Gary, IN Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)

The zoning chapter's definitions section, § 123-1, sets the operative standard for every home-based business in Gary. A home occupation must be a gainful occupation or profession customarily carried on by a dwelling's occupant that is clearly incidental to residential use, and it cannot involve a retail business, manufacturing business, or repair shop of any kind on the premises. The definition then adds specific limits: no additional employees may be hired to perform the work, no mechanical or electrical equipment beyond what is usual for purely domestic or hobby purposes may be used, no exterior display or sign is allowed except what the sign regulations for that zoning district otherwise permit, and no equipment or materials used in the occupation may be stored outside.

The code lists examples that qualify, including an art studio, custom dressmaking, and the office of a clergyman, lawyer, physician, dentist, architect, engineer, realtor, or accountant, plus teaching music, dancing, or other instruction limited to one pupil at a time in the instructor's own dwelling. In the R1 and R1A One-Family Dwelling Districts specifically, § 123-155(a)(4)b narrows this further: home occupations are permitted by exception only for existing, state-licensed beauty shops and barbershops that have no employees, are registered with the plan commission within 30 days, and cannot be reinstated once terminated. Every other zoning district applies the general § 123-1 definition to whatever home business a resident proposes.