Q: I’d like to open a little dress shop in my home and my neighbor says he doesn’t think I am allowed to have a business out of my house.

There seem to be other businesses around the Island that work out of their homes so I’m not sure what he’s talking about. Can you shed some light on the subject?

A: We are allowed to have “home occupations” in our rural zoning here on Vashon Island but with some rules and common sense regulation. You might want to check in with the King County technician that is available every Tuesday morning at our courthouse, to answer questions and deal with permitting issues.

In general, I believe the best way to describe the rules and regulations are simply the “golden rule” principle. Don’t make life more difficult for your neighbors. That means no big delivery trucks or heavy traffic tearing up the roadway. It would mean no loud or obnoxious noise.

The King County Code specifies the requirement for licensing of some businesses, even in residential zoning, although I don’t believe that would apply in your case. A home occupation must also be subordinate to the primary use as a residence.

It has been my understanding that you are not allowed to hang a business sign out in front of your property and that you cannot advertise your location as if it were a retail business, which must be located only in business zoned areas.

We have many small home based businesses on the Island. The County and the community have always supported such efforts. If what you hope for is a small shop in an extra room or out building where you design and make dresses by order, or have special order products available to a small clientele of people, you will probably be just fine.

However, if what you envision is a retail dress shop with business hours and customers coming and going all the time, you may not be in compliance with the law and the County could shut you down.