5 rules for unincorporated Charlotte County, Florida.
Verified from official government sources
Florida's Home-Based Business Act, Fla. Stat. §559.955, bars Charlotte County and Punta Gorda from banning or singling out home-based businesses. A home occupation is allowed in residential zones if it stays incidental to the dwelling.
Fla. Stat. §559.955(2)(b)
May not be prohibited, restricted, regulated, or licensed in a manner that is different from other businesses in a local government's jurisdiction, except as otherwise provided in this section.
Charlotte County limits home-business signs to keep neighborhoods residential. Under Fla. Stat. §559.955 the rules can't single out home businesses, but modest sign limits that apply to all residential property still stand. Expect at most a small, unlit nameplate.
Fla. Stat. §559.955 lets Charlotte County home businesses receive clients, but traffic, parking, and deliveries must stay consistent with a residential neighborhood. A walk-in retail store is not a protected home occupation.
Fla. Stat. §500.80 lets Charlotte County residents sell homemade, shelf-stable foods direct to consumers, and ship them, earning up to $250,000 a year with no state food permit. Local governments cannot prohibit it.
Fla. Stat. §500.80(1)(a)
A cottage food operation must comply with the applicable requirements of this chapter but is exempt from the permitting requirements of s. 500.12 if the cottage food operation complies with this section and has annual gross sales of cottage food products that do not exceed $250,000.
A family day care home is a valid residential use in Charlotte County under Fla. Stat. §125.0109, and providers register or license with the Florida Department of Children and Families. No special zoning permit or fee over $50 may be required.
Fla. Stat. §125.0109
no such regulation shall require the owner or operator of such family day care home to obtain any special exemption or use permit or waiver, or to pay any special fee in excess of $50, to operate in an area zoned for residential use.
See every category we cover for Charlotte County — parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.
Charlotte County Ordinance Hub →