Can I run a business from home in Yarmouth, Maine?
Allowed
Yes. A home occupation is allowed as an accessory use in any Yarmouth district that allows homes, as long as it meets 10 performance standards. You submit a written description of the business to the Planning Department. Limits include one non-resident employee, no more than 20% of the home's living space, no more than two customers at a time, and a sign of up to 2 sq ft.
| Approval | Written description of the business submitted to the Planning Department [1] |
| Who can work there | Resident family members plus no more than one full-time-equivalent non-resident employee on site [2] |
| Space | Up to 20% of the dwelling's finished living space, plus one accessory structure [3] |
| Customers | No more than 2 at any one time [4] |
| Sign | One sign up to 2 sq ft [5] |
| Resource Protection District | Planning Board permit required [6] |
Allowed with a written description
Yarmouth permits a home occupation as an accessory use in any district that allows residential use, provided it meets the standards in Article II.J. You submit a written description of the business, with supporting materials, to the Planning Department showing it will meet the 10 performance criteria [1]. If your business can't strictly meet them, you can ask the Board of Appeals for a special exception. A home occupation must be run by residents, be clearly secondary to the home, and not change its residential character.
Performance standards
- Employees: run by family members living in the home, plus one non-resident employee. No more than one full-time employee, or the part-time equivalent, may work on site at once [2].
- Inside only: the business must be carried on inside the house or an accessory structure. No exterior displays or outdoor storage; equipment must be stored inside or screened year round.
- Space: up to 20% of the home's finished living space, plus one accessory structure [3].
- Customers: no more than two served at any one time [4]. The town may require parking for an employee and up to two customers on top of the home's normal parking.
- Sign: one sign up to 2 sq ft showing the name, address, profession or occupation [5].
- Nuisances: no objectionable noise, vibration, smoke, dust, odors, heat, glare, electrical disturbance, or hazardous-material storage. Traffic must fit the neighborhood.
Shoreland and Resource Protection
In the Resource Protection District, a home occupation needs a Planning Board permit [6].
Other notes
Family day care homes are treated as an accessory use to a single-family home; group day care homes are a special exception in the residential districts.
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Next steps
- Write a short description of the business: what you do, employees, hours, customer visits, parking, and any equipment or storage.
- Show how it meets each of the 10 criteria in Article II.J and submit it to Yarmouth Planning & Development (207-846-2401).
- If the business can't meet a criterion (for example, more customers or employees), ask about a special exception from the Board of Appeals.
- If you're in the Resource Protection District, apply for a Planning Board permit.
- Register with Maine Revenue Services if you'll sell taxable goods or services.
Common questions
- Can I run a business from home in Yarmouth, Maine?
- Yes. A home occupation is allowed as an accessory use in any Yarmouth district that allows homes, if it meets 10 performance standards. You submit a written description of the business to the Planning Department.
- How many employees can I have in a home business in Yarmouth, Maine?
- Residents plus one non-resident employee. No more than one full-time employee, or the part-time equivalent, may work on site at once.
- How much of my home can I use for a business in Yarmouth, Maine?
- Up to 20% of the dwelling's finished living space, plus one accessory structure.
- How many customers can visit a home business in Yarmouth, Maine?
- No more than two customers at any one time. The town may require parking for an employee and up to two customers on top of the home's normal parking.
- Can I put up a sign for a home business in Yarmouth, Maine?
- Yes, one sign up to 2 sq ft showing the name, address, profession or occupation.
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
- Article II.J Home Occupations, Chapter 701 Zoning Ordinance, p. 49
Any home occupation shall be permitted as an Accessory Use in any zoning district that allows residential uses use if it complies with the requirements of this Section. A written description of the business and any supporting materials must be submitted to the Planning Department.
- Article II.J.1, Chapter 701 Zoning Ordinance, p. 49
No more than one full-time employee or that number of part-time employees required to do the work of one full-time employee may be employed in the home occupation on the site at any one time.
- Article II.J.7, Chapter 701 Zoning Ordinance, p. 50
7. The home occupation may utilize not more than twenty percent (20%) of the dwelling unit finished living space.
- Article II.J.9, Chapter 701 Zoning Ordinance, p. 50
9. No more than two customers shall be served at any given time.
- Article II.J.6, Chapter 701 Zoning Ordinance, p. 50
6. In any district, a home occupation sign not exceeding two (2) square feet in surface is permitted which announces the name, address, profession or home occupation of the occupant of the premises on which said sign is located.
- Article IV.I.2.v RPD Permitted Uses, Chapter 701 Zoning Ordinance, p. 121
v. Home Occupations (Planning Board permit required)
This page summarizes Yarmouth'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 Building Permits & Code Enforcement (Planning & Development) (207-846-2401) before you build. Spot an error?