City governs businesses

A home occupation request was on the agenda for the Tuesday, Sept. 1, Pea Ridge Planning Commission agenda.

That has become a common occurance. Home occupation requests have been on the Planning Commission agenda consistently this year with one on the February agenda, none in March, one in May, four in June, one in July and none in August. There was not an April meeting due to covid-19.

There are currently 32 home occupation permits approved by the city.

There are 240 active business licenses issued in the city; that includes the businesses operated from homes.

“A home occupation is requested when a person is looking at operating a business from a residential zoned property,” according to city official Nathan See. “There are strict guidelines for home occupations, and these are approved by the Planning Commission prior to a license being issued.”

Tuesday’s meeting was scheduled to begin with a public hearing at which time any person

from the public may speak regarding the home occupation request. This month’s request was from Melissa Garcia for 122 Henry Little Circle.

Other requests have included photograph businesses, lawn care businesses, retail shopping and others that required paper work and phone scheduling be done from the home but did not increase traffic to the residence.

Home occupations were authorized by Ordinance 630 approved Dec. 27, 2018, for the purpose of “assuring that home occupations are compatible with surrounding properties.”

A home occupation is defined as “Any occupation or profession carried on by the inhabitants which is clearly incidental and secondary to the use of the dwelling for dwelling purposes, which does not change the character thereof, and which meets all other applicable standards and use limitations as described in Title 14,” according to the ordinance.

There are several restrictions listed in the ordinance including that the business does not take up more than 20% of the total floor area of the residence.

Approval of the home occupation permit is conditioned on the applicant purchasing and maintaining a valid business license from the City Clerk, according to the ordinance.

Planners typically ask the petitioner whether they rent or own the home in which they’re living and various questions concerning the business including amount of traffic it may generate, whether equipment (including hazardous chemicals) will be stored at the residence and for more specifics about the business. A public comment time is allowed during a public hearing. Later during the Planning Commission meeting, planners vote on whether to approve the permit.

Once the permit is approved, the petitioner may request a city business license from City Hall.

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Editor’s note: This is the first article in a series about city business licenses and home occupation permits.