Changes for in-home businesses in Lake in the Hills

Limiting the number of students that private instructors can teach in their homes is among several changes made by the village of Lake in the Hills to its ordinance regulating in-home businesses and occupations.

The village board Thursday night approved amendments that include allowing up to eight students per day for general instruction, but only four students per day for music, dance and singing lessons.

Outdoor lighting and advertising to indicate a business or occupation takes place inside the home are prohibited. Direct sales are not allowed, unless orders were previously placed for pickup, or sales take place at an invitation-only event.

Occasional gatherings, classes and meetings can take place up to four times a month, said Dan Olson, the village’s community development director. Any such event should not impede the area’s traffic flow.

Olson said the village received a complaint in November about a resident having “a lot of students” for lessons at home. “There was a complaint about traffic in street,” he said.

Village staff began to take a look at the existing ordinance, and proposed several changes as part of its ongoing effort to keep ordinances updated, Olson said. Staff reviewed other communities’ ordinances before making its recommendations to the village board, he added.

The fee for in-home business licenses remains unchanged at $10, Olson said.