Augusta-Richmond County, GA Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit type
- Special Use Permit required
- Floor area cap
- 25% of dwelling's heated floor area
- Employees
- None (2 grandfathered pre-1983 businesses)
- Approval path
- Staff OK if no visitors; else BZA
- Prohibited
- No retail, manufacturing, or repair uses
Summary
Augusta-Richmond County requires a Special Use Permit before running any home-based business, restricting home occupations to personal-service work such as tutoring, sewing, or in-home offices confined to 25 percent of the dwelling's floor area with no signage or customer traffic.
A home occupation is an activity carried out for gain by a resident conducted as an accessory use in the resident's dwelling unit subject to the following conditions: ... All home occupations shall have Special Use Permits. Special Use Permits shall be granted upon payment of a fee and a finding that a proposed home occupation would conform to the conditions at 8-3(b) and that no detrimental impact upon the surrounding residential area would be expected.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Recodification).
Full Breakdown
The zoning ordinance's Section 8-3 caps home occupations at personal services like music teaching, beautician work, sewing, or in-house offices, never retail, manufacturing, or repair businesses, confined wholly inside the dwelling's principal structure, never a garage or accessory building. No employees are allowed unless the business predates November 15, 1983, when up to two assistants were grandfathered. The Planning and Development Department's Executive Director can approve low-visibility businesses (phone, mail, computer-based work) administratively; every other home occupation needs Board of Zoning Appeals approval. Permits belong to one person at one address and must be activated within a year or they lapse.
Violations & Fines
Special Use Permits can be denied if a home occupation would be hazardous to the neighborhood, and the Augusta Commission may revoke a granted permit for cause after a hearing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I run a retail shop from my Augusta-Richmond County home?
Who approves a home occupation permit?
Can I hire employees for my home business?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Augusta-Richmond County
How Augusta-Richmond County compares: Easiest Cities to Run a Home Business·Compare Augusta-Richmond County to another location·View the Georgia home business overview
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