St. Tammany Parish, LA Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Size cap
- 15% of home or 600 sq ft
- Staffing
- Residents of the dwelling only
- Retail sales
- Prohibited on site
- Bulk storage/manufacturing
- Prohibited, assembly OK if enclosed
- Permit
- Development plan review required
- Enforcement
- Dept. of Planning and Development
Summary
Running a business from home in unincorporated St. Tammany Parish requires development plan review under Sec. 600-6.2(4), and the home office cannot take over the house: it is capped at 15 percent of the residence's floor area or 600 square feet, whichever is smaller. Only a resident of the dwelling may work there, no stock or products can be displayed, and on-site retail sales, bulk storage and manufacturing are all barred.
a.Home office or home occupation use is subject to development plan review by the Department of Planning and Development.b.The home office must be clearly incidental and secondary to the primary use of the property as a residence by the applicant and shall not exceed 15 percent of the primary residence up to a maximum of 600 square feet.c.No person other than a resident of the dwelling may be employed as part of a home occupation...f.No stock, merchandise, or products may be displayed on the premises...j.Retail sales of products shall not occur on the site.k.No bulk storage or manufacturing of products is allowed on the site. Assembly is allowed as long as it is within an enclosed space such as in the residence, accessory structure, or garage.l.Prohibited uses:i.No home professional office shall permit the bulk storage, assembly, or manufacturing of alcohol, flammable liquids or chemical agents, firearms, fireworks or other similar uses.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 12 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
St. Tammany Parish's Unified Development Code treats a home office or home occupation as an accessory use to a residence, and every one needs development plan review by the Department of Planning and Development before it can operate, per Sec. 600-6.2(4)(a). The size cap in subsection (b) ties the use to the house itself: floor area devoted to the business cannot exceed 15 percent of the primary residence, and in no case more than 600 square feet, so a 3,000-square-foot home tops out at 450 square feet of home-office space rather than the full 600.
Staffing is limited to the household under subsection (c); a home occupation cannot hire anyone who does not live in the dwelling. The use also has to stay invisible from the street and from neighbors: subsection (f) bars displaying stock, merchandise or products on the premises, subsection (j) bars retail sales occurring on site altogether, and subsection (k) bars bulk storage or manufacturing, though assembly work is allowed if it happens inside an enclosed space such as the residence, an accessory structure, or the garage.
A separate prohibited-uses list in subsection (l) rules out specific activities outright regardless of these size and staffing limits, including any home professional office that would store, assemble or manufacture alcohol, flammable liquids, chemical agents, firearms or fireworks. The same use also has to satisfy the noise, odor, vibration and equipment limits of subsection (e), which cap the operation to what would normally occur in ordinary residential life.
Violations & Fines
A home occupation that outgrows the 15-percent/600-square-foot cap, hires outside employees, or engages in a use barred by subsection (l) is operating outside its development plan approval. The Department of Planning and Development can pursue the case through the parish's Chapter 2 bureau of administrative adjudication, where a hearing officer can levy a fine, add a mandatory minimum $100.00 administrative cost under Sec. 2-551(c)(3), and revoke the home occupation approval under Sec. 2-556.
Frequently Asked Questions
How big can a home business be in unincorporated St. Tammany Parish?
Can I hire employees for my home-based business?
Can I sell products directly from my home in the parish?
What business activities are flatly banned as home occupations?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in St. Tammany Parish
How St. Tammany Parish compares: Easiest Cities to Run a Home Business·Compare St. Tammany Parish to another location·View the Louisiana home business overview
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