Home Business in Arkansas (2026)
30 rules on the books across Arkansas, 7 cities and counties. Select a rule to read the full details.
Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions
Zoning & Home Occupation Permits
Which businesses you can run from home, the home-occupation permit or registration most cities require, and the conditions attached, floor area caps, signage bans, and prohibited uses.
Fort Smith
Significant RestrictionsFort Smith requires planning commission approval for any home business, with notice to neighbors within 300 feet and…
Read full rule →Benton County
Some RestrictionsA home-based business in unincorporated Benton County is a Home and Rural Family Occupation under Chapter VII, Sec…
Read full rule →Fayetteville
Some RestrictionsFayetteville regulates home businesses under Use Unit 24 of the Unified Development Code. A non-traffic-generating home…
Read full rule →Jonesboro
Some RestrictionsJonesboro allows home occupations as an accessory use in every residential district, but only if the business stays…
Read full rule →Little Rock
Some RestrictionsLittle Rock caps home-based businesses at 500 square feet or 49% of a dwelling's floor area and bars exterior signage…
Read full rule →Springdale
Some RestrictionsSpringdale allows a home occupation as a conditional accessory use in residential and agricultural zoning districts…
Read full rule →Signage Rules
Whether you can put up a sign for your home business, including size limits, placement rules, and which types of signs are allowed.
Little Rock
Heavy RestrictionsLittle Rock's zoning code bars home-based businesses from having any signage beyond what another government agency…
Read full rule →Springdale
Heavy RestrictionsSpringdale's sign code flatly bars home occupation signs in every residential zoning district, from R-E single-family…
Read full rule →Fort Smith
Significant RestrictionsFort Smith bars any sign for a licensed home occupation, so home-based businesses cannot advertise with on-site signage.
Read full rule →Benton County
Some RestrictionsA home occupation's on-site sign is capped by lot type under Chapter VII, Sec. 7.6.A: one non-illuminated sign up to…
Read full rule →Jonesboro
Light RestrictionsJonesboro allows a home occupation to display a nameplate sign even though the business must otherwise stay invisible…
Read full rule →Fayetteville
Few RestrictionsFayetteville allows a home occupation sign of up to 3 square feet mounted flat against the wall. Under UDC §174.03…
Read full rule →Customer Traffic Restrictions
Limits on customers and clients visiting a home business, daily visit caps, one-at-a-time rules, employee restrictions, and parking conditions that keep a home occupation from becoming a storefront.
Benton County
Some RestrictionsBenton County caps how much traffic a home-based business can bring under Chapter VII, Sec. 7.6.A: the delivery or…
Read full rule →Fayetteville
Some RestrictionsCustomer traffic is the dividing line for Fayetteville home businesses. A home occupation that draws client or customer…
Read full rule →Fort Smith
Some RestrictionsFort Smith limits home occupation client visits to appointment-only, capping any home-based business at two patrons on…
Read full rule →Jonesboro
Some RestrictionsHome occupations in Jonesboro may host customers only between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., and no more than six clients may…
Read full rule →Little Rock
Some RestrictionsLittle Rock caps home-based businesses to normal residential traffic and parking, bars street-visible product display…
Read full rule →Springdale
Some RestrictionsSpringdale conditions home-occupation approval on generating no traffic, parking, or utility use beyond what is normal…
Read full rule →Cottage Food Operations
Rules for selling homemade food products from your kitchen, including what foods are allowed, labeling requirements, and annual sales limits.
Arkansas: statewide
StatewideFew RestrictionsSince Act 1040 of 2021 Arkansas has run one of the least restrictive homemade food laws in the country. The Food…
Read full rule →Fayetteville
Few RestrictionsArkansas's Food Freedom Act lets Fayetteville home cooks sell homemade food directly to consumers with no license…
Read full rule →Washington County
Few RestrictionsThe Arkansas Food Freedom Act lets you make non-hazardous food at your Washington County home and sell it directly to…
Read full rule →Home Kitchen Operations
Permits for selling meals cooked to order in a home kitchen, which is a separate legal category from shelf-stable cottage food. Covers daily meal and gross revenue caps, health department inspection, and whether the county has to opt in before residents may apply at all.
Home Daycare
Licensing and zoning rules for running a daycare out of your home, including the number of children allowed, outdoor play area requirements, and safety standards.
Arkansas: statewide
StatewideSome RestrictionsArkansas requires state licensing or registration for home-based child care serving non-relative children. The…
Read full rule →Fort Smith
Significant RestrictionsFort Smith requires a conditional use permit for home day cares serving six to 12 children, capping outside staff at…
Read full rule →Little Rock
Significant RestrictionsRunning a family day care home in Little Rock requires a special use permit, caps at 10 children, and comes with a…
Read full rule →Benton County
Some RestrictionsBenton County treats home child care as an exempt home occupation only up to five children under the Planning and…
Read full rule →Fayetteville
Some RestrictionsIn Fayetteville, caring for up to six children counts as a home occupation and an allowed residential use under UDC…
Read full rule →Jonesboro
Some RestrictionsA Jonesboro family day care home may serve at most eight children with no more than two adults present, and the…
Read full rule →Springdale
Some RestrictionsSpringdale permits a family day care home as a home occupation in a single-family residence, capped at ten children…
Read full rule →Washington County
Some RestrictionsCaring for children for pay in a Washington County home requires a license from the Arkansas Department of Human…
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