HOME OFFICE LICENSING
Municipalities in South Florida have different requirements for operating a home office. Some cities do not permit home offices at all. Be sure to read your city's ordinances carefully before starting a business in your home. Here is a sampling of various requirements from cities in Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
MIAMI-DADE
• Aventura: Home offices are allowed. Occupational license taxes vary for different kinds of businesses. A certificate of use is required for any new occupational licenses. The fee is $35.
• Coral Gables: No home offices allowed.
• Doral: City ordinance No: 2006-14 establishes licensing requirements for certain types of home-based businesses.
• Hialeah: Some types of home offices are allowed. City ordinances list specific requirements and restrictions. There is a $100 annual fee for the license if your business qualifies.
• Miami: Home offices are allowed. Call 311 for more information about the application process. Various fees apply.
• Miami Beach: Home offices are allowed. A license for a home-based business is $27 plus a varying fee based on the occupation code. For example, a home-based business for an interior decorator is $27 + $210 (occupation code amount). The cost for the office of a broker/dealer is $27.00 + $260. Depending on occupation, total license costs can be as high as $1,037.
• Miami Shores: Home offices are allowed. Permit costs $114.87. The business needs to be one that can be run out of the home and cannot be retail. Business must be run by homeowner with no employees.
• Pinecrest: Home offices are allowed. Ordinances specify restrictions, but unlike most other cities, one additional person beside the homeowner is allowed to work. An occupational license called a business tax receipt costs $97.50.
• Sunny Isles Beach: Home offices are allowed. Fees of around $200, depending on the occupation. Ordinances specify restrictions.
BROWARD COUNTY
• Coral Springs: Home offices are allowed and occupational licenses are required. There is a fee of $120 per fiscal year. The office cannot have any employees and other restrictions apply.
• Fort Lauderdale: Home offices are allowed. Occupational license costs $157.50 annually. Contact city for information on other requirements and restrictions.
• Hollywood: Home offices are allowed. Occupational licenses are required. Fees depend on the type of business, but a $25 application fee is required for all.
• Miramar: Home offices are allowed. A $24 application fee applies. Annual fees for the business tax receipt (occupational license) vary by occupation. There are restrictions on noise levels, employees and signage.
• Pembroke Pines: Home offices are allowed. Annual fees vary depending on business. Contact city for more information.
• Plantation: All businesses are required to have an occupational license and home occupational licenses are issued under limited circumstances. Various fees, including those for the license and code compliance, apply.
• Pompano Beach: Home offices aren't permitted in all locations. It depends on the home's address and zoning restrictions. Fees depend on the type of business. Call the city of Pompano Beach for more information.
• Weston: Home offices are allowed. An occupational license (business tax receipt) is required. Annual fees vary depending on the business. Among the restrictions: There can be no employees; customers or guests related to the business are prohibited from visiting, and no deliveries are permitted. Fire inspections are required.
- Compiled by Jonathan Dubin
