Amarillo, TX Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)

Amarillo's zoning code classifies 'Home Occupation' as Accessory and Incidental Use (14) in the Sec. 4-10-82 Schedule of Uses. Sec. 4-10-83(a)(14) defines it as an occupation carried on in the home by a member of the occupant's family, without employing additional persons, without offering any commodity for sale to the general public on the premises, without keeping stock for trade, and without storing supplies and equipment. Identification is limited to a nameplate. The same definition imposes a performance standard: the occupation must not create unreasonable noise or other unreasonable conditions to abutting residential property, including odors, increased traffic, parking, or light and smoke.

A use that drifts outside these bounds, by adding employees, retail foot traffic, or stockpiled inventory, stops qualifying as a Home Occupation accessory use altogether. Because new or unlisted uses get routed through Sec. 4-10-84 to the Planning Department and Planning and Zoning Commission for classification, and the City Council can require a specific use permit under Sec. 4-10-85 for uses marked for that process in the schedule, a homeowner whose business outgrows the Home Occupation definition may need to seek a different zoning approval rather than simply continuing to operate.

Sec. 4-10-81 requires all land and structures to comply with the zoning regulations of their district, and a Home Occupation that no longer fits its own definition is out of compliance with that district's permitted-use list.