Home Business in Memphis, TN (2026)
4 verified home business rules for Memphis, Tennessee, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Zoning & Home Occupation Permits
Memphis and Shelby County zoning lets residents run a home occupation without a special permit as long as it stays clearly incidental to the home's residential use, involves no more than one non-family employee, uses no more than 25% of the first floor, and limits public contact to 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Nearly 30 uses, from vehicle repair to tattoo studios, are outright banned.
Memphis Home Occupation Zoning Standards
Significant RestrictionsMemphis and Shelby County Unified Development Code § 2.7.4
A. Prohibited Home Occupations: The following uses are not permitted as home occupations. ... 14. Child care center. ... B. Standards: The intent of a home occupation is to permit very limited nonresidential activity in a residential dwelling or accessory structure to a residential dwelling, provided such activity does not impact or detract from the residential character of the neighborhood. .....
Signage Rules
UDC Section 2.7.4.B(11) flatly bars any signage tied to a home occupation anywhere in Memphis or unincorporated Shelby County: 'No signage specifically associated with the home occupation shall be permitted.' A home-based business must stay visually indistinguishable from a residence, with no yard sign, window sign or door plaque advertising the operation, alongside the same accessory-use standards that cap customers and hours.
Memphis Bans Signage for Home Businesses
Heavy RestrictionsMemphis and Shelby County Unified Development Code § 2.7.4.B(11)
11. No signage specifically associated with the home occupation shall be permitted.
Customer Traffic Restrictions
UDC Section 2.7.4.B caps home-based businesses in Memphis and unincorporated Shelby County to one customer at the residence at a time, with group instruction handled separately under Section 2.7.4.C. Public contact for the business is further limited to the hours of 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and client parking cannot spill into a required front yard beyond an existing driveway.
Memphis Caps Home Business to One Customer
Some RestrictionsMemphis and Shelby County Unified Development Code § 2.7.4.B(9)-(10)
9. Only one customer shall be permitted at the residence at a time, except for group instruction (see Sub-Section 2.7.4C). There shall be no group instruction in connection with the home occupation. 10. All public contact related to the home occupation shall be limited to the period between 7AM to 8PM.
Home Daycare
Memphis and Shelby County zoning treats in-home day care as a Civic Use with strict siting rules. A Group Day Care Home serving 5 to 12 children must sit on a connector street, an arterial, or a minor street within 150 feet of an arterial intersection, and this standard governs both the City of Memphis and unincorporated Shelby County.
Memphis Group Day Care Home Zoning Rules
Some RestrictionsMemphis and Shelby County Unified Development Code § 2.6.2.B
a. Day care facilities shall be required to meet the rules adopted and published pursuant the Tennessee Department of Human Services. ... c. A facility that is located in a residential district shall maintain the residential character and scale of the area in which it is located. ... e. The maximum number of children to be accommodated on site shall be specified. ... h. No playground equipment ...
Looking for Shelby County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Memphis city rules.
Home Business in Shelby County →