Home Based Business Guide

Occupational License Checklist

1. Application Form. Apply online at the One Stop App 
2. State Issued ID. A copy of a driver's license or other state issued ID for the business owner and/or agent (must be the ID for the business owner who resides at this address).
3. Business Description. Provide a detailed description of your business in the application (if known, include your NAICS Code). Please include:
   • Information on the types of products sold, services provided, or products manufactured.
   • If products are sold, whether they are sold retail or wholesale.
   • If food products are sold, how items are sold (in person or online).
   • Identify if any business activity that will take place at your home (e.g. customer visits, outside employees, deliveries, product storage, business vehicle storage).
4. Home Business Acknowledgment Form. Complete the Acknowledgment of Limitations of Home Occupations. If you are applying online on the One Stop App, the Acknowledgment of Limitations form is part of the web application.
5. Residency. If the applicant is not the owner and occupant of the residence (i.e. with a Homestead Exemption), please provide documentation that the applicant lives at the business location (e.g. a driver's license or other state issued ID, lease agreement, utility bill, letter from the property owner, etc.).
6. Fees. On approval, a $50 fee is required for a temporary occupational license, as well as a one-time fee of $190 for a Home Based Business Certificate of Occupancy ($240 total). Fees can be paid online at the One Stop App after the application is approved.
7. After approval. After the application is approved and fees are paid, your Temporary Occupational License will be generated, and a pdf copy can be downloaded from the One Stop App. The second page of the pdf is your Amended Return form, which must be completed within the first 40 days of operation and mailed back to the Bureau of Revenue at:
   • City of New Orleans Bureau of Revenue
     1300 Perdido St, Room 1W15
     New Orleans, LA 70112

Home Based Business Limitations

• Food. Home based business that sell or cook food products must either cook at an off-site commercial kitchen or comply with the State Cottage Food Laws (see LA RS 40:4.9 for more information).
• Vehicles. Home Based Businesses permit the parking of only one business vehicle at the residence. All other commercial vehicles are not permitted and should not be parked in a residential area. It is the responsibility of the business owner to locate an off-site commercial space for such vehicles.
• Prohibited Home Based Businesses. Any type of motor vehicle service and repair, taxicab or other vehicle dispatch, or beauty salons are prohibited home occupations.

Don't qualify?

If your business does not qualify as a home based business, you must apply at a commercial location that is zoned for that type of business. You can find a property's zoning district online at our Property Viewer. Property Viewer includes links to our Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance, where you can learn what types of businesses and activities are allowed in each zoning district.

Contact the Zoning Division at (504) 658-7125 or email businesslicenseinfo@nola.gov for questions.

PRINTABLE CHECKLIST AND FACT SHEET

Download a one page printable pdf with this page's information here.