Little Rock, AR Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Max size
- 500 sq ft, 49% of floor area
- Stock in trade cap
- 10% of accessory-use area
- Accessory buildings
- Not allowed for the business
- Unlisted occupations
- Need accessory use permit
- Applies in
- R-1 through R-7A districts
Summary
Little Rock caps home-based businesses at 500 square feet or 49% of a dwelling's floor area and bars exterior signage, product display, outside storage, and accessory-building use under the city's residential zoning code.
Home occupations shall be permitted that will not:1.Change the outside appearance of the dwelling or provide product display visible from the street.2.Generate traffic, parking, sewage or water use in excess of what is normal in the residential neighborhood.3.Create a hazard to persons or property, result in electric interference or become a nuisance.4.Result in outside storage or display of any material or product.5.Involve accessory buildings.6.Result in signage beyond that which may be required by other government agencies.7.Limited to five hundred (500) square feet in area, but in no case more than forty-nine (49) percent of the floor area in a dwelling.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 83).
Full Breakdown
Home occupations are an accessory use allowed in Little Rock's residential districts (R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, R-4A, R-5, R-6, R-7A) subordinate to the single-family use. Sec. 36-253(b)(6) sets the standards: no visible product display or altered exterior, no traffic/parking/utility use beyond what's normal for the neighborhood, no accessory buildings, and a hard size cap of 500 sq. ft. (max 49% of floor area), with stock in trade limited to 10% of that space. A specific list of permitted occupations (tutoring, sewing, catering, computer programming, etc.) and prohibited ones (barbershops, animal hospitals, restaurants, kennels, etc.) follows; anything not on either list needs an accessory use permit from Planning and Development.
Violations & Fines
The Planning Commission can revoke an approved home occupation for operating outside the approved application or in violation of the ordinance; the operator bears the burden of proving compliance at a hearing, and revocation triggers loss of the city business license. Appeals go to the Board of Directors within 30 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I run a home business from my Little Rock house?
What if my home business isn't on the city's permitted list?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Little Rock
How Little Rock compares: Easiest Cities to Run a Home Business·Compare Little Rock to another location·View the Arkansas home business overview
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