Home-based businesses
Home-based businesses are small-scale businesses operating out of your home that don't affect your neighbours or the surrounding area. The main use of the property stays residential.
To work out if you need a development permit for your home-based business, refer to the Home-Based Business Use Code in part 9 of the Toowoomba Regional Planning Scheme. You can also contact us to discuss what approvals you need.
Acceptable home-based businesses
You don't need a development approval if your home-based business meets the Acceptable Outcomes outlined in the Business Use Code and the requirements of Planning Regulation 2017 (Qld).
Examples of a small-scale business at home could include:
- bed-and-breakfast or farmstay
- doggy daycare
- home office
- family daycare
- hairdressers
- online retail businesses
- cottage arts and crafts.
Some types of home-based businesses, such as a farmstay or doggy daycare have additional requirements, outlined in the Use Codes.
Hairdressers and beauticians may also need to meet the requirements of the:
Certain uses described as an office may operate as a home-based business as long as they follow the Home-Based Business Use Code. For example:
- solicitors
- accountants
- architects
- engineers
- naturopaths
- physiotherapists
- massage therapists
- psychologists.
Unacceptable businesses
You will not qualify as a home-based business if:
- the business includes any type of vehicle service or repair on the site
- the business becomes too large for the property, so the main purpose of the property is no longer residential
- the number of employees engaged in the business is more than appropriate for a home-based business
- there is excessive daily traffic to and from your home, including large numbers of customer, employee and commercial vehicle movements
- the business is conducted outside or the display of goods or materials for sale is visible outside the building
- there are potential impacts to the surrounding area from business activities, such as noise, odour and lighting.
Renting part or all of a house for the purposes of short-term accommodation where the owner is not living at the property is not a home-based business.
Development permits for home-based businesses
Before you apply for a development permit, read about the development application process.
Before you can begin your proposed business at home, you may need additional approvals for:
- building work
- a food licence
- trade waste
- a personal appearance licence
- plumbing and drainage work
- operational work (such as driveway crossover, earthworks, vegetation removal, advertising on premises).
Further information
For more information or support with your development application, contact a Technical Advice Officer.