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

Sampson County treats a home-based business as an accessory use that must stay incidental to the residence and keep the property looking residential, per § 2-26-01. A Home Occupation permit is required any time an owner or resident operates a business from the dwelling or an accessory structure; remote employees working for someone else's company are not considered a home occupation and need no permit. The Ordinance only allows the specific occupations it lists for each zoning district under §§ 2-26-04 through 2-26-06; anything not on that list requires a Special Use Permit from the Sampson County Planning Board before it can legally operate.

Applicants must submit a site plan meeting § 2-18-02(c), a floor plan showing total heated square footage and the portion used for the business, and written consent from the property owner if the applicant is not the owner, under § 2-26-02. General standards in § 2-26-03 apply in every zoning district: on-site employee parking, floor area for an indoor use capped at 40% of the home's heated square footage or 1,000 square feet, whichever is less, online or off-site-only retail sales, work kept out of view from the right-of-way and adjacent properties, delivery limited to 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., and no commercial vehicle over 13 tons used for deliveries.

District-specific rules layered on top, in §§ 2-26-04 through 2-26-06, vary permitted uses, allowable signage, employee counts and vehicle limits by whether the lot is Residential, or Residential Agricultural/Commercial under or over two acres.