Set Up a Home-Based Service Business in the U.S.

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Pin down the governing offices for your home address
30 min
Zoning, business licensing, and building or fire inspection rarely sit under one roof, and which government holds them turns on a single fact: whether the home address falls inside city limits or in unincorporated county territory. Start by writing down the legal address exactly as it appears on the deed, lease, or utility bill — abbreviations and unit numbers matter when a clerk searches it.
Record all four contacts on one page:
- County assessor or county clerk — confirms whether the address is incorporated or unincorporated.
- Planning or zoning department — interprets the residential-use rules.
- City or county license office — issues the general business license.
- Building and fire inspection desks — relevant if the service brings equipment into play.
For each, note the full office name, its portal web address, and its main phone number.
- Write down the workspace address exactly as it appears on the deed, lease, or utility bill
- Check the county assessor or clerk site to confirm whether the address sits inside city limits or in unincorporated territory
- Note the planning or zoning department’s full name, portal web address, and main phone number
- Note the business-license office’s full name, portal web address, and main phone number
- Ask either office which desk handles building and fire inspections, and note it on the same page

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