5 rules for unincorporated Santa Rosa County, Florida.
Verified from official government sources
Home occupations are allowed as an accessory use in residential zoning districts under LDC 5.02.07, if carried on inside the dwelling or an accessory building by residents. No exterior evidence, offensive noise, or auto/transport-equipment manufacturing is permitted.
Santa Rosa County LDC 5.02.07.A
Home Occupations accessory to a residential activity - Shall be carried on within a dwelling unit or accessory building by one or more residents of the dwelling unit. Accessory buildings shall be smaller in total floor area than the main dwelling unit. Home occupation shall not include the manufacture and repair of motor vehicles or transportation equipment.
Santa Rosa County prohibits any exterior sign, display, or device that would indicate from the outside that a dwelling or accessory building is being used as a home occupation (LDC 5.02.07.A.1). Home businesses must be visually invisible from the street.
Santa Rosa County LDC 5.02.07.A.1
Exterior displays, or a display of goods or chattels visible from the outside or exhibited on the premises by any method or device whatsoever, including signs which would indicate from the exterior that the dwelling unit or accessory building is being utilized in whole or in part as a home occupation.
Florida's cottage food law (FS 500.80) lets residents make and sell certain non-hazardous foods from a home kitchen without a state permit or inspection, as long as annual gross sales stay under $250,000 and products are prepackaged with a proper label.
FS 500.80(1)-(6)
A cottage food operation may sell... cottage food products... provided that the cottage food operation's annual gross sales of cottage food products do not exceed $250,000. Cottage food products must be prepackaged with a label... Only upon receipt of a complaint, the department's authorized officer or employee may enter and inspect the premises of a cottage food operation.
In-home child care in Florida is governed by state law (FS 402.302), not county zoning. A family day care home may care for a maximum of six children, and most Santa Rosa County providers register annually with DCF unless a county ordinance requires licensing.
FS 402.302(8)
"Family day care home" means an occupied residence in which child care is regularly provided for children from at least two unrelated families and which receives a payment, fee, or grant for any of the children receiving care... A family day care home shall be allowed to provide care for a maximum of six children.
Santa Rosa County's LDC 5.02.07 sets performance standards rather than a standalone permit: no more than two non-family employees, no more than four customer vehicles per day, only one stored work vehicle, and no outdoor equipment or heavy machinery in residential subdivisions.
Santa Rosa County LDC 5.02.07.A.6-7
6. Employment of more than two (2) non-family members of the dwelling unit in the conduct of the home occupation. 7. The home occupation shall not generate more than four (4) customer vehicles per day.
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