Haltom City, TX Home Business: Home Occupation Permits (2026)

Haltom City regulates home-based businesses under the zoning ordinance home occupation provisions. To qualify, the business must be conducted entirely within the dwelling (or an attached garage converted per code), be clearly secondary to residential use, and occupy no more than 25 percent of the dwelling floor area. Prohibited activities typically include auto repair, welding, commercial kennels, medical or dental clinics, restaurants, adult businesses, and any use generating hazardous waste, excessive noise, vibration, fumes, odors, or electrical interference detectable at the property line. Permitted activities commonly include professional consulting, tutoring with limited students, remote office work, telecommuting, small craft production, music lessons (limited to one student at a time), and licensed home daycares. No non-resident employees may work on site (a single assistant is sometimes permitted for home daycares). Customer visits are typically limited to one at a time and prohibited before 7 AM or after 9 PM. On-street parking by customers cannot exceed two vehicles at once. No external display of products, outdoor storage of business materials, or commercial deliveries by vehicles larger than standard UPS or FedEx trucks are allowed. Only one non-illuminated nameplate sign of 2 square feet or less is permitted. The application process requires a home occupation permit application submitted to the Planning and Zoning Department, approval by the building official, and a city business registration. Texas law and Haltom City rules additionally require state-level permits for regulated occupations (cosmetology, real estate, accounting, etc.), food service licenses through Tarrant County Public Health for any food preparation business, and sales tax permits from the Texas Comptroller for sales of tangible goods.