Those operating their own businesses from home will have to follow new regulations following amendments approved by the Ann Arbor City Council at their Tuesday night meeting.
Some of the regulations include limiting the number of clients to 24 per day, limiting work hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and limiting floor area used for businesses.
The City Council made these changes through amending the Ann Arbor Unified Development Code.
The regulations are meant to ensure that home occupations, or businesses run out of private residences, do not interfere with neighborhood safety and infrastructure as more people continue to work from home or move their businesses to their residence, according to the council’s ordinance.
The previous version of the ordinance included limiting the type of product allowed to be sold on the premises, limiting the qualification for “home occupations”, and prohibiting the use of certain equipment.
Home occupations are also encouraged to achieve Ann Arbor’s A2Zero carbon neutrality goals by limiting clients’ vehicle miles traveled. A2Zero, an initiative first launched by the city in November 2019, aims for Ann Arbor to achieve carbon neutrality by the year 2030.
“I think that home occupations are important, they’ve always been important,” Councilmember Jeff Hayner, D-Ward 1, said. “I think that they tie in with our need to reduce communal travel, our A2Zero goals and so on.”
Councilmember Linh Song, D-Ward 2, shared her conversation with a local music teacher who she said would benefit from these changes, as the regulations will allow more students in different cities to drive to his home.
“For someone who’s on limited income, retired and teaching students who were unable to get full-ride scholarships, I’m really pleased to be able to share this update with him and let him know that he will be able to expand his expertise with students in the area,” Song said.
Daily Staff Reporter Caroline Wang can be reached at wangca@umich.edu.