Franklin, TN Home Business: Zoning Restrictions (2026)

Title 14 (Zoning and Land Use Control) Chapter 5 of the City of Franklin Zoning Ordinance governs Accessory Uses and Structures, with home occupations addressed in § 5.2.7.G. Permitted home occupations include artistic and creative professions (artist, author, baker, caterer, event planner, graphic designer, interior designer, recording artist, sewist, songwriter, tailor), counseling services, mobile service provider offices (food vendor, electrician, plumber, contractor), pet sitting (max 2 pets at a time, kept mostly indoors), pet grooming (max 1 pet at a time), photography/videography (max 2 individuals or one family on-site at a time), professional services (accountant, architect, attorney, consultant, engineer, real estate, insurance), phone/internet/off-site sales roles, small-scale child care (no more than 4 unrelated children meeting state Family Child Care Home standards), swim lessons (max 2 students at a time), and tutoring (max 2 pupils at a time). Section 5.2.7.G.2 prohibits personal services other than those expressly allowed and prohibits retail sales from on-site inventory. Section 5.2.7.G.3 requires that operations occur entirely within the principal building and not exceed 25 percent of total floor area, or within a permitted accessory building; photography may occur outdoors on lots of 2+ acres when screened, and swim lessons and child care may use side/rear yards only. The business must be owned and operated by the person residing in the principal building, employ no more than one person not residing on the premises, create no detectable off-premises traffic/parking congestion, noise, lighting, vibration, odor, glare, fumes, or interference, cause no change in exterior appearance, allow no more than one non-residential vehicle parked overnight, and include no signs or other on-property advertising. Tennessee has not enacted a comprehensive Home-Based Business Protection Act preempting local home-occupation zoning (Goldwater-model bills have stalled), so Franklin's standards control.