Lee County, NC Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)

Under UDO § 5.16, a home occupation must be conducted entirely within a dwelling unit by a family member who lives there, must stay clearly incidental and subordinate to residential use, and cannot add mechanical equipment beyond what a household normally uses for domestic or hobby purposes. Community Development treats it as an accessory use, not a separate business classification, so it never changes the residential character of the lot. Four categories skip the permit altogether: artists and sculptors who do not sell on premises, craft work such as jewelry-making or pottery with no on-site sales, home offices that receive no client visits, and telephone answering or message services, so long as everyone doing the work lives at the address.

Everything else on the approved list in Table 5.16-1, accounting, catering, computer repair, drafting, legal services, tutoring and dozens of similar professional and craft trades, needs a home occupation permit from Community Development and must meet the performance standards in Table 5.16-2: the use stays entirely inside the residence, no more than one non-resident employee, and no more than 25 percent of the dwelling's gross floor area devoted to the occupation. Parking for the business is limited to the driveway, and outside storage of heavy equipment is barred outright in every district except RA.

If a home occupation turns dangerous or unsafe, Community Development can order the owner or tenant to fix it or shut it down, and unresolved violations are enforced as zoning violations under UDO § 1.6, with the county recovering any cleanup costs from the property owner.