How to Open a Bed & Breakfast - Chapter 2 - The Planning Office

By Karla Jones Seidita, Home Economist
B&B Owner/Operator, Retired 

"Why do I have to do all this?

It's ONLY a bed and breakfast!"

Your B&B - no matter how small - is still a business and it's important to have it on a solid foundation right from the beginning.

The drive way from the barn to the
Mane House Country Inn

If you live anywhere but the most rural of areas, zoning is going to be your number one hurdle. 

But many areas also have planning offices that work hand in hand with zoning.

Planning offices look for things like adequate parking, use of public roads, entrance right of ways, signage and things to make sure your community works well for everyone who lives and works there.  

That's important.  

Your ideas have to fit in with the rest of the community.

Just like zoning, your local planning office probably has all of their requirements on line.  Not everything will pertain to you but read every word anyway.

View down the shady lane
from the Inn to the back of the barn.

If you're in a historic district, for example, changes you make to your property has to align with established historic requirements... paint colors, window types, fencing - what ever.

If you're in an urban area, off street parking may be required.

There maybe signage specifications, noise restrictions even things like gardens and trees or green space requirements.



The entrance to Cheesecake Farms
is a charming, environmentally
friendly gravel drive.

My point is that it's important to get a copy of your community's ordinances and study them in detail.  Not everything will apply to you but you need to be aware of things.

Never rely on hear-say or other peoples' opinions - not even the clerk in the town office.  

While a clerk may be well intentioned and helpful, you shouldn't expect that they know how the local ordinances apply specifically to you.  

A B&B is not the same as a 500 room resort or a shopping center or a 1000 home subdivision and being broad-sided with expensive and time consuming requirements that may not actually be required of you can leave you in B&B limbo. 

Go to the source and read the documents for yourself. It will help you maneuver through the sea of rules and regulations without drowning.

It's up to you to know the parts of the law that will benefit you and thpse parts that do not apply.

How to Open a Bed & Breakfast - Chapter 1 - Zoning

By Karla Jones Seidita, Home Economist
B&B Owner/Operator, Retired 

"Before You Open Your Doors, Make Sure You're in the Zone"

Having guests pay to stay in your home is more involved than having friends and family stay overnight for free.

Getting a B&B started requires dealing with a lot of tedious, boring stuff.  There's a lot of detail to plow through before opening your doors and it takes longer than you think.

Cozy and inviting - that's
a B&B

The fun stuff (like decorating and cooking) comes later - much later.

The first thing to do is check your local zoning office to see if a B&B is permitted in your area.  

Generally, the more rural your area, the more relaxed the zoning requirements.  Areas that are trying to rebuild and revitalize are also more receptive to a B&B.

Never listen to friends opinions about what is or what is not permitted.  Hear-say is never reliable no matter how trust worthy the source.  

Always check the written zoning document.  That's very important.  You'll be surprised at what you'll learn.  Most localities have everything posted on line these days so the information you want is just a click away.

Provide plenty of
panache

Can't find what you're looking for on line?

Call the zoning office and ask what the link is for your address.  They'll be able to tell you.

If all else fails, go into the zoning office in person and look it up.  There will be photo copy machines to copy documents so you can bring them home to study.  Be through and meticulous.  

Call the office before you go, ask what coins the copier machines take and bring plenty of the right coins with you.  Zoning offices never have enough cash on hand to make change for you.  Sometimes they will do the copying but expect it to be expensive.

If you live in a subdivision, also check your community documents. Your town may permit a B&B in your zone but the covenants of your subdivision (the rules you agreed to follow when you moved in) may not.


Checking zoning and covenants is always your first step.


The B&B Experience
Comfortable Lodgings
and
Great Food!

When we opened Cheesecake Farms Bed and Breakfast on our farm, we were permitted a B&B in our zone (rural agricultural) but even so had to get a variance.  It's a way communities keep track of what's going on so they can adjust your taxes.

We had to make a presentation to the planning commission showing what we had planned. 

A county ombudsman walked us through the procedure.  Be sure to ask if your locale has a support system to help you open your B&B.  It's really helpful especially when you come up against confusing or contradictory laws and regulations.

For example, all businesses in our county were required to have paved drive ways. But, being zoned "rural agricultural" (we're a farm) our zone had requirements to restrict run-off (rain, irrigation & other liquids) from hard surfaces (like paved drive ways) that would pollute our streams.... a catch 22.

Frustrating?  Sure, but the ombudsman had us file for a hard surface waiver - something we would not have known to do.  

So..... first things first.

Before you open your doors, make sure your zone permits B&B's.