Orlando, FL Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Allowed use type
- Accessory use in residential dwellings
- Max floor area
- 25% of one story, 500 sq ft max
- Location
- Principal residence or accessory structure only
- Exceeds cap
- Reclassified as principal use
- Governing section
- City Code §§ 58.937–.938
Summary
Home occupations are an allowable accessory use in Orlando residential dwellings under City Code § 58.937, but § 58.938 caps the space used at 25% of one floor's gross habitable area (500 sq ft max) and confines the business to the principal or accessory structure.
Home occupations are an allowable accessory use in residential dwelling units. All home occupations shall conform to the following requirements. Location. All home occupations shall be located within the principal building which is the bona fide residence of the principal practitioner, an accessory garage or other accessory structure. Area. No home occupation may occupy more than 25% of the gross habitable floor area of any one story of the dwelling unit, and in no event a total of more than 500 square feet. Any home occupation over 25% will be considered a principal use.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 92).
Full Breakdown
938. 938 requires the business to operate "within the principal building which is the bona fide residence of the principal practitioner, an accessory garage or other accessory structure", it cannot run from a separate freestanding building unrelated to the residence. The area cap is explicit: a home occupation may not occupy more than 25% of the gross habitable floor area of any one story of the dwelling, and never more than 500 square feet total; a business that grows past that 25% threshold is reclassified as a principal use, which takes it out of the home-occupation category entirely and into standard commercial zoning review.
Where more than one home occupation operates at the same address, the 25%/500-square-foot cap applies to all of them combined, not per business. 938 also restricts external changes, "no alterations shall be made to the external appearance of any principal or accessory structures or of the building site which change the residential character thereof", and bars outdoor display or storage of merchandise and equipment except items made on the premises. These standards were last amended by Ord. No. #2203141201).
Violations & Fines
A home business that exceeds the 25%-of-floor/500-square-foot cap, operates from a structure other than the residence or its accessory building, alters the property's exterior residential appearance, or displays merchandise outdoors is out of compliance with § 58.938 and can be required to obtain principal-use commercial zoning approval or cease operating from the residence; the property owner, agent, and occupant are jointly and individually responsible for enforcement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I run a business out of my home in Orlando?
How much of my house can a home business use in Orlando?
Can my home business change how my house looks from the street?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Orlando
How Orlando compares: Easiest Cities to Run a Home Business·Florida rules heatmap·Compare Orlando to another location·View the Florida home business overview
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Zoning & Home Occupation Permits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Orange County handle zoning & home occupation permits.