Texarkana, TX Business Licensing & Operations: Auto Repair on Residential Property (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing code
- Zoning Ordinance Ch. 140
- Home occupation employees
- Family member only, no hires
- On-site sales
- Not allowed for home occupations
- Repair garages
- Specifically excluded by name
Summary
Texarkana's zoning code bars running a repair garage as a home occupation, so residential auto repair businesses aren't allowed.
Home occupation means a home occupation is an occupation carried on in the home by a member of the occupant's family, without the employment of additional persons, without the use a sign to advertise the occupation, without offering any commodity or service for sale on the premises and which does not create obnoxious noise or other obnoxious conditions to abutting residential property such as emission of odor, increased traffic or generation of light or smoke, and where the use is carried on in the main structure only. A home occupation shall specifically exclude the operation of a repair garage, beauty shop, plumbing shop or similar activity.
Hospital means an establishment licensed pursuant to the Texas Hospital Licensing Law that:
(1)Offers services, facilities, and beds for use for more than 24 hours for two or more unrelated individuals requiring diagnosis, treatment, or care for illness, injury, deformity, abnormality, or pregnancy; and(2)Regularly maintains, at a minimum, clinical laboratory services, diagnostic X-ray services, treatment facilities including surgery or obstetrical care or both, and other definitive medical or surgical treatment of similar extent. (See Texas Health and Safety Code § 241.003(5)).
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 27).
Full Breakdown
The zoning ordinance defines "home occupation" as work a family member does inside the main structure of a home, with no employees, no sign, and no on-site sales: then carves out an explicit exception. Auto repair falls under "repair garage," which the code names by name as barred from qualifying, alongside beauty shops and plumbing shops. A separate use table also lists "Automobile repair garage (including transmissions)" as an Automobile and Related Service Use, tying the activity to commercial/industrial zoning districts rather than residential lots.
Violations & Fines
Operating a repair garage as a home occupation doesn't meet the zoning code's home-occupation definition, so it isn't a permitted use in residential districts; the city can pursue it as a zoning violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I fix cars at my house in Texarkana, TX as a side business?
Where is auto repair zoned in Texarkana?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Texarkana
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