ulloa_josh Posted January 19, 2011 Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 Hey All, I've been slowly ramping up to making this hobby a career and today was the day I thought I'd turn in the paperwork for my business license and make it that much more official. Ha, not so fast. Turns out my city does not allow home wood shops to operate as businesses, mainly due to fire hazards. They did suggest I write a proposal outlining controls I'd put in place to limit the hazard but more than likely I'd still be rejected. So needless to say, I'm not sure where to go from here. Anyone else have a similar story? Do your cities allow you to run out of your homes? I will write up the proposal and thankfully I do have a good dust collector and handle my wastes responsibly so we'll see.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulMarcel Posted January 19, 2011 Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 Maybe calling out that you use only water-based finishes would help and stating no flammable chemicals used. Not sure if they will make an exception. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timberwerks Posted January 19, 2011 Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 Luckily I am zoned B-5, I can have residence and business on same property. However I did need to meet with the council to explain the work I do and the type of finishing. I don't spray finish so filtration was a non issue. You may be able to get by with just a sellers permit, tax number depending on what type of work you plan on doing. Those alone make it a legit business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ulloa_josh Posted January 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 Just spoke with the fire inspector. It's a very tightly regulated/involved process to be in business as a woodworker and impossible to do it from home. Doesn't matter what scale you're doing it on, all businesses have to follow the same fire regulations. Hoping to find some resolution to this as I can't afford the expense of leasing space. I should have asked if he'd grant an exception if I was handtools only:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vermont Carpentry Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 Maybe I'm missing something. Why is there a need to tell the city? If you do not intend to put a sign out or hire employees, I'm not sure the city needs to know. File a business license file as a contractor or consultant. By keeping it broad it will give you the flexibility to start other businesses if need be. When I lived in Arizona the city was very strict about regulating businesses and I never had an issue. Other than an in home office, as far as they were concerned I worked off site. Good luck, Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBaiga Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 depending on where you are in California, certain businesses are difficult, especially where you need fire inspector sign-off. you'll need permitting and zoning for flammable liquids and dust generation. the contractor approach makes the most sense as mentioned and it gives you some flexibility in your business model. do you know your current zoning? i'm assuming you're in a single family home, unattached. would the shop be in a garage, attached or unattached to the occupied residence? hopefully you didn't put yourself on the radar with the city or fire inspector. one alternative would be to see if there are any shops in your area that would be interested in sub-letting space, that could mitigate certain issues and costs until you get off the ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ulloa_josh Posted January 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 I have a meeting scheduled with a counselor from the local small business assoc. and hoping they have some suggestions. If they think it will work, I'll try filing as an artist, consultant, contractor, etc.. and see what happens. Don't know the zoning but single family home, garage is attached and we're in a cul-de-sac. Thanks for your replies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBaiga Posted January 24, 2011 Report Share Posted January 24, 2011 hey josh, if it's a meeting with a SCORE member from your area that can be very helpful. i found that meeting with the SBA, Chamber of Commerce and SCORE folks didn't help much with the specific business model, but it helped as a resource regarding specific local and state requirements. good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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