LEONARD GRAY / L’Observateur / May 13, 2000

HAHNVILLE – It may be the wave of the future as the economy and internet access allow more and more people to work at home. Home occupationallicenses are a booming trade in St. Charles Parish.According to Tiphanie Giroir of the Department of Planning and Zoning, at least 900 homes in St. Charles Parish include a home occupation with anincredible range of businesses.

While a generation ago women entered the workforce in record numbers, nowadays many of these same women are staying home and still bringing home the bacon.

“We have home occupation licenses for billing services, contractors, hair and nail salons, lawn maintenance – all kinds of businesses,” Giroir said.

The process to acquire a home occupation license is a simple one, Giroir said.

An application is made, along with a one-time, non-refundable $100 fee.

A sign is posted in the resident’s yard for 10 days to announce their intention to run a business out of their home. With no neighborhoodcomplaints, the application proceeds to approval by the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Parish Council.

Any complaints result in a public hearing before the zoning commission and any later violations of the rules, such as undue traffic or noise, also result in a similar public hearing.

Revocation of these licenses, though, are exceedingly rare. Wendy Watkins,who has worked in the department for 10 years, knows of only one instance.

During the first four months of 2000 alone 23 new home occupational licenses have been issued. The assortment includes a medical equipmentsupplier, catering businesses, beauty salons, state-licensed massage therapist, real estate investment, vending machine placements, woodcrafts for sale, retail clothing sale, mobile pressure washing, mobile veterinarian, storing of costume jewelry and ladies wear, alarm installation and air and water purification systems sales.

They do say no sometimes. Watkins recalled several years ago when apersonal escort service applied for a license. It was denied.Home occupational licenses have always been in the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance of 1981, but prior to 1987 only a simple certificate was issued.

Since that date a more comprehensive program has been set up to better manage home occupations and prevent abuse of the system.

The rules are many, but simple.

No home occupations are permitted to advertise their business by erecting a sign in their yard, according to parish law. There are also set limits on noise,volume of storage and size of any motors used, and no sales or service are permitted on site unless approved by the planning director.

Hair and nail salons, for example, are required to take appointments, so as not to clog up neighborhood streets with parked cars.

Should a person with a home occupation license move to a new location, the entire process must begin again, accommodating for the resident’s new neighbors.

If the home occupation involved requires a wholesale license, that is issued by the sheriff’s tax department, which then sends the applicant to planning and zoning.

However, with the current boom of dot-com companies on the internet, more and more businesses are becoming established without any restraint, including paying taxes on their business income.

Once Congress figures out a way to collect taxes on dot-com businesses, those will likewise require these licenses, if operated out of a private home.

More and more homes are acquiring these licenses and operating businesses, and some neighborhoods have several on every street, though one wouldn’t be able to tell by driving past.

“It’s the trend,” Giroir said. “There are more and more every month.”

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