- Home occupation permit required:
- Yes
- Details:
- Douglas County Chapter 18A.66 requires a home occupation permit for most home-based businesses. Home occupation permit is required unless the activity is specifically exempted. Home cooking and preserving for sale is explicitly listed as a permitted home occupation use (DCC 18A.66.040(A)(10)). Standards include: (1) home occupation must be clearly incidental to residential use; (2) limited to 25% of gross floor area of the structure or 500 sq ft, whichever is less; (3) no exterior or window displays or outdoor storage of materials; (4) retail/wholesale sales limited to products created in the home occupation; (5) no restaurant/cafe uses. Exemptions from permit requirement include temporary home boutiques (max 5 days or 10 days/year) and purely administrative home offices. WAC 16-149-030(4) also requires a Washington State master business license.
- Home kitchen:
- Washington state cottage food law (RCW §69.22.010–.040; WAC 16-149) requires a biennial WSDA cottage food permit ($125 inspection fee + $75 public health review fee + $30 processing fee). All food handlers must hold a food and beverage service worker's permit (Chapter 69.06 RCW). Producers must comply with all applicable county and municipal zoning ordinances prior to permitting (WAC 16-149-030(4)). Douglas County has a detailed home occupation ordinance (Chapter 18A.66) that explicitly permits home cooking and preserving for the purpose of selling the product as an allowed home occupation use.
Last verified 2026-05-06. Not legal advice.
