Oct. 29 — OTHELLO — Home businesses will be required to obtain a license under provisions of a revised ordinance considered Monday by the Othello City Council.

City officials have been working on revisions throughout 2024. Othello Community Development Director Anne Henning said home businesses have changed since the ordinance was last updated in 1995.

“We’re working on the balance between allowing people to operate a business, but not upsetting the neighbors,” Henning said.

Under the revised ordinance, home-based businesses will be subject to conditions and may be inspected by the city’s code enforcement department. Code enforcement officers will be required to give 48 hours notice of an inspection. But Henning said city staff doesn’t anticipate having to inspect most businesses.

Non-compliant business owners may have their license revoked.

A home business will be limited to one customer at a time and cannot have outside employees. A business cannot generate more traffic than would normally be expected in a residential neighborhood. The city’s original ordinance set size limits for home-based businesses, but Henning said in previous interviews that city officials thought it would be difficult to enforce and removed it.

Some of the changes, Henning said, were added at the suggestion of the city attorney after the initial public hearing on the ordinance in August.

Some possible provisions were discussed but rejected by the Othello Planning Commission because of the difficulty of enforcement, Henning said. She cited deliveries as an example, as home deliveries are common now and it would be difficult to enforce restrictions.

The revised ordinance does not list permitted businesses. Henning said in a previous interview that Othello officials have reviewed similar ordinances in many cities and most do not have a list. A list of what is not allowed remains in the new ordinance.

Prohibited uses include retail, vehicle body and body shops, cabinet shops, restaurants, animal hospitals, kennels, restaurants and real estate offices, among others. Henning said in an earlier discussion that day care facilities are regulated by different rules. Regulations for home cooks for off-site sale are governed by the Adams County Health Department.

Residents will be permitted to establish a business in an accessory structure on the property, but outdoor storage of equipment or materials related to a home business will be prohibited. So will parking construction equipment at a residence.