Anderson County, SC Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)

Section 6:11 sets the general zoning standards for any home occupation in Anderson County's residential districts. A home occupation is permitted only in conformance with a list of conditions: no more than two persons other than those residing in the home may be engaged in the occupation; the business cannot involve retail sale of merchandise manufactured off the premises, except for products directly related to the service performed, such as beauty products; no merchandise display may be visible from the street; and the occupation cannot become a nuisance or cause undue disturbance in the neighborhood.

Off-street parking must be provided under Section 6:9. The section then names the specific occupations allowed as of right, including an accountant or bookkeeper, attorney, barber, beautician, child care home, dance instructor, dressmaker, insurance agent, manufacturer's representative, music teacher, notary public, photographer, professional consultant, secretarial service, seamstress, tailor, tax consultant, and tutor. Any home business not on that list requires approval as a special exception from the board of zoning appeals under Article 7, applying the same general requirements. A narrower carve-out applies only in the R-A district, where light manufacturing, wholesaling, and service businesses are allowed in a fully enclosed building capped at 2,000 square feet and 15 feet in height, a larger allowance than the standard home occupation rules permit elsewhere.