Arlington County Now Offers Work-From-Home Permits Online

The Arlington County Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development now allows residents to apply for a home occupation permit online.

The new form, which launched Friday, is the first in a series of moves to modernize the way the development arm of the county does business.

"We've been working on this for about four months," Zoning Administrator Melinda Artman said. "We're very excited. We get a lot of folks who come into the office, and this is something that is very, very simple to do. And now they don't have to come in. They can do this at midnight… So, life just got a tiny bit easier, I hope."

A home occupation permit is free, and is required for certain people who work from home -- common examples include artists, authors, contractors, tailors, accountants and lawyers.

By receiving a permit, a person agrees to adhere to certain conditions, Artman said.

Equipment not ordinarily found in a home, like heavy machinery, isn't allowed. External signs aren't, either. Basically, the permit allows someone to run a business out of their home as long as it has no impact on their neighbors.

The permit allows the county to keep a record of home-based businesses. Such records are passed along to the county revenue commissioner. People who work from home must also have a business license, and the revenue commissioner won't issue that unless a home occupation permit already has been acquired.

The county Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development has spent at least seven months identifying ways to modernize the way it does business, Artman said. A vendor to handle the broader project should be selected by September.

The complete overhaul should be finished in about 18 months, Artman said.