5 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Forsyth County, North Carolina.
Verified from official government sources
The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County UDO permits home occupations in residential districts only as a clearly incidental and secondary use to living in the home. One home occupation is allowed per dwelling, and it must not significantly increase traffic, noise, glare, dust, smoke, or odors.
WS/Forsyth County UDO Sec. B.2-6.4(D)(3)(a)-(b)
A home occupation shall be a clearly incidental and secondary use to the principal use as a residence by the person conducting the occupation... Only one home occupation shall be permitted per principal dwelling unit.
A Forsyth County home occupation may display only one occupancy sign no larger than 144 square inches (one square foot). There may be no salesroom or display window, and neon or illuminated signs visible from outside the building are prohibited.
WS/Forsyth County UDO Sec. B.2-6.4(D)(3)(g)
No sign announcing the presence of a home occupation shall be permitted other than one occupancy sign not more than one hundred forty-four (144) square inches in area. Additionally, the use of neon or illuminated signs which are visible from the exterior of buildings... shall be prohibited.
Home cooking, baking, and preserving are expressly allowed as a home occupation under the Forsyth County UDO. To sell packaged foods you also need North Carolina Department of Agriculture home-processing/cottage-food approval; the county does not license kitchens.
WS/Forsyth County UDO Sec. B.2-6.4(D)(2)(a)(ii)
Other services such as dressmaking, home handicrafts, tailoring, millinery, nameplate making, home cooking, baking or preserving, and telephone or mail services.
In-home child care in North Carolina is licensed by the state, not the county. A Family Child Care Home license from NC DCDEE is required to care for more than two unrelated children for more than four hours a day, up to a maximum of eight children.
A zoning permit from the Director of Inspections is required for a home occupation in the unincorporated county. The permit is granted only when all UDO conditions are met and is revoked if the home occupation ever fails to meet them.
WS/Forsyth County UDO Sec. B.2-6.4(D)(2)
The Director of Inspections, in the issuance of a zoning permit for a home occupation, shall determine that all prescribed conditions are met. Such permit shall be revoked upon a finding that any home occupation... fails at any time to meet the requirements prescribed herein.
1 cities in Forsyth County have their own home business rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
See every category we cover for Forsyth County — parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.
Forsyth County Ordinance Hub →