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two floor building, I built a house on the top floor and a company on the second floor. is it legal?

I have recently moved to VA and i rent a building, it has two floors. I had put a home on the top floor and I made my business on the second floor. The landlord is fine with it but i have a mean neighbor saying hes going to call the cops etc. and tell them that i live where i work, is that legal for me to live upstairs and have my company down stairs? this is a commerical building not a residential.

Public Comments

1. Probably not, it is not legal for you to reside in a commercial building. However, some commercial property is dual zoned.
2. You need to check out the local ordinances and codes. Some areas permit "mixed use" type of arrangements where the first floor may be retail stores and the other floors are condos. If the zoning does not permit this then the owner could apply for a variance. Of course, if such a variance is allowed then the apartment would have to meet applicable zoning and codes in your municipality.
3. The neighbor is not being mean, they are opposing your breaking the law. If it is strictly zoned commercial then it is illegal for you to live there. You would have to get a conditional use permit to use the property for anything but a business. It does not matter if it is OK with the landlord. It has to be OK with the city zoning department.