Florissant, MO Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Max operators
- 2 resident family members
- Outside employees allowed
- None (limited state-supervised exception)
- Max floor area used
- 20% of home, basement excluded
- On-site retail sales
- Prohibited
- Zoning status
- Permitted accessory use, R-districts
- Lawn-care trailer exception
- Max 6 ft x 16 ft, 6 ft equipment height
Summary
Florissant zoning treats a 'home occupation' as a permitted accessory use in every residential district, but only two family members living on the premises may run it, no outside employees are allowed, and the business can use no more than 20% of the home's floor area, basement excluded.
An occupation or activity carried on by no more than two (2) members of a family residing on the premises ... but excluding beauty shops, barbershops, music schools, convalescent or nursing homes, tourist homes, massage or other establishment offering services to the general public and providing that there are no signs or any display that will indicate from the exterior of the building that it is being utilized for any purpose other than that of a dwelling, providing further, that there is no stock-in-trade or commodity sold upon the premises, no person is employed other than a member of the family residing on the premises, except as to the said home work activities hereinabove authorized, no mechanical equipment is used in the conduct of the activity or is stored on the premises except such as is customary for purely domestic or household purposes and, provided further, that not over twenty percent (20%) of the total actual floor area of the improvements, exclusive of the basement, is used for the conduct of such home occupation.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4989395; v43 updated 2026-05-26; through 05-26-2026).
Full Breakdown
085(A)(10), and repeated in the equivalent use lists for the R-2 through R-6 districts. The definition specifically excludes beauty shops, barbershops, music schools, convalescent or nursing homes, tourist homes, and massage or other establishments open to the general public: those uses do not qualify as home occupations no matter how small. No stock-in-trade or commodity may be sold on the premises, no person may be employed other than a resident family member (apart from state-supervised home-work activity), and no mechanical equipment beyond ordinary domestic or household equipment may be used or stored.
The floor-area cap is 20% of the dwelling's total actual floor area, exclusive of the basement. A narrow carve-out lets a home-based lawn care operation store one properly licensed trailer, no larger than six feet by sixteen feet with equipment not exceeding six feet in height, provided the trailer is kept clean, parked in an enclosed area or covered, and kept behind the front property line on an improved asphalt or concrete surface. 480.
Violations & Fines
A use that exceeds the two-family-member limit, hires outside staff, sells goods on-site, stores non-domestic equipment, or uses more than 20% of the home's floor area no longer qualifies as a home occupation and becomes an unpermitted use in a residential district. Under § 405.480, the Building Commissioner and Mayor enforce the Zoning Code; violators face a misdemeanor fine of $10 to $100 per day the violation continues, or $25 to $100 per day (or up to 10 days' imprisonment) if the offense is willful, plus potential civil liability to an injured neighbor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a home business automatically legal in a Florissant residential zone?
Can I hire an assistant for my Florissant home business?
How much of my house can I use for a home business?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Florissant
How Florissant compares: Easiest Cities to Run a Home Business·Compare Florissant to another location·View the Missouri home business overview
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