Pima County, AZ Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required
- home occupation permit, chief zoning inspector
- Space limit
- 1/4 dwelling floor area or 200 sq ft accessory
- Employees allowed
- 1 nonresident maximum
- Barred uses
- auto repair, tattoo parlor, commercial food prep, etc.
- Applies to
- unincorporated Pima County dwellings only
- Penalty
- up to $750-$10,000 per day
Summary
Running a business from a home in unincorporated Pima County requires a home occupation permit from the chief zoning inspector under Section 18.09.030(A). The use has to stay inside the dwelling or a 200-square-foot accessory building, employ no more than one outside worker, and skip a list of businesses the code bars outright, including auto repair, tattoo parlors and commercial food prep.
A. General Standards. Home occupations are permitted so long as they meet the following standards: 1. A home occupation permit is required to be obtained from the chief zoning inspector: a. The home occupation permit shall apply only to a full time occupant of the dwelling. b. If there is a change in use, a new home occupation permit shall be required. 2. The home occupation must be conducted and visible only from within a dwelling or an accessory building of not more than two hundred square feet. 3. There shall be no exterior public display of stock-in-trade upon the premises. 4. Not more than one nonresident of the premises is employed. 5. Not more than one-fourth of the floor area and one story of the main dwelling or an accessory building of not more than two hundred square feet in area shall be used for the home occupation.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-64: Contains Supplement, with local legislation through Ordinance 2026-9, passed 7-28-2026, current through 7-28-2026).
Full Breakdown
030(A) makes clear it's permitted only with a permit issued by the chief zoning inspector. That permit runs to the full-time resident who applies for it and doesn't transfer with the property; a change in the type of use requires a brand-new permit. The business has to be conducted and visible only from inside the house or an accessory building no larger than two hundred square feet, and can use no more than one-quarter of the dwelling's floor area (or the full 200-square-foot accessory building) on a single story.
There can be no outdoor display of stock-in-trade, no outdoor storage of equipment or materials, and any new construction tied to the business has to keep the residential look of the property. Only one nonresident employee is allowed on site. 030(A)(14) flatly bars a list of uses from ever qualifying as home occupations no matter how small: auto repair and service, veterinary service, kennels and pet grooming, commercial food preparation, mortuary or embalming service, tattoo parlors, welding service, and any other commercial use not customarily run as a secondary use out of a home.
Child care and adult care home services get their own modified version of the same standards under subsection B, including a ten-person cap and, for larger operations with added staff, a formal application to the zoning inspector with notice to neighbors within three hundred feet and a fifteen-day protest window before the board of adjustment.
Violations & Fines
Operating a home business without a home occupation permit, or in violation of its size, employee, storage or use restrictions, is a zoning violation under Section 18.95.040. Each day the violation continues is a separate offense, with fines up to $750 per day for an individual and $10,000 per day for a corporation or association, plus possible county-initiated legal action to force compliance or shut the business down.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to run a business from my Pima County home?
What businesses are automatically banned from operating as a home occupation?
How much of my house can I actually use for the business?
Can I hire employees to work at my home business?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pima County
How Pima County compares: Easiest Cities to Run a Home Business·Compare Pima County to another location·View the Arizona home business overview
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