Carroll County, GA Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)

Sec. " Subsection (b) lists more than 30 example occupations, from beauty salons and general contracting to tutoring limited to two pupils at a time, eligible for administrative approval by the director of community development. Additional specifications in subsection (c) require the operator to reside full-time at the residence, cap floor space devoted to the business at 25 percent of heated dwelling area, forbid outside storage and on-street parking, bar internal or external alterations inconsistent with residential use, and prohibit employing anyone who isn't a resident of the dwelling.

An application fee set by the board of commissioners is required (e); the director must act within 30 days or the application is deemed approved (f); denials can be appealed to the board of commissioners, advertised the same way as a rezoning case (g); and the permit "expires December 31 of each calendar year" and must be renewed by January 1 (j). A denied applicant cannot reapply for the same property for 12 months (k). Subsection (d) explicitly prohibits certain uses outright: group dance or band instruction, tearooms and restaurants, tourist homes, boarding or rooming houses, fish hatcheries, worm farms or bait houses, convalescent and nursing homes, kennels and animal hospitals, clinics and hospitals, and firewood sales, regardless of floor space or residency.