Can I run a business from home in Harpswell, Maine?
Allowed
Yes. Home occupations are allowed in all of Harpswell's zoning districts, and most need no permit. You need a Code Enforcement permit only if the business has public restrooms or showers or serves food to the public, and a Planning Board permit in Resource Protection areas unless the business is very low-impact. You can have up to 2 full-time employees besides residents and use up to 25% of the home's floor area.
| Where allowed | All zoning districts [1] |
| Permit needed | None, unless public restrooms/showers or food served to the public (CEO permit) [1] |
| Resource Protection districts | Planning Board approval unless the business meets all low-impact conditions [6] |
| Space limit | 25% of the dwelling's floor area (excluding basement), or 900 sq ft in an accessory building; one structure only [3] |
| Non-resident employees | Up to 2 full-time equivalents (1 in Resource Protection) [4] |
| Parking | Off-street parking for each employee and peak customers, in addition to residential parking [5] |
| Business signs (shoreland districts) | Up to 2 signs, each 16 sq ft max; CEO permit [8] |
| Bed and breakfast | Counts as a home occupation with up to 4 guest bedrooms [9] |
Allowed everywhere
Harpswell defines a home occupation as an occupation or profession carried out for gain by a resident, as an accessory use in or about the home or an accessory building [10]. Home occupations are allowed in all zoning districts. Only those with public restrooms or showers, or that serve food to the public, need a Code Enforcement Officer permit [1]. The same performance standards apply inland and in the shoreland zone [2].
Performance standards
- The business must be accessory and clearly secondary to living in the home, and can't involve a use prohibited in Section 15.6 of the shoreland ordinance.
- Space: one structure only, using no more than 25% of the home's gross floor area (basements excluded), or no more than 900 sq ft of an accessory building. Day care homes and bed and breakfasts are exempt from this limit [3].
- Employees: run by a resident, with no more than 2 full-time (or equivalent part-time) employees beyond the household. In Resource Protection, the limit is 1 [4].
- Parking: off-street parking for each employee and for peak customers, on top of normal residential parking [5].
- No nuisance from noise, smoke, dust, odors, animal waste or glare, no substantially greater traffic than normal for the neighborhood, and no more special or hazardous waste than a typical home.
- The business must comply with state septic rules.
Resource Protection districts
Outside commercial fishing, a home occupation in Resource Protection needs Planning Board approval unless it's entirely inside the home, has no outside employees, has no retail sales, adds no traffic and generates no special or hazardous waste [6].
Commercial fishing and B&Bs
Commercial fishing home occupations are exempt from the performance standards, and the shoreland ordinance protects them as an allowed accessory use in Shoreland Residential [7]. A bed and breakfast with no more than 4 guest bedrooms counts as a home occupation [9].
Signs
In shoreland districts, business display signs need a CEO permit and are limited to 2 per premises at 16 sq ft each [8]. The Harpswell Sign Ordinance also applies but wasn't among our sources.
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Next steps
- Check your plans against the limits: 25% of floor area (or 900 sq ft in an outbuilding) and no more than 2 outside employees.
- If you'll have public restrooms or showers or serve food to the public, apply for a permit at the Code Enforcement Office (207-833-5771).
- If your property is in a Resource Protection district, ask Code Enforcement whether you need Planning Board approval.
- Before putting up a business sign, get a sign permit and ask about the Harpswell Sign Ordinance.
Common questions
- Can I run a business from my home in Harpswell, Maine?
- Yes. Home occupations are allowed in all of Harpswell's zoning districts, and most need no permit. You need a Code Enforcement permit only if the business has public restrooms or showers or serves food to the public.
- How many employees can a home business have in Harpswell, Maine?
- Up to 2 full-time (or equivalent part-time) employees beyond the household. In Resource Protection the limit is 1.
- How much of my house can I use for a home business in Harpswell, Maine?
- No more than 25% of the home's gross floor area (basements excluded), or 900 sq ft of an accessory building, in one structure only. Day care homes and bed and breakfasts are exempt from this limit.
- Do I need Planning Board approval for a home business in Harpswell, Maine?
- Only in Resource Protection districts. There, approval is needed unless the business is entirely inside the home, has no outside employees, has no retail sales, adds no traffic and generates no special or hazardous waste.
- Can I run a bed and breakfast from my home in Harpswell, Maine?
- Yes. A bed and breakfast with no more than 4 guest bedrooms counts as a home occupation, subject to adequate septic capacity.
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.
What the ordinance says
- Sec. 15.20 Home Occupations, Shoreland Zoning Ordinance (2025), p. 45
Home occupations are allowed in all zoning districts. Those home occupations that provide public restrooms or showers or that serve food to the public need a permit from the Code Enforcement Officer.
- Sec. 11.16 Home Occupations, Basic Land Use Ordinance (2026), p. 21
All home occupations are subject to the provisions of Section 15.20 of the Shoreland Zoning Ordinance setting forth performance standards for home occupations regardless of whether they are located within the Shoreland Zone.
- Sec. 15.20.3, Shoreland Zoning Ordinance (2025), p. 45
Except for family and group day care homes, and bed and breakfast home occupations, no home occupation shall be located in more than one (1) structure nor shall any one (1) or more home occupation utilize more than twenty-five percent (25%) of the gross floor area of the dwelling (excluding basement floor areas) if located in the dwelling or more than nine hundred (900) square feet of gross floor area of the accessory structure if located in an accessory structure.
- Sec. 15.20.4, Shoreland Zoning Ordinance (2025), p. 45
In addition to the resident or occupants of the dwelling unit, no more than two (2) full time employees, or part-time employees’ equivalent to two (2) full time employees, may be employed in the home occupation. In Resource Protection districts within the Shoreland Zone, no more than one (1) full time employee, or that number of part-time employees required to do the work of one (1) full time employee, may be employed in the home occupation.
- Sec. 15.20.6, Shoreland Zoning Ordinance (2025), p. 45
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 maximum number of users the home occupation may attract during peak operating hours.
- Sec. 15.20.10, Shoreland Zoning Ordinance (2025), p. 46
Except for home occupations related to commercial fishing, Planning Board review and approval is required for home occupations in a Resource Protection District unless the home occupation:
- Sec. 13.2 Shoreland Residential District, Shoreland Zoning Ordinance (2025), p. 17
Home occupations, including but not limited to commercial fishing, are an allowed accessory use within the Shoreland Residential District provided they meet the standards outlined in Section 15.20 of this Ordinance.
- Sec. 15.9.1 Signs, Shoreland Zoning Ordinance (2025), p. 37
Display signs relating to a business or to goods and services sold on the premises shall be allowed, provided that such signs shall not exceed sixteen (16) square feet in area and shall not exceed two (2) signs per premises.
- Definitions, Bed and Breakfast Home Occupations, Definitions Addendum (2026), p. 4
For the purpose of this ordinance, Bed and Breakfast establishments shall be considered as home occupations if they provide no more than four (4) bedrooms for overnight guests.
- Definitions, Home Occupation, Definitions Addendum (2026), p. 11
Home Occupation – an occupation or profession carried out for gain by a resident or occupant and conducted as an accessory use in or about such resident’s or occupant’s dwelling or accessory structure.
This page summarizes Harpswell's posted ordinances as of 2026-10-01. Ordinances are amended, and individual lots can have overlays, subdivision covenants, or HOA rules that are stricter. Confirm with Code Enforcement Office (207-833-5771) before you build. Spot an error?