Walton County, GA Home Business: Customer Traffic Restrictions (2026)

LDO § 6-1-420 governs home occupations in residential zoning districts and builds in a default ban on customer contact. Subsection E states plainly that no customer contact on the property is allowed for home occupations unless approval has been authorized through a Board of Appeals special exception, which means a resident who wants clients visiting a home office, salon or studio must go before the Board of Appeals first rather than simply opening the door. That default sits alongside a set of related limits: the dwelling must keep a residential appearance with no outward evidence of the occupation and no noise, light, odor, traffic or utility impact detectable beyond the unit itself, and the business is confined entirely within the dwelling, capped at no more than 25% of its gross floor area.

Only people who actually live in the dwelling can be employed at the home occupation, no signs or advertising may identify the business from the property, and no equipment, materials or business vehicles can be stored or parked outside unless fully enclosed within the residence. A specific list of uses is barred outright as home occupations regardless of customer contact, including adult entertainment establishments, kennels, stables, veterinary clinics, medical and dental clinics, restaurants and drinking establishments, motor vehicle or small engine repair, funeral parlors, and taxi, limousine, wrecker, solid waste or sanitary sewer services.