Paulding County, GA Home Business: Signage Rules (2026)

Home occupations are allowed as a Special Exception in nine residential and agricultural districts, A-1, ER, R-1, R-2, R-3, MPR, OSRD, RD, MHP and R-55, under UDO § 230-30.01, but the section imposes eleven conditions before the Zoning Administrator will sign off. Condition 2 says "the appearance of the dwelling shall not be altered" and bars anything, including "colors, materials, construction, lighting," that would make the home look different from a residence. Condition 3 goes further: "the use shall not be visibly evident from outside the dwelling." Read together, those two conditions rule out any exterior sign, awning, window display or lighted placard advertising the business, since a visible sign is by definition evidence of the business from outside.

The rest of § 230-30.01 caps the operation itself: no more than one room, and no more than 25 percent of the dwelling's gross floor area, can be used as the home office (condition 1); traffic cannot exceed what the house would generate without a business (condition 5); the operator may see no more than two clients per hour, rising to four per hour during peak seasons such as tax season (condition 6); only residents plus one non-resident employee may work on site (condition 8); and only one business vehicle, no larger than a pickup, panel truck or van under 16,000 pounds GVWR, is permitted, with deliveries capped at two per day on two-axle vehicles (conditions 9-10). Under § 230-30, the Zoning Administrator or a designee certifies each Special Exception, and that certification lapses if the use is not established within 12 months. Chapter 230 is administered by the Community Development Department under § 230-10.2.