Suggestions on where to locate my mobile business

[rjletravelers]

Hahaha!

So, I called the number to discuss with a planner what other requirements there are for a home occupation permit. The number got me right back to the permitting office that told me I need to have a contractors yard....

Back to finding someone that I can sublet from I believe. Or, incorporate on land outside of Boise City limits. Will keep looking into it.

Thank you again.

[scsmith42]

This strikes me as a very, very grey area where you could pay all kinds of fees and for licenses that you don't legally even need, but they will still let you pay for them. If I were that concerned about it, I would consult a business attorney in that area.

Amen.

[terrifictimbersllc]

Besides a sawmill (with a cover on it), what else are you hoping to keep there?

[btulloh]

X2 on the attorney. You need someone that knows the ins and outs of navigating the bureaucratic labyrinth. It will be money well spent. Good idea you mentioned about talking to the neighbor with the tree service too.  Don't throw in the towel just yet. It's hard enough to get some reasonable profit when you're starting a small business without adding unnecessary expenses for leased space. So far you've only spoken to a couple city bureaucrats who don't want to be bothered and enjoy exercising their only power - the power to say "NO".

You'll be needing a couple hours of attorney time any way you go.  Finding the right way to avoid the long term expense of leasing space is well worth the price of admission. 

[fluidpowerpro]

In your case, I'm with Barbender. Just do it and if there are issues later, deal with it then. I doubt there will be. I have often found that when dealing with city hall, if you want to make a big deal of something, they will make a big deal of it also. Don't even go there. 
One thing you might consider doing if possible is building a fence around where you will park the mill. In addition to keeping it out of sight, a fence would also offer some security for the mill.

[Southside]

If you can find an AG exemption I would chase that. Otherwise don't be surprised when you get a business excise tax bill in the mail for the mill, bands, your truck, phone, laptop, Peavey and everything else that gets "inspected" by the permitting entity. 

[Crossroads]

I live about 6 hours north of you and run a mobile sawmill business. Living in Idaho I would say you're pretty free to go forth and prosper. However you live in Boise and last time I was in Boise, I got a $94 parking ticket for parking in an empty parking lot at 7:45AM for 5 min. While I grabbed my luggage from my hotel room. So, the only advice I have to offer is to park your mill in the winter because the salts they put on the road are not very good for it. 

[Old Greenhorn]

If I may just add a little here. When entering into a new venture it behooves one to do their own research. For the initial go 'round just ignore what 'you have heard' because legally it means nothing and carries no weight.
Most towns and cities have their zoning regs online or you can access them at the clerks office. First go look at the maps and find out exactly what your property is zoned. Not all residential zoning is the same. (I.E. in my town we have about 5 different residential zones based on location, available land usages, and population density.)  Once you find what your property is zoned as precisely, write that down and start reading the allowable usage regulations yourself to figure out what is legally do-able.  This way you will be familiar with the laws and know when somebody is sending you on a goose chase or selling you permits that you don't need.
Be careful about your terminology. From your description what you want to do is park a piece of business equipment in your driveway and that's all. You are not 'operating your business' at your home. This is important as no money changes hands on your property and no saleable items are created.
Best I can figure, your business is like that of the Good Humor man, f you know what that is. He parks his ice cream truck at home, leaves in the morning to pick up his stock at a distributor, then sells his stuff on the streets all day long, and parks it at his house again at night.

To use my particular zoning for example, we are in a rural part of town. All properties must be at least one acre. You may park a commercial vehicle on your property if A) you use it for daily work, B) it is currently registered and inspected, and C) it is not visible from the road. This last item is never enforced unless someone pushes the limits and somebody else files a complaint.
Additionally under the zoning for my home I may operate a business if it is A) completely contained within the buildings on my property, B) does not create an increase in traffic in the area, c) does not require additional parking, and D) creates no noise. There is also a long list of things that may NOT be operated as a residential business, such as junk yards, distilleries, and other stuff. They even have a reg that states how big a sign I may have for my business. Most folks around here have a shingle sign out if people come to visit, pick up, or drop off. (I have mine on a stand and only put it out when I have appointments coming.)
So knowing your regulations is best done by you before you start asking other folks. But I would talk to the fella with the chipper in his driveway. Mostly folks complain about big trucks with lots of advertising on them, hence those regulations. With no placards on your mill, it should not be an issue.

Best of lusck to you.

[Ianab]

So knowing your regulations is best done by you before you start asking other folks. But I would talk to the fella with the chipper in his driveway. Mostly folks complain about big trucks with lots of advertising on them, hence those regulations. With no placards on your mill, it should not be an issue.

Ditto with talking to a lawyer that knows the local regulations.  But what I see the problem being is the need to register a business licence, at a "commercial" location. If you bought a sawmill as a hobby and parked it in your back yard (not used it there), there would probably be zero issue. If you started sawing there regularly, there would probably be complaints (fair enough, don't do that).

Can you register an "address of convenience"? For example at a friendly local tree service's yard. Then put a sign on the fence saying "RJ's Mobile Milling - Phone 555.... " If anyone bothered to check your business licence address they at least see a sign. Where's the mill? Well Duh, it's mobile, it's not here today....   That's the sort of deal you could put together in trade for a couple of days of milling each year?

Things are a lot easier here, there is "zoning", so I can't RUN a sawmill at home, although an occasional small log isn't a problem. But I don't generally need a "licence" to run a business. Things like food safety or selling booze are different, and if you start "disturbing the peace", there are regulations about that.  My neighbour runs his own AC / refrigeration business from home. Sometimes a large truck pulls up and unloads some pallets in his driveway, but that's about it. 

[barbender]

I really can't think why a P.O. box wouldn't serve the same purpose as finding a commercial address to run out of. 

[Stephen1]

I like OG answer the best, before you spend money on a lawyer. It's always better to learn and understand the rules. I find rules are meant to be bent/broken but only when you know them. 
I also believe I can do most anything until someone of authority tells me different. Beg forgiveness works lot with a big helping of humble pie. 
I sawed wood on a public landing at a lake, twice for the same customer,  where the boats are pulled in and out. It was in November so not very many people around. I floated the logs to the landing, pulled them up on shore, sawed them, hauled the dunnage away and thru the most of the sawdust in the bush. I was told by two different busy bodies, I couldn't do that. I asked very humbly, why not, they didn't  have the  answer, authority, or the willingness  to call the bylaw officer. 
I pointed out that I have been to other lakes and pulled logs onto my trailer at public landings. Marinas pull boats out of lakes at public landings , so really not much different than me sawing wood. Using a public landing to make money. 

[Old Greenhorn]

Every community is different. In some towns and cities they have building inspectors going out and actively looking for violations so they can write summons and collect fines to justify their jobs. Many towns only enforce zoning restrictions if there is a grievous offence or somebody complains. Some regs were written in case some bozo tried to go beyond reason or because someone had in the past. Those things are only enforced when absolutely necessary.
 I had a neighbor who was a thorn in my side for over 20 years. He had a cold cut business he would sell meats to deli's and supermarkets from his truck. He insisted on keeping his truck at home, which was fine by me. What was not fine by me was hearing his diesel fridge unit running all night and the exhaust fumes sliding down the hill and stinking up 3 other neighbors homes. It ran all the time and in the summer with windows open we were all miserable. I talked to a building inspector (who lived across the road) and asked if I could complain about the commercial vehicle in his driveway. He said I could, but asked that I don't do it because all the other folks on my road would get summonses for having their work trucks visible from the road and those folks bothered nobody. BUT, he did tell me about our noise ordinance and suggested I go that route, which I did. He complied and shut it down at 9:30 but many times would "forget". I would call him at 11pm some nights and tell him that 'either he shut it down, or I would burn it down'. He began to get the message. ;D Eventually (3 more years) the guy rented a space to park his truck on commercial property. He made good money, drove nice cars, and he could afford the rent, but he said "I just don't want to". 
 SO how do you get along with the neighbors? :D

[barbender]

Good example of the other side of the situation, OG.

[Iwawoodwork]

The question of a portable mill parked at home made me think about how many homes have a cargo trailer or a camp trailer parked alongside the driveway, so the question is if the mill was in an enclosed trailer would there be an issue?  Think how many contractors tow their cargo/tool trailers home each day, are they required to purchase the permit?   So if it is ok to park an enclosed (tow behind a pu size) cargo trailer then find/buy/build one long enough to park the mill in, that way the mill is protected from the weather and out of sight.

[Magicman]

That would be a relatively huge trailer because my sawmill is ~25' long.  All of the covers, including the engine, are in place when my sawmill is parked.    It is not set up for sawing, nor have I ever sawed here at home.  I am portable/mobile.

I have sawn logs several times in town and I have even set up on the street without question.

[Spike60]

I'm going against most of the advice here concerning lawyers, and endless dialog with apparently ignorant public officials. The fact that you reached out to the planning board and wound up back to the very same permit office that said no to begin with leaves you dealing with perhaps just one obstinate public official standing in your way. And like barbender says, you may be seeking a permit that you don't even need, from a city employee that doen't even understand what your trying to do. Before I'd have any further conversations with the city, I'd have that talk with the guy around the corner who parks THREE pieces of equipment for his tree business at home. If he isn't being hassled, then no one will be telling you you cannot park your mill in your yard. Has he ever had a visit from what around here would be called the code enforcement officer? How many plumbers, electricians, carpenters, cleaning services, landscapers, etc, park their trucks/vans, (likely lettered for their business), at their homes? Does the city really intend that "Joe's Plumbing Service" has to rent a $2500 contractor's yard to park his van? I realize that regulations need to exist to keep things from getting out of control, but if all you're doing is parking the mill in your yard, then it's no different than those examples, or any other trailer, camper, boat or whatever in any yard in the neighborhood. First thing I'd do is STOP talking to the city.

[Magicman]

I agree.  Fact is that I never talked to anyone, I just did/do it.

[Southside]

Yup agree too. 

It's amazing how many times city hall exists just to support city hall and has no idea what is going on.  This fall we were asked to attend another farmers market in a local small city and we said yes.  Was told by the market manager that we needed to obtain a "producers permit" or a business license from the city to attend the market, they could not tell me which one I needed.  Looked on line - answer was clear as mud.  A producers permit is for "all farmers", then goes onto the last line where you certify that the "produce grown" by said farmer was grown on land, yadda, yadda, yadda.  Wait - this seems to be for produce only and we produce animal products.  So I read the business license categories and actual farms are exempt from needing a business license, which is state law.  So.... call over to the city hall, specifically the department that handles this.  Nobody there knows anything about this "producers permit" and I end up in voice mail purgatory.  

Eventually decide to complete the paperwork for the producers permit and send it in.  Get a reply that "oh you are a farm, we don't send these to farmers".  Good enough, that reply was printed off and goes to the market with me in the cash box and I doubt it will ever come out to show any enforcement since the issuing agency basically said they don't issue these at all.  

The right hand doesn't even know that the left hand exists.  

[beenthere]

It is unfortunate (but is what it is) that a gov't clerk saying "no" is of no risk to them, but if they say "yes" then there is risk. 
Spike60 summed it up very well. 

[Sedgehammer]

Hahaha!

So, I called the number to discuss with a planner what other requirements there are for a home occupation permit. The number got me right back to the permitting office that told me I need to have a contractors yard....

Back to finding someone that I can sublet from I believe. Or, incorporate on land outside of Boise City limits. Will keep looking into it.

Thank you again.

In my opine , you are waaaaaaaaaaaaay over thinking this . Since there are commercial vehicles parked @ residences over night/weekend , what's the issue

[reride82]

Call a few painters, drywall guys, siding installers, roofers, masons and see how they are setup from a business perspective. These guys also operate out of their trucks/trailers and rarely have a shop for a base of operations. I would bet that the zoning guy is imagining a stationary circle mill when he envisions a sawmill, instead of a trailered bandmill. Maybe bring pictures and specifications of your mill if you meet with them again, I bet that will help your case.

Levi

[fluidpowerpro]

If you make a big deal out of something, it will become one. Parking a mill in your driveway is no big deal.

[thecfarm]

Not that it matters.
Was a Maine member on here that wanted a sawmill to saw on his property. Town said no way, sawmills are not allowed. A little more digging found out there was a circle mill in town limits many years ago. Powered by a loud motor and slabs all over the place. 
All sawmills are bad.  :(
I know of one guy that lives with houses that have a 250 square foot lots. No self-employed vehicles with lettering are allowed to be parked in a driveway overnight. 
So if someone else is doing, then you should be good to go.
Just saying again, it only takes one person to complain. 
But if they do it, it's OK.  ???  
I had a boss like that.