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

Ogunquit, York County · Ordinances checked 2026-10-01 · Reviewed · 12 cited sections

Allowed with a permit

Yes. In Ogunquit's residential districts a home occupation is allowed with a permit from the Code Enforcement Officer, as long as it stays inside the house or an accessory building, has no more than two non-resident employees, uses at most a 2-square-foot sign, and generates no more than 20 vehicle trips a day.

Approval (OFR, R, RR1, RR2 and most other districts)Code Enforcement Officer permit [1]
Approval (Shoreland Limited Residential, SLR)Planning Board site plan review [1]
Not permittedSP (Stream Protection), RP (Resource Protection) and SG3 districts [1]
Non-resident employees2 maximum [3]
Exterior sign2 square feet maximum; no exterior display or storage [4]
TrafficNo more than 20 vehicle trips per day [6]
ProhibitedAutomobile storage, sales or repairs [7]

Source date

This answer is based on the town-posted December 2020 PDF of Chapter 225 (Zoning), with amendments through 2019. The current codified version could not be downloaded, so later amendments may have changed these rules.

Where it's allowed

A home occupation is an occupation carried on in a dwelling or an accessory building that is clearly secondary to living there. Table 702.1 allows it with a Code Enforcement Officer permit [1][2] in the One-Family Residential, Residential, Rural Residential 1 and 2, business, Farm, SLC, SG1 and SG2 districts. In the Shoreland Limited Residential (SLR) district it needs Planning Board site plan review [11]. It isn't permitted in the SG3 (Playhouse), Stream Protection or Resource Protection districts. In the SG2 (Perkins Cove) district, a note limits it to things like fishing and lobstering gear storage, tutoring of two people at a time, home crafts, the arts, and work with no customers or clients coming to the premises [10].

Performance standards (§225-9.7)

  • The work must be carried on entirely inside the house or an accessory building [8].
  • No more than two employees who don't live in the home [3].
  • No exterior display, no exterior storage, and no sign larger than two square feet [4]. The business can't change the residential character of the home.
  • No unreasonable noise, odors, glare, traffic or parking problems. Any added parking spaces go to the side or rear of the house, outside the required setbacks [5].
  • No more traffic than normal for the area, and no more than 20 vehicle trips a day [6].

What kinds of businesses

Professional, technical or business services, private instruction for individuals or small groups, and product sales are allowed [9]. Sales are limited to products made or substantially altered on site, catalog orders, and retail items incidental to a service you provide on site. Automobile storage, sales or repair can't be a home occupation [7].

Child care

The 2020 table allows a "day-care center" only in the GB1 and LB districts, after site plan review, and doesn't define the term or address in-home child care [12]. Starting July 1, 2027, state law (30-A M.R.S. §4364-D) requires towns to treat family child care as a permitted use in residential zones, which may override local limits on in-home child care.

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Next steps

  1. Call Ogunquit Codes & Planning (207-646-9326) to confirm your zoning district and whether the current ordinance has changed the home occupation rules.
  2. Apply to the Code Enforcement Officer for a home occupation permit, describing the business, employees, any sign, parking and expected customer visits.
  3. If you are in the Shoreland Limited Residential (SLR) district, apply to the Planning Board for site plan review instead.

Common questions

Can I run a business from my home in Ogunquit, Maine?
Yes. In the residential districts a home occupation is allowed with a Code Enforcement Officer permit. It must stay inside the house or an accessory building and not change the home's residential character.
How many employees can a home business have in Ogunquit, Maine?
No more than two employees who don't live in the home. There can be no exterior display or storage, and no sign larger than 2 square feet.
How much traffic can a home business generate in Ogunquit, Maine?
No more than 20 vehicle trips a day, and no more traffic than normal for the area. Any added parking goes to the side or rear of the house, outside the required setbacks.
Where are home occupations not allowed in Ogunquit, Maine?
They aren't permitted in the SG3 (Playhouse), Stream Protection or Resource Protection districts. In the Shoreland Limited Residential district they need Planning Board site plan review.

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 Ogunquit's published ordinances. Section numbers are as printed in the source.

  1. Table 702.1, Land Uses Permitted in Zoning Districts, Ogunquit Zoning Ordinance, Chapter 225 (town PDF), p. 163
    Home occupation* C C C C C C C C C SPR C C C3 NP NP NP
  2. Table 702.1, Key, Ogunquit Zoning Ordinance, Chapter 225 (town PDF), p. 159
    C Permitted use with permit from Code Enforcement Officer
  3. §225-9.7B, Ogunquit Zoning Ordinance, Chapter 225 (town PDF), p. 103
    B. Not more than two employees who are not residents of the dwelling unit shall be employed in the home occupation.
  4. §225-9.7C, Ogunquit Zoning Ordinance, Chapter 225 (town PDF), p. 103
    C. There shall be no exterior display, no exterior sign larger than two square feet, no exterior storage of materials and no other exterior indication of the home occupation.
  5. §225-9.7D, Ogunquit Zoning Ordinance, Chapter 225 (town PDF), p. 103
    If additional parking spaces are provided, they shall be located to the rear or side of the principal structure but not within the required yard setbacks.
  6. §225-9.7F, Ogunquit Zoning Ordinance, Chapter 225 (town PDF), p. 103
    F. A home occupation shall not create greater traffic than normal for the area in which it is located or generate more than 20 vehicle trips per day.
  7. §225-9.7G, Ogunquit Zoning Ordinance, Chapter 225 (town PDF), p. 103
    G. Automobile storage, sales or repairs shall not be permitted to be established as home occupations.
  8. §225-9.7A, Ogunquit Zoning Ordinance, Chapter 225 (town PDF), p. 103
    A. The occupation or profession shall be carried on wholly within a principal or accessory building.
  9. §225-9.7E, Ogunquit Zoning Ordinance, Chapter 225 (town PDF), p. 103
    E. A home occupation may involve the provision of professional, technical or business services, individual or small group private instruction, or the sale of products.
  10. Table 702.1, Note 3, Ogunquit Zoning Ordinance, Chapter 225 (town PDF), p. 164
    3. Limited to storage of fishing and lobstering equipment, private tutoring of not more than two persons at any one time, home crafts, pursuit of the arts, and activities or occupations which are conducted without customers or clients coming to the premises.
  11. Table 702.1, Key, Ogunquit Zoning Ordinance, Chapter 225 (town PDF), p. 159
    SPR Permitted use after site plan review approval from Planning Board
  12. Table 702.1, Land Uses Permitted in Zoning Districts, Ogunquit Zoning Ordinance, Chapter 225 (town PDF), p. 162
    Day-care center NP NP NP NP NP SPR NP SPR NP NP NP NP NP NP NP NP
This page summarizes Ogunquit'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 Codes & Planning (Land Use) (207-646-9326) before you build. Spot an error?