HomeMy WebLinkAboutORD 4493 - Amends ORD 3810, 3931
Ame,nded by Ord:. 4523 ,
' 4680, 5159 , 5356 ,
5357 ,
CITY OF RENTON, WASHINGTON
ORDINANCE NO. 4493
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF RENTON, WASHINGTON, AMENDING
4-31-19.G OF CSAPTER 31, ZONING CODE, OF TITLE IV
(BUILDING REGULATIONS) , OF ORDINANCE NO. 4260 ENTITLED
"CODE OF GENERAL ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF RENTON,
WASHINGTON" - RELATING TO HOME OCCUPATIONS.
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RENTON, WASHINGTON, DO ORDAIN
AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION I. Section 4-31-19 .G of Chapter 31, Zoning Code,
of Title IV (Building Regulations) , of Ordinance No. 4260 entitled
"Code of General Ordinances of the City of Renton, Washington" is
hereby amended to read as follows :
4-31-19.G. HOME OCCUPATION. �
1 . DEFINITION: Any commercial use conducted entirely within ,�
a dwelling or garage and carried on by persons residing in that _
dwelling unit which is clearly incidental and secondary to the use
of the dwelling as a residence.
2 . PURPOSE: The City of Renton recognizes the need for some
citizens to use their place of residence for limited nonresidential
�
activities . A home occupation business in a lawfully established
dwelling unit may be permitted under the provisions of this '
section. The provisions of this section do not apply to day-care II
businesses . Applicable regulations for day-care are found in the
Washington Administrative Code. It is the intent of this section
to:
a. Preserve the character of residential neighborhoods
and guarantee all residents freedom from excessive noise, excessive
ORDINANCE NO. 4493
traffic, nuisance, fire hazard, and other possible adverse effects
of home occupations .
b. Establish qualification standards for home
occupations .
3 . . APPLICATION, REVIEW, AND APPEAL PROCEDURES: A business
license must be obtained from the City of Renton Finance &
Information Services Department. The following conditions must be
met to obtain a business license for all home occupations :
a. Submission of a complete application to the Finance
& Information Services Department for a business license. That
department shall refer the application to the Zoning Administrator
for review of the proposed use under this Code section.
b. Compliance with all conditions placed on the home
occupation by the Zoning Administrator to satisfy the general
purpose of this section. In addition to the provisions set forth �
herein, the Zoning Administrator may, in approving, conditioning or
denying the application, consider the cumulative impacts of the
proposed home occupation in relation to other City-approved home
occupations in the immediate vicinity.
c. Appeal : The applicant or a citizen may appeal the
decision of the Zoning Administrator pursuant to City Code section
4-8-11 .B.
d. If the Zoning Administrator approves the home
occupation section of the business license application, the Finance
& Information Services Department may issue the license provided
that all other requirements have been met.
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ORDINANCE N0. 4493
4 . QUALIFICATION STANDARDS:
a. Primary Residence: The property on which the
business is located must be the primary residence of the business
� owner.
b. Retail Sales and Storage: No retail sales shall be
allowed except for sales of products made on the premises.
Incidental supplies necessary for business operations may be kept
if not for sale. Products may be sold wholesale and stored for
wholesale distribution.
c. Parking: There shall be no expansion of parking,
including the addition of on-site or off-site parking spaces, to .
support the home occupation.
d. Employees : The home occupation shall not employ �
more than one non-resident of the dwelling unit. An employee for -
these purposes means one individual, not a full-time equivalent. �
In addition, home occupations may use professional services such as
accountants .
e. Mechanical/Electrical Equipment: There shall be no
use of inechanical or electrical equipment that would change the ',
structure or create visible or audible interference in radio or !,
television receivers or cause fluctuations in line voltage outside '
the dwelling unit.
f. Environmental Impacts : There shall be no noise,
vibration, smoke, gas, dust, odor, heat, or glare produced by the
business which would exceed that normally associated with a
dwelling.
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ORDINANCE NO. 4493
g. Space: The busiriess shall not occupy more than
twenty five percent (25�) of the floor space of the gross floor
area of the residence, and in no event, more than five hundred
(500) square feet.
h. Outdoor Storage: The outdoor storage or display of
materials, goods, products, or equipment is prohibited.
i. Flammable Liquids : A permit must be obtained for
storage, handling or use of Class I flammable or combustible
liquids if required for the proposed business .
j . Fire Extinguisher: A minimum rated 2-A 10 BC fire
extinguisher is required on the premises .
k. City Codes : The home occupation. must meet all City
codes and ordinances for type of business being conducted.
l. Building Alterations : Any alterations to the
building shall be conducted pursuant to the issuance of a permit
from the Building Department.
m. Accessory Structures: Existing garages with
adequate access may be used for home occupations provided that the
property still complies with the parking requirements of the zone.
Other accessory structures, such as carports and toolsheds shall
not be used for any activities associated with the business other
than storage. Such storage shall be completely enclosed and not be
visible from outside the accessory structure.
n. Signage: There shall be no exterior or window
signage, display, or advertising except for one non-electric and
non-illuminated sign attached flush to the wall or window of the
building with the face of the sign in a plan parallel to the plane
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of the wall or window. The allowed building sign may not be larger
than two square feet in area. The sign material and appearance �
must be harmonious with the architecture of the home. Pursuant to
City Code section 4-20-3 .C. 6, a permit is not required for the
allowed building sign.
o. Prohibited Uses : The occupations listed below are
prohibited since they chan.ge the residential character of the
structure and shall not be considered incidental and secondary to !
the use of the residence for dwelling purposes :
(i) Kennels and other boarding for pets .
(ii) Automobile and associated mechanical repairs .
(iii) Businesses which dispense regulated substances . j
5 . CUSTOMER VISITS OR DELIVERIES: !
a. Notification to Neighbors : If a home occupation
will have customer visits, more than six business related �
deliveries per week, or any external indication of commercial
activity, property owners within 300 feet of the home occupation
must be notified of the application. The applicant is responsible
for providing current mailing labels and postage to the Development
Services Division which will then send the notification.
b. Inspection: The Zoning Administrator or designated
staff may inspect the property prior to approval of the business
license to determine if the information in the application is
correct and if the property can accommodate a home occupation
without changing the residential character of the premises .
c. Comment Period: A fourteen day comment period shall
be allowed before a decision is made by the Zoning Administrator to
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ORDINANCE NO. 4493
approve or disapprove the home occupation section of the business
license a lication.
PP
d. License Renewal : Prior to renewing a business
license the City may reinspect the property to evaluate whether the
business is operating in a manner consistent with _the requirements
of this section. '
e. Limitation of Use: No more than one home occupation
ma be o erated within a dwellin unit with customer visits .
Y P g
f. Limitation of Customer Visits : There shall not be I�'
', more than eight customer visits per day defined as a person coming
to receive service or pick up goods . There shall be no more than �
�r one customer on the premises at any one time. A family arriving in
one vehicle or together is considered the same as one customer.
g. Limitation of Hours : Customer visits to a home
�� occupation shall be between the hours of 8 : 00 a.m. and 8 : 30 p.m.
6 . GAR.AGE SALES: Garage sales as defined in City Code
section 4-31-2 shall not be considered as an allowable home
occupation. Exemptions and conditions for garage sales shall
include:
a. Incidental garage sales consisting of no more than
one such sale per calendar quarter, and no more than three (3)
within the same calendar year and with no such sale continuing for !
more than two (2) days, shall be exempt from this section. ,
b. Garage sales shall be supervised and are the
responsibility of the occupant or the tenant who occupies the
dwelling unit. This person shall not permit vehicles to impede the
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� 4493
ORDINANCE N0.
passage of traffic on any roads , or streets ,in the area of the
person' s property.
c. Goods are not to be displayed in public rights of I
way. I
d. Signs advertising such sales shall not be attached
to any public structures, signs,, or traffic control devices nor to
any utility poles . Signs may only be placed on property owned by
the person conducting the sale or on property where an owner gives
consent to post such sign. All such signs shall be removed twenty
four (24) hours after the sale is completed.
e. A garage sale which violates one or more of the
above conditions shall be considered a busiriess and must be brought
into compliance with all requirements for business uses, including
compliance with the Zoning Code.
f. Any person found to be in violation of this section
shall be informed in writing by the Planning/Building/Public Works
Department of the violation and shall be given fourteen ( 14) days
to comply with this section. Following this action, if a
subsequent garage sale is conducted in violation of this section,
each day the sale is conducted shall be considered a separate
violation and shall be subject to the following penalty.
7 . ENFORCEMENT:
a. If, after conducting an investigation the Zoning
Administrator finds that the operation of such home occupation is
in violation of the provisions of this section and/or the terms and
conditions subject thereto, he or she shall refer the findings to
the City of Renton Finance & Information Services Director who may
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ORDINANCE NO. 4493 �
revoke the home occupation business license pursuant to section 5- j
5-3 .G.
Notwithstanding the revocation powers of the Finance �,
& Information Services Director, penalties for any violation of any
of the provisions of this section shall be in accord with Chapter
33 of Title IV. '
b. Penalty: Any person conducting any garage sale as
defined herein in City Code section 4-31-2 of this chapter without
being properly licensed therefor or who shall violate any of the
other terms and regulations of this ordinance, shall upon
conviction, be fined not less than twenty five dollars ( $25 . 00) nor
more than one hundred dollars ( $100 . 00) or to be imprisoned for a
period of not to exceed ten ( 10) days for each violation.
SECTION II. This Ordinance shall be effective upon its
passage, approval, and thirty days after publication.
PASSED BY THE CITY COUNCIL this 23rd day of Januar� , 1995 .
�
Marilyn . P tersen, City Clerk
APPROVED BY THE MAYOR this 23rd day of January , 1995 . I
Earl C ymer, or _
Approved a to form:
Lawrence J. Warr , City Attorney �
Date of Publication: January 27 , 1995
ORD.417F: 1/13/95:as .
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