County News
Opening a home bake stand in Gloucester Thinking about selling homemade baked goods from your property? Before opening a bake stand or arranging customer pickups, contact Gloucester County’s Zoning Division to determine which approvals are required. Virginia’s home kitchen food processing exemption, under § 3.2-5130 of the Code of Virginia, allows certain foods prepared in a private home, including qualifying baked goods, to be sold without the state food establishment permit and inspection otherwise required. Products must meet the exemption conditions, including applicable labeling requirements, and must not require time or temperature control after preparation.
Charting Our Future
The state exemption does not replace local zoning requirements.
Do you want to have a say in what Gloucester looks like in 2051? This is your moment; it's time to work on our next Comprehensive Plan (a long-range guide, built by locals, that helps steer County laws and policy decisions for decades to come). The plan tackles the big questions, like "where should we allow developers to build homes?" and "do we want to add more roads?" Some of the main sections are growth, economic development, land use, transportation, housing, natural resources, and overall quality of life. Whether you’re a longtime resident, a business owner, or new to the community, your vision is an important part of this process. There are lots of ways to get involved. Visit Gloucesterva.gov/planning- zoning/comprehensive-plan-update to keep up with committees, complete surveys, learn about town halls, and sign up for the newsletter. In the meantime, consider taking this survey to kick off the process of updating the plan.
Under Section 9B-9.70 of the Gloucester County Zoning Ordinance, home occupations are businesses operated as accessory uses of the business owner’s residence. Type I home occupations do not permit employee, volunteer, or customer traffic. A home bake stand that brings customers onto the property, including customers picking up advance orders, is a Home Occupation Type II. This use requires a Special Exception approved by the Board of Zoning Appeals after a duly advertised public hearing and notification of adjacent property owners, along with the required zoning permit, before operations begin. Home occupations must preserve the property’s residential character. Signs advertising the home occupation are prohibited on the property, and all structures must be lawfully permitted. Type II operations, storage, and associated vehicles must be located on the same parcel as the business owner’s residence. Additional building, accessibility, and approval conditions may apply. Before getting started, discuss your proposed location, operating hours, customer visits, parking, and structures with zoning staff. Requirements may differ for occasional fundraising sales or businesses without customer visits. Zoning staff are here to help you – if you have questions, contact Zoning at 804-693-1224 or ZoningStaff@gloucesterva.info. Contact the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for questions about state food exemption requirements.
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