Cary, NC Home Business: Customer Traffic Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing law
- Cary LDO § 5.3.4(C)(2)
- Type I clients
- No customers or clients allowed
- Type II clients
- Allowed with accessory use permit
- Type II size cap
- 10% of floor area or 500 sq ft
- Off-site employees
- None permitted under Type I
Summary
Cary's LDO bars Type I home occupations, those providing services off-site, from letting any customers or clients visit the home; only a Type II occupation may serve clients on-site, and it needs a permit.
(2) Size and Area (a) Type I Home Occupation A Type I home occupation involves administrative support for the rendering of a service off-site in exchange for monetary fees or other remuneration, and complies with all of the following: (i) no customers or clients visit the home; (ii) no employees living outside the home are physically employed at the residence...
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2023 S-87_S-57: Current through local ordinance 2022-Code-05, passed 11-17-2022 and effective 11-17-2022 | LDO: Current through local ordinance 2022-LDO-04, passed 11-17-22 and effective 11-17-22).
Full Breakdown
Under LDO § 5.3.4(C)(2)(a), a Type I home occupation, administrative support for a service performed off-site, must have no customers or clients visiting the home, no employee living outside the home physically working there, no delivery of goods to the residence, and no goods manufactured or stored on-site. A business that needs to receive clients in person instead qualifies as a Type II home occupation under § 5.3.4(C)(2)(b), which is capped at 10% of the home's heated floor area or 500 sq ft and requires an accessory use permit from Cary's Planning Department before clients may visit.
Violations & Fines
Allowing client visits under a Type I home occupation, or operating Type II client visits without an approved accessory use permit, is a zoning violation Cary's Planning Department can enforce.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can clients visit my home office in Cary, NC?
What's the difference between Type I and Type II home occupations in Cary?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cary
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