Ocala, FL Home Business: Signage Rules (2026)

Section 110-158 governs signage in Ocala's residential zoning districts, including R-1, R-1A, R-1AA, R-2, R-3, RZL and MH, and subsection (1)(d) addresses home occupations specifically. It allows a nonilluminated nameplate not exceeding one square foot in area, and requires the nameplate be affixed flat against the exterior surface of the residence at a position no more than two feet from the main entrance. That is the entire home occupation sign allowance under this section; the residential district rules elsewhere in section 110-158 govern freestanding subdivision, church, school and multifamily signage, none of which extend to home-based businesses.

Subsection (2) of the same section separately bars projecting or roof signs anywhere in these residential districts and requires planning and zoning commission approval before any sign in a residential district may be illuminated, reinforcing why the home occupation nameplate must be nonilluminated. Because the nameplate is capped at one square foot and mounted flush to the house near the entrance, it functions as identification only, not as advertising visible from the street at any distance, and the building official enforces the limit under the chapter's general administration provisions in section 110-4.