with no exterior storage or change to the home's residential character, no objectionable noise, smoke, odors, glare or late-hours activity, no substantial alterations, and no traffic generated. Only one vehicle used mainly for the business may be kept on the property [2].

Conditional use (BZA approval)

Other home occupations may be allowed as a conditional use in the RA, RB, RD, HL, VMU and F districts after a Board of Zoning Appeals public hearing [3]. The business must be carried on mainly by resident family members, with no more than two other employees on the premises [4]. It must stay wholly inside the dwelling or one accessory structure, with no outside storage or objectionable conditions, and traffic can't create a hazard or disturb the neighborhood. It may use up to 20% of the home's floor area, calculated without unfinished basement and attic space [5], plus unfinished attic and basement space, and one accessory structure in which the floor area used can't exceed 50% of the home's floor area as calculated that way [9]. You must provide off-street parking for each employee and for the most customers expected at peak hours, beyond the home's normal parking [6]. The Board also applies its general conditional use criteria (Secs. 19-119 and 19-123).

Other districts and gaps

The Village Center use table lists Home Occupation with a "P" (permitted) in both VC1 and VC2 [10]. Establishing any home occupation requires a certificate of occupancy [8]. Sec. 19-54 as printed on the town's application ends after subsection b.8.c (the accessory-structure limit), so we can't tell whether more subsections follow, and it says nothing about signs; any later subsections and sign rules are in parts of the zoning code we couldn't review.

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Next steps

  1. Check your zoning district, then compare your business against the six by-right criteria in Sec. 19-54.a.
  2. Ask Code Enforcement (207-699-5310) about the certificate of occupancy needed to establish a home occupation.
  3. If you need outside employees or will have customer traffic, file a Home Occupation conditional use application with the Code Enforcement Office at least 28 days before a 4th-Tuesday Board of Zoning Appeals hearing, with the $375 fee.
  4. Bring a scaled plot plan showing parking, building elevations, an interior layout, and written answers to the conditional use criteria.

Common questions

Can I run a business from my home in Falmouth, Maine?
Often, yes. A low-impact home business is allowed by right if only family members living there work in it, it generates no traffic, nothing is stored outside, and no more than one business vehicle is kept on the property. Establishing any home occupation requires a certificate of occupancy.
Can a home business in Falmouth, Maine have employees?
Yes, up to two non-family employees, but only with conditional use approval from the Board of Zoning Appeals after a public hearing, and only in the RA, RB, RD, HL, VMU and Farm and Forest districts. You must also provide off-street parking for each employee and for peak customers.
How much of my house can a home business use in Falmouth, Maine?
For a conditional-use home business, up to 20% of the dwelling's floor area (excluding unfinished basement and attic), plus unfinished attic and basement space, and one accessory structure whose used floor area can't exceed 50% of the dwelling's floor area as calculated that way.
How do I apply for a home occupation permit in Falmouth, Maine?
For a conditional-use home occupation, file the application with the Code Enforcement Office at least 28 days before a 4th-Tuesday Board of Zoning Appeals hearing, with the $375 fee, a scaled plot plan showing parking, building elevations, an interior layout and written answers to the conditional use criteria.
Can I put up a sign for a home business in Falmouth, Maine?
Unclear. Falmouth's home occupation section as printed says nothing about signs; sign rules are in parts of the zoning code that weren't reviewed, so ask Code Enforcement (207-699-5310).

Maine state rules for home businesses

Maine has no statewide home-occupation law. Whether you can run a business from home, and with what limits, is mostly up to your town's zoning. A few state rules may apply:

  • Sales tax registration: If you regularly sell taxable goods or services from home, you must register with Maine Revenue Services and collect sales tax.
  • Home food businesses: Making shelf-stable foods (baked goods, jams and similar) to sell requires a Home Food License from the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. It costs $20 a year and needs an initial kitchen inspection. Foods that must be refrigerated need a commercial license instead.
  • Family child care: A state law (30-A M.R.S. §4364-D) makes family child care providers a permitted use in residential zones, under the same zoning rules as a single-family home. As amended in 2026, towns must follow it starting July 1, 2027. State child care licensing applies separately.
  • Shoreland zone: The DEP's model shoreland ordinance defines a home occupation as one clearly incidental to the home, with no more than 2 employees besides family members living there. It requires a planning board permit in Limited Residential, Resource Protection and Stream Protection districts, and a code officer permit in Limited Commercial districts.

State sources: Maine Revenue Services: Sales and Use Tax FAQ (registration) · Maine DACF: Home Food License 101 · 30-A M.R.S. §4364-D (Child care services in residential areas) · LD 2173 (P.L. 2025, c. 733): application dates · DEP Chapter 1000 (home occupation definition and land use table)

What the ordinance says

Exact text from Falmouth's published ordinances. Section numbers are as printed in the source.

  1. Sec. 19-54.a.1, Home Occupation Conditional Use Application (BZA) with full text of Sec. 19-54 Home Occupations [Amended 10/25/93, 04/09/12, 7/24/17], p. 5
    are carried on only by a member or members of the family residing in the dwelling unit;
  2. Sec. 19-54.a.4-6, Home Occupation Conditional Use Application (BZA) with full text of Sec. 19-54 Home Occupations [Amended 10/25/93, 04/09/12, 7/24/17], p. 5
    there is no traffic generated by the home occupation. 5. the dwelling or accessory structure is not altered substantially to accommodate the home occupation; and 6. no more than one vehicle used primarily for the home occupation shall be kept on the property.
  3. Sec. 19-54.b, Home Occupation Conditional Use Application (BZA) with full text of Sec. 19-54 Home Occupations [Amended 10/25/93, 04/09/12, 7/24/17], p. 5
    All other home occupations or professions which are accessory to and compatible with a residential use in an RA, RB, RD, HL, VMU, or F district may be permitted as a conditional use, if approved by the Board of Zoning Appeals after public hearing with due notice given, and if the home occupation conforms with the following criteria:
  4. Sec. 19-54.b.3, Home Occupation Conditional Use Application (BZA) with full text of Sec. 19-54 Home Occupations [Amended 10/25/93, 04/09/12, 7/24/17], p. 5
    Not more than two persons other than family members residing in the dwelling unit shall be employed on the premise in connection with the home occupation.
  5. Sec. 19-54.b.8, Home Occupation Conditional Use Application (BZA) with full text of Sec. 19-54 Home Occupations [Amended 10/25/93, 04/09/12, 7/24/17], p. 5
    Not more than twenty (20%) percent of the dwelling unit floor area, provided that for the purposes of this calculation unfinished basement and attic spaces are not included.
  6. Sec. 19-54.b.7, Home Occupation Conditional Use Application (BZA) with full text of Sec. 19-54 Home Occupations [Amended 10/25/93, 04/09/12, 7/24/17], p. 5
    In addition to the off-street parking provided to meet the normal requirements of the dwelling, adequate off-street parking shall be provided for the vehicles of each employee and the vehicles of the maximum number of users the home occupation may attract during peak operating hours.
  7. BZA Conditional Use Application, Home Occupation Conditional Use Application (BZA) with full text of Sec. 19-54 Home Occupations [Amended 10/25/93, 04/09/12, 7/24/17], p. 1
    This application and all documentation must be filed with the Code Enforcement Office 28 days prior to any hearing date. A three hundred- and seventy-five-dollar ($375) fee is due at submission.
  8. Sec. 19-166.b Certificates of Occupancy, Ordinance No. 9-2024 - Amendments to Ch. II-19 implementing LD 2003 (30-A MRSA 4364, 4364-A, 4364-B): definitions, district use/dimensional tables, Sec. 19-38 parking, Sec. 19-55.1 Accessory Dwelling Units, Sec. 19-69 growth cap, Sec. 19-166 - adopted Dec 11, 2023, p. 25
    A certificate of occupancy also is required for the following: a. Any increase in the number of dwelling units in a building. b. Establishment of any home occupation.
  9. Sec. 19-54.b.8.b-c, Home Occupation Conditional Use Application (BZA) with full text of Sec. 19-54 Home Occupations [Amended 10/25/93, 04/09/12, 7/24/17], p. 5
    b. Unfinished attic and basement spaces. c. One accessory structure. The floor area utilized in the accessory structure shall not exceed fifty (50%) percent of the total floor area of the dwelling unit as previously calculated
  10. Sec. 19-11.3.1 VC1 and VC2 use table, Home Occupation row, Ordinance No. 9-2024 - Amendments to Ch. II-19 implementing LD 2003 (30-A MRSA 4364, 4364-A, 4364-B): definitions, district use/dimensional tables, Sec. 19-38 parking, Sec. 19-55.1 Accessory Dwelling Units, Sec. 19-69 growth cap, Sec. 19-166 - adopted Dec 11, 2023, p. 12
    Home Occupation na P na P
This page summarizes Falmouth's posted ordinances as of 2026-10-15. Ordinances are amended, and individual lots can have overlays, subdivision covenants, or HOA rules that are stricter. Confirm with Code Enforcement Division (Community Development) (207-699-5310) before you build. Spot an error?