Marietta, GA Home Business: Customer Traffic Restrictions (2026)

Marietta splits home-based businesses into Type A and Type B under Section 712.04, and the two types carry entirely different customer-traffic rules. Type A covers occupants who use their home as a workspace, office or mailing address without anyone coming to the site, such as artists, writers or consultants; Section 712.04(D)(1) flatly states no clients, nonresident employees or customers are allowed on the premises. Type B covers occupations like counseling or tutoring that require or result in a customer, employee, consultant, agent or subcontractor visiting, and because of that greater neighborhood impact, Type B requires a Special Land Use Permit from City Council after a public hearing under Section 712.04(E)(1).

Even with that permit, Section 712.04(E)(4) caps client visitation at 2 per week, with a narrow carve-out for tutoring or instruction in music, dance, arts and crafts limited to 2 students in the home at a time for the public-education goal the code cites. Section 712.04(E)(6) further confines any Type B customer visits to the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Type B applicants must also submit a copy of their subdivision's recorded protective covenants and the homeowners' association's response, if any, and city staff can deny an application that clearly violates those covenants, subject to appeal to City Council. Both types are also barred from letting off-site employees congregate on the premises or park personal vehicles there in connection with the business.