San Antonio, TX Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)

Sec. 35-378(a) of the Unified Development Code sets the baseline zoning standard for operating a business from a San Antonio home. The dwelling's exterior and character must stay unchanged: no alteration to the building or property, and no use of colors, materials, construction, lighting, signs, increased traffic, odors, sounds, or vibrations that would make the home read as nonresidential. Outdoor display or storage of goods or equipment used in the business is banned outright. Advertising is limited to a single nonilluminated nameplate no larger than one square foot, mounted flat to the dwelling or visible through a window; no other on-site signage or advertising media may call attention to the home occupation.

Employees, combined with household residents and customers on site, cannot exceed the dwelling's permitted occupancy, and the business must operate entirely within the residential property with no activity visible from the street. Electrical or mechanical equipment that would change the home's fire rating or interfere with neighbors' radio, television, or line voltage is prohibited, as is using commercial vehicles to deliver materials to or from the property. No certificate of occupancy is required to run a qualifying home occupation. Subsection (b) then bars an entire category of uses outright, including animal hospitals, kennels or stables, restaurants or catering (apart from cottage foods and whole produce), sexually oriented businesses, and the sale of alcohol or drugs.