How Roswell Handles Home Business: A Practical Guide
Roswell maintains 130 local ordinances across all categories, and 4 of those deal specifically with home business. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where Roswell falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.
Zoning & Home Occupation Permits
Roswell, Georgia allows up to two home occupations per dwelling as a limited use, capping the space used at 750 square feet or 25% of the home and requiring any needed state, county or city licenses.
Key details: Occupations per dwelling: Maximum of 2. Space cap: 750 sf or 25% of home. Outside employees: 1 additional employee allowed. Signage: No home-occupation signs permitted.
Running more than two home occupations from one dwelling, exceeding the 750-square-foot/25% floor-area cap, or operating without the required state, county or City business registration violates § 9.7.11.
Signage Rules
Roswell prohibits any sign identifying a home-based business at the residence, the strictest item in the UDC's home occupation standards with no listed exceptions.
Key details: Signage: Prohibited outright. Exceptions: None. Governing section: UDC § 9.7.11.B.7. Enforced by: Zoning Director / Code Enforcement.
Posting a sign for a home business violates UDC § 9.7.11.B.7; Code Enforcement can order removal and cite the property, and repeated violations jeopardize the home occupation's business registration.
This is one of the stricter rules in Roswell's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.
Home Daycare
Roswell, Georgia allows a family day care home caring for 3 to 6 children as a limited use in every residential district, but it must run under 24 hours a day and hold both a state and city license.
Key details: Children allowed: 3 to 6 children. Zoning status: Limited use, all residential districts. Hours limit: Fewer than 24 hours/day. Licensing: State registration plus city license.
Operating a family day care home around the clock, or without both the required Georgia state registration and a City of Roswell business license, puts the use out of compliance with § 9.7.6.
The rules around home daycare in Roswell lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.
Customer Traffic Restrictions
Roswell caps client visits to a home-based business at 5 per week under UDC § 9.7.11(B)(6), with narrow carve-outs for tutoring and licensed family day care. The same section bars any home occupation from generating traffic, noise, odor or dust that becomes offensive or a nuisance to neighbors, folding those limits into the city's broader home-occupation use standards.
Key details: Client visit cap: 5 visits per week. Tutoring exception: Max 2 students at a time. Home occupations per dwelling: 2 maximum. Floor area cap: 750 sf or 25% of home. Extra staff allowed: 1 employee beyond residents.
A home occupation that exceeds 5 client visits a week, that displays stock-in-trade or advertising signage, or that generates traffic or noise rising to a nuisance is out of compliance with UDC § 9.7.11(B) and can lose its City business registration. Zoning Director enforcement runs through the City's standard code-compliance process, and the Zoning Director may also bar any use, beyond the visitation cap itself, found inconsistent with the intent of the home-occupation standards.
The Bottom Line
Roswell's home business rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Roswell is broadly strict or permissive.
All of the above reflects Roswell's municipal code as of our last review. If you need specifics on fines, exemptions, or filing requirements, the detailed ordinance pages linked above have the full breakdown.