Evansville, IN Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Allowed zones
- A, R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, R-5
- Use list
- 15 enumerated professions only
- Sales
- No sales from the site
- Floor-area cap
- 25% of dwelling
Summary
Evansville, Indiana caps home businesses to a closed list of office and service professions across its A, R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4 and R-5 districts, run from inside the dwelling with no on-site sales and a 25 percent floor-area cap.
List of uses permitted in the A, R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, and R-5 districts as home occupations, which meet the requirements and restrictions of those zones; providing, that the following uses must meet all other requirements as a home occupation as listed in EMC 18.30.010.
Offices and services for the following professions and businesses; providing, that there be no sales from the site:
(A) Accountant;
(B) Architect;
(C) Artist;
(D) Attorney;
(E) Bookkeeper;
(F) Computer services;
(G) Consultant;
(H) Counselor;
(I) Draftsman;
(J) Engineer;
(K) Interior decorator;
(L) Musician;
(M) Seamstress or tailor;
(N) Telephone order service;
(O) Tutor. [Ord. G-89-17, passed 5-24-89; Ord. G-76-10, passed 2-28-77. 1962 Code, Art. 9, Ch. 32; 1982 Code § 153.069; 1983 Code § 15.153.069.]
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance G-2026-12, passed June 22, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Evansville Municipal Code § 18.125.050 lists the only home occupations permitted as Use Group 2 accessory uses in the A and R-1 through R-5 districts: accountant, architect, artist, attorney, bookkeeper, computer services, consultant, counselor, draftsman, engineer, interior decorator, musician, seamstress or tailor, telephone order service, and tutor - 'providing, that there be no sales from the site.' EMC 18.30.010(A)(2)(b) additionally caps the floor area devoted to the use at 25 percent of the dwelling. Any use outside this enumerated list is not a lawful home occupation in any Evansville zoning district.
Violations & Fines
Running a home occupation that isn't on the Use Group 2 list, selling goods from the site, or devoting more than 25 percent of the dwelling's floor area to the business violates EMC 18.125.050 and 18.30.010(A)(2).
Frequently Asked Questions
What kinds of home businesses can operate in Evansville?
Which zoning districts allow home occupations in Evansville?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Evansville
How Evansville compares: Easiest Cities to Run a Home Business·Compare Evansville to another location·View the Indiana home business overview
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