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Douglas County Commission approves zoning text amendment loosening home‑occupation limits
Summary
The Board of Douglas County Commissioners on April 23 approved AMDT 24‑1001, a text amendment to county zoning regulations that reclassifies some home occupations as permitted uses, adjusts registration rules, and gives zoning staff more discretion on small‑scale automotive and welding uses. The motion passed 5‑0 and adopted Resolution No. 25‑19.
The Board of Douglas County Commissioners on April 23, 2025, approved a zoning text amendment (AMDT 24‑1001) that changes standards and the review process for home occupations in unincorporated Douglas County. The motion to approve the amendment and adopt Resolution No. 25‑19 passed unanimously, 5‑0.
County planner Carl Bauer told the commission the proposal is the product of several years of staff work and subsequent adjustments following earlier public comment and a planning‑commission review. “This is an amendment to change the standards and review process for home occupations,” Bauer said, noting the planning commission voted unanimously to recommend approval in December and that staff returned a revised draft after the board deferred action in January to allow additional study.
Under the amendment: Type 1 home occupations would become a permitted use by right if standards are met; Type 1 may use up to 400 square feet of an accessory structure (previously limited to in‑dwelling space). The amendment removes the five‑acre minimum for Type 2 home occupations, extends registration terms from one year to two years, and removes the 3,600‑square‑foot cap on accessory buildings for Type 2 uses. Staff also proposed changes intended to allow small‑scale automotive and welding activities in certain circumstances: welding would be permitted when performed in conjunction with an otherwise permitted use, automotive upholstering was removed from a prohibited list, and the zoning and codes director would be authorized to place conditions on Type 2 home‑occupation registrations to mitigate impacts (hours, operational limits), subject to an appeals process described in the code.
Bauer said staff removed a short list of ‘‘typical uses’’ from the definitions section to reduce duplication and clarified the permitted‑use table so that a parcel is identified first as a dwelling and second as a home occupation. He also told the commission that staff had monitored a 2024–25 state legislative bill that would have established a statewide category for ‘‘no‑impact’’ home occupations; that bill passed the state House but died in a Senate committee, and staff remain aware of any future changes at the state level.
A resident who addressed the commission during the item thanked staff for incorporating prior comments, and the board member who moved the amendment said the draft language reflected those concerns. After a short period of commissioner discussion and no formal amendments on the floor, the board voted 5‑0 to approve AMDT 24‑1001 and adopt Resolution No. 25‑19.
Votes at a glance: AMDT 24‑1001 (zoning code text amendment) — Approved, 5‑0; Consent agenda items 1.1 and 1.2 — Approved, 5‑0; Motion to recess to executive session for consultation with legal counsel on pending litigation — Approved (no action taken in session); Extension of executive session by 10 minutes — Approved; Reappointment of Steve Munch to the Planning Commission — Approved; Appointment of Hannah Bolton to the Lawrence‑Douglas County Housing Group — Approved.
The amendment will be effective according to the implementation dates and processes in the county zoning code; staff noted that some administrative processes (registration, conditions and appeals) will be handled by the zoning and codes office and that applicants may use the code’s appeals process if they dispute conditions imposed by the director.
