Ocala, FL Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)

Ocala Code of Ordinances Sec. 122-1281 permits home occupations in all residential districts under Division 4 of the zoning chapter, but Sec. 122-1284 requires anyone starting one to apply to the building official first. The application must show the applicant's name, the residence location, the total first-floor area, the specific rooms to be used, a floor-plan sketch, and the nature of the business. Once approved, the building official issues the permit for a $10.00 fee, plus a $5.00 annual renewal charge under the same section; the fee is separate from any occupational license tax owed to the city.

Sec. 122-1287 then limits the space itself: no home occupation may use more than 20 percent of the residence's first floor, excluding open porches or attached garages, and a converted garage or porch cannot count as usable area until two years after the city's records show it was completed. Sec. 122-1288 bars running the business out of an accessory building altogether; it must operate from the proprietor's actual residence. Sec. 122-1284(c) lets any city resident object to a permit and request a hearing before the planning and zoning commission, which can revoke a permit if it finds the business is a nuisance after that hearing.