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>Here's a question for those of you who are freelancers and working
>from home. I've read that if your in an area NOT zoned for a business,
>you can legally still conduct business if you get a P.O. box at the
>post office. Is this true?
>Here's my case. I live in an apartment and cannot do business from my
>apartment per city code. Can I if I get a P.O. box?
Zoning laws are local so the most accurate answer to your question is
"It depends." Now that's out of the way, let's go on.
Read the law in question. If it's like most such laws, it was drafted
*before* the explosion of work-from-home professionals. That is, it's
meant to prevent public health problems (from home-based food
manufacturing) and traffic/aesthetic problems (from home-based retail
operations.)
As a home-based writer/trainer, I --
* Sit in a corner and think
* Sit in a (different) corner and type (etc.) on my computer
* Call clients and potential clients on the telephone
None of these activities present any problems to the city.
Some cities are recognizing the changed circumstances in the world and
rewriting their zoning laws to accomodate our kind of home-based
business. For example, Chicago is investigating the possibility of
licensing (extra revenue is always welcome).
Hope this helps.
--------------------
Marcia Coulter
notjust -at- ix -dot- netcom -dot- com
