Decatur, AL Home Business: Signage Rules (2026)

Decatur treats a home occupation as an invisible business. Section 25-145(c) of the Decatur City Code says there shall be no advertising, signage, display, or other evidence of the home occupation on the residential lot or structure, so no sign of any kind goes on the lot or the house. Two neighboring subsections back that up. Subsection (d) prohibits selling stocks of merchandise, supplies, or products on the premises, and subsection (e) prohibits storage or display of goods visible from outside the structure where the home occupation is licensed.

The definition in § 25-142(b)(1) closes the remaining gaps. A home occupation cannot alter the appearance of the dwelling, and it cannot cause the dwelling to differ from its residential character through colors, materials, construction, lighting, signs, or sounds and vibrations that carry beyond the premises. The rules apply in the residential districts the code names, including PRD, R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, R-5 and R-6 and the districts with a historic designation.

A home occupation is a permitted use only after the building department verifies the zoning district, the applicant signs a home occupation questionnaire listing every requirement, a nonrefundable $50.00 application fee is paid, and the revenue department issues a city business privilege license (§§ 25-143 and 25-146). Signing the questionnaire is the applicant's statement that the no-signage rule has been met. The permit is personal to the applicant and does not transfer to another location.

A business that needs walk-in customers to find the house does not fit this article. The same section limits the business to one room of the dwelling and bars any home occupation in an accessory building, and § 25-144 lists 19 categories, including gift shops and rental businesses, that cannot qualify at all.