Gulfport, MS Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)

Appendix A of Gulfport's zoning ordinance defines a home occupation as work conducted only by residents of the dwelling, with no additional employees, that stays incidental to the home's residential use. The site-coverage cap is 25 percent of the building site, traffic and parking demand must not exceed what a residential neighborhood normally sees, and any parking the business creates has to be met off the street. Only one on-premise sign is allowed, up to two square feet, mounted flat against the building and naming only the home occupation.

Producing or constructing items on-site requires Planning Commission approval and must add no visible light, sound, or nuisance to the area. Direct retail sales from the home are barred except infrequent deliveries of a verified national franchise line, such as Amway, Avon, Mary Kay, or Tupperware. Escort dating services and any state- or locally-licensed contractor trade are flatly prohibited. Equipment or work vehicles are capped at one one-ton vehicle and one trailer no longer than 24 feet, which cannot sit in the required front or side setback, and no equipment repairs may happen on the property.

To operate, the applicant must apply for a certificate of zoning compliance with a written description of the proposed business. If the Urban Development Planning Division later finds a violation of the approval conditions or any other regulation, it can revoke that certificate outright.