HOME OCCUPATIONS.
Fort Worth Zoning Ordinance § 5.116.A
in effect§ 5.116.A HOME OCCUPATIONS.
(a) Home occupations may be permitted as an incidental use and is secondary to the use of a dwelling in accordance with the use table in Chapter 4, Article 6, subject to the following conditions:
(1) All home occupations must be conducted entirely from within the principal dwelling and attached garage or one accessory building, except for home occupations that are outdoor activities as described below. Activities must not be visible from the street.
(2) The number of employees working at a home occupation shall not exceed, in combination with the family or other residents living in the dwelling unit and customers of the home occupation, the permitted occupancy of the dwelling unit.
(3) Outdoor activities:
a. Performance of the activity shall not be visible from the street.
b. Performance of outdoor activity shall be solely located and contained in the rear yard.
c. Operation of hours for outdoor activities shall be between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.
d. For swimming lessons and water safety instruction, provided that such instruction involves no more than four pupils at any one time; and
e. Participants must have access to a permanent restroom facility in the principal dwelling unit, attached garage or an accessory building connected to water and sewer.
(4) Traffic. No vehicular traffic shall be generated by the home occupation business in greater volumes than would reasonably be expected in the residential neighborhood or create unreasonable parking or traffic congestion for the abutting or adjoining neighbors or for the immediate neighborhood. Any parking of vehicles must be consistent with city ordinances. Any parking or traffic of such character, intensity and continued duration, which substantially interferes with the comfortable enjoyment of private homes by persons of ordinary sensibilities, shall be considered unreasonable. It shall be a defense to prosecution under this subsection (a) that the parking or traffic created was reasonable under the totality of the circumstances existing in the neighborhood. Upon request of the residents of the neighborhood, a representative from the transportation and public works department shall review the traffic impacts to the neighborhood and, if applicable, refer the review to the traffic management program.
(5) Accessory and secondary. The use must be clearly incidental and secondary to the residential use of the dwelling and may not alter the existing residential character of the principal dwelling or the garage/accessory building. A home occupation that requires structural alteration of the principal dwelling or garage/accessory building to comply with nonresidential construction code is prohibited, except for accessibility requirements.
(6) Appearance. A change in the outside appearance of the dwelling unit or lot indicating the use or conduct of a home occupation, including advertising signs or displays is prohibited. All equipment, goods, wares, merchandise or materials associated with home occupation, including equipment, goods, wares, merchandise or materials located in or on vehicles, must not be visible from any public street or public right-of-way or from other locations off the premises.
(7) Signs. Home occupations must not involve the use of advertising signs or window displays, or any other device that calls attention to the business use of the dwelling through audio or visual means.
a. All on-site advertising that is visible from any public street or public right-of-way or from other locations off the premises, other than advertising located on vehicles, is prohibited. For the purposes of this subsection (a)(7), VEHICLE is defined as a passenger automobile, passenger van, motorcycle or pick-up truck. All advertising on vehicles shall be mounted flat against or painted on the vehicle and shall not refer to the street address of the home occupation business.
b. All off-site advertising, including signs, displays, billboards, television, radio and/or any other advertising medium uses that refers to the street address is prohibited, other than business stationery, business cards, the home occupation business website, newsletters and applicable trade directories.
(8) Nuisance. No machinery or equipment shall be permitted that produces noise, noxious odor, dust, smoke, fumes, vibration, glare, electrical interference or radio or electromagnetic interference beyond the boundary of the property. Only general types and sizes of machinery that are typically found in dwellings for hobby or domestic purposes shall be permitted. No combustible materials shall be permitted on the premises that are in violation of the city's fire code.
(9) Noise. A home occupation is subject to the maximum decibel levels for residential districts in City Code, Section 23-8 and shall not substantially increase noise in excess of what is typical in a residential neighborhood.
(b) The operation of detail, auto repair, paint or body shop business, including, but not limited to, a boat, motorcycle, trailer or auto shop business, shall not be permitted as a home occupation.
(c) A home school shall not be considered a home occupation and shall not be subject to the regulations of this section.
(Ord. 16183, § 1, passed 10-19-2004; Ord. 20900-09-2013, § 1, passed 9-10-2013; eff. 9-25-2013; Ord. 25380-03-2022, § 1, passed 3-8-2022, eff. 3-22-2022; Ord. 28075-10-2025, § 1, passed 10-21-2025, eff. 12-5-2025)
Editor’s note:
Ord. 16183, § 1, adopted October 19, 2004, amended the code by adding provisions designated as a new § 5.116A. Inasmuch as there already exist provisions so designated, the provisions of said ordinance have been included herein as § 5.116B at the discretion of the editor. See also the Code Comparative Table.
Source: City of Fort Worth, Code of Ordinances, City Charter and Zoning Ordinance (American Legal Publishing, codelibrary.amlegal.com)URL: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/ftworth/latest/ftworth_tx/0-0-0-37087Fetched: 10/26/2026