Home Business in Raleigh, NC (2026)
4 verified home business rules for Raleigh, North Carolina, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Zoning & Home Occupation Permits
Raleigh treats a home occupation as an accessory use under UDO Sec. 6.7.1, meaning it's allowed only alongside an existing residential principal use on the same lot, and Sec. 6.7.3 then caps it at 25% of the dwelling's livable area, bans outdoor storage and nonresident employees, and requires the use stay subordinate to the home itself.
Raleigh Home Occupation Zoning Use Standards
Some RestrictionsRaleigh Unified Development Ordinance § 6.7.1
Sec. 6.7.1. In General Accessory uses and structures are permitted in conjunction with allowed principal uses. Allowed accessory uses and structures include those listed in this Article and additional accessory uses and structures that, as interpreted by the Zoning Administrator, meet the following: Are clearly incidental to and customarily found in connection with an allowed principal building...
Signage Rules
Raleigh's UDO doesn't grant home occupations any signage allowance at all: Sec. 6.7.3 requires that there be no change in the outside appearance of the building or premises, or other visible evidence of the business, and separately bans any display of goods, products or services visible from outside the dwelling -- unlike Live-Work uses, which get one 6-square-foot building sign.
Raleigh Home Occupation Signage Ban
Heavy RestrictionsRaleigh Unified Development Ordinance § 6.7.3
Home Occupation An occupation that provides a service or product that is conducted wholly within a residential dwelling.No nonresident employees are allowed. Clients, customers, patients and visitors are not allowed to visit the premises. No display of goods, products, or services shall be visible from outside the dwelling. ... There must be no change in the outside appearance of the building o...
Cottage Food Operations
North Carolina operates a Home Processor exemption under NC Gen Stat Sec 106-267 allowing sale of low-risk home-produced foods with a free NC Department of Agriculture inspection and registration. Raleigh home kitchens must meet state Home Processor standards; the City adds no additional permit. Direct sales, farmers markets, and online orders are allowed; retail wholesale requires a commercial license.
Raleigh Cottage Food Rules
Some RestrictionsN.C. Gen. Stat. § 106-267
Article 29. Inspection, Grading and Testing Milk and Dairy Products. § 106-267. Inspection, grading and testing dairy products; authority of State Board of Agriculture. The State Board of Agriculture shall have full power to make and promulgate rules and regulations for the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in its inspection and control of the purchase and sale of milk and other d...
Home Daycare
Raleigh allows a home day care for up to 8 people in the provider's own residence, permitted with limits in every residential district. The operator must live in the home, only family members (or a sick-day substitute) may help, and outdoor play equipment can't sit in the front yard or within 15 feet of a neighboring dwelling lot.
Raleigh Home Day Care Capped at 8 Children
Some RestrictionsRaleigh Unified Development Ordinance § 6.4.1.B
Day Care, Home. Defined: A day care for a maximum of 8 persons in the residence of the provider. Use Standards: The day care must be carried on by a resident of the structure...The use of any accessory building or accessory structure for a day care is not allowed. Any outdoor play equipment stored throughout the day and night shall not be permitted in the front yard area and can be located no c...
Looking for Wake County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Raleigh city rules.
Home Business in Wake County →