No – in most cases NO separate room is required in a single-family home, if:
* You conduct business activities without direct contact with customers (e.g., you don’t accept people physically at your home),
* You store goods only for the needs of your shop,
* There are no inconveniences for the environment (e.g., noise, large delivery traffic, external advertising),
* You do not violate the local spatial development plan (MPZP) or building conditions,
* You do not change the purpose of the building from residential to commercial.
In such a case, your business may be considered as so-called “unregistered in terms of spatial planning”, i.e. it does not significantly affect the way the residential building is used.
When is separate space required?
An individual room (e.g., warehouse, office, utility room) may be required if:
* You serve customers on-site – e.g., run a pickup point, showroom,
* You have intense delivery, courier or customer traffic – which can be inconvenient for neighbors or violate MPZP,
* You sell goods requiring special sanitary or technical conditions – e.g., food, cosmetics, chemicals,
* You change the function of the room – e.g., convert part of the residential building into a utility room – which may require a notice or permit.
What do regulations say?
* The Building Act: business activity can be carried out in a residential building if it does not change its purpose and does not negatively affect use by other residents,
* MPZP or decision on building conditions: may limit the conduct of business activities in a single-family home,
* Sanepid: in the case of selling products requiring sanitary control (food, cosmetics, supplements) the room may be subject to inspection.
In practice:
| Type of shop | Separate space required? |
| — | — |
| Selling clothes, books, gadgets, courier delivery | ❌ No, if without customer contact |
| Pickup point | ✅ Yes, at least one separate room is needed |
| Large number of packages per day | 🔶 Depends on the intensity and inconvenience |
| Selling food, cosmetics | ✅ Yes, sanitary requirements and inspection control |
Summary
A home-based online shop does not need a separate room if it does not involve:
* Direct customer service,
* Violation of the spatial development plan,
* Sale of products subject to special requirements (e.g., food),
* Change in use of the building.
If your business falls within these limits, you can legally run an online shop from your own home – without a separate room.
