Can I operate a Business out of my Home in Austin, Texas?
This title refers to a question I am commonly asked. Can I operate a Business out of my Home? Or can I buy a home and operate my business out of a home I purchase?
Danny Brewer with the City of Austin Small Business Development Program answers with the following two links of information to answer this question.
- City of Austin Home Occupation regulations and limitations Section 25-2-900.
- Home occupation portion of the Austin City Code. FAQ regarding Home Occupation in City of Austin.
My takeaways from reading through this information include:
- Yourself or a business partner need to live in the house.
- Have to maintain residential character of home.
- Must conduct business inside the dwelling unit.
- The sale of merchandise to customers on the premises is prohibited
- Business may not generate more than 3 vehicle trips per day of customer-related vehicular traffic.
- No parking of commercial vehicles is allowed.
- The following use are prohibited from operating out of a home.
- animal hospitals, animal breeding;
- clinics, hospitals;
- hospital services;
- contractors yards;
- dance studios;
- scrap and salvage services;
- massage parlors other than those employing massage therapists licensed by the state;
- restaurants;
- cocktail lounges;
- rental outlets;
- equipment sales;
- adult oriented businesses;
- recycling centers;
- drop-off recycling collection facilities;
- an activity requiring an H-occupancy under Section 25-12, Article 1 (Uniform Building Code); automotive repair services; and businesses involving the repair of any type of internal combustion engine, including equipment repair services.
