Replying to a message of Ross Cassell to Dan Ceppa:

 RC> Hello Dan!

 RC> 29 May 09 10:13, you wrote to me:

 RC>>> What the story elaborates on below is very scary if it can be
 RC>>> upheld..

 DC>> Why?

 RC> It opens the door for Govt to be able to dictate whatever else one can
 RC> do in their homes.

 RC> Maybe one cant carve wood figurines in the garage any longer?

Not if you're doing it as a business.  City governments have also (eventually)
shut down long-term/continuous  'garage' sales that were really fairly large
scale retail operations instead of the occasional weekender.

Insofar as zoning and land use is concerned, a story.  Fellow purchased a rural
acreage, zoned agricultural, and put up the usual McMansion on it, as did a number
of other folks in the area.  Taxes on agriculturally zoned property are usually lower
than residential or industrial areas.

Anyhow, our hero has a hobby of tying fishing flies.  A few years later he retires
from his job and, in short order, gets bored.  He applies to the county for
a variance
to put a small shop on the roadway to sell his fishing flies.  Denied mainly due to
neighbors' objections.

Our hero then thinks about it for a while, but he's still bored.  So he puts in a hog
confinement operation.  Neighbors scream bloody murder, county says it's a perfectly
valid agriculatural use of the property - which it is.  Our hero says he's
having a great
time, works his butt off and is in better physical condition than he has
been in years.
Plus he's making a little money from the operation.

 RC> Maybe you wont be able to restore that 57 Chevy in your garage anymore
 RC> because you home isnt licensed as a repair facility.

Depends on whether or not you're restoring that car for money.  A friend of mine ran
a car repair business in his back yard for several years.  He was otherwise
unemployed
at the time.  The city was unofficially aware of it but chose not to order
him to stop.

--- FleetStreet 1.19+