Kenner, LA Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)

Section 12.14(a) sets the baseline standards every home occupation in Kenner must meet before the city will issue a permit. The person licensed for the home occupation must live in the dwelling, and no more than one home occupation license may be issued per family dwelling, so a duplex cannot host two separate unrelated home businesses under one address without separate dwelling units. No one may be employed on the premises who is not a bona fide resident, cutting off the option of hiring outside staff to come work at the house.

The dwelling's use for the business must stay clearly incidental and secondary to its residential purpose, and Kenner caps the space at twenty percent of the living area or 400 square feet, whichever is the lesser, so a small home sees a tighter square-footage ceiling than the percentage alone would allow. Outdoor display or storage of inventory, equipment, or supplies tied to the business is not permitted, and the operation cannot be run out of an accessory building like a detached garage or shed. Certain uses are recognized outright as qualifying home occupations, including art studios, dressmaking and tailoring, professional offices, and tutoring limited to two pupils at a time, while other listed categories are barred entirely.

Once the Department of Inspections and Code Enforcement confirms an application meets these established criteria, it issues a home occupation permit, and only then may the applicant obtain the accompanying occupational license under subsection (15).