Editor’s note: Transcript provided by Cambridge Artificial Intelligencer.
Keller City Council and staff continued discussions June 2 aimed at strengthening rules for home-based businesses, a conversation that began at the April 7 meeting.
Since 2020, Keller has logged 36 complaints and three cases remain open.
“For the residents that are reporting it, it’s really affecting the enjoyment of their home,” Keller city manager Aaron Rector said at the most recent meeting. “They feel like it’s starting to make their neighborhood feel not so much like a single-family neighborhood anymore.”
The most striking example: a resident operating a full food truck business from their home, complete with multiple trailers on the property and commercial grease truck service calls.
“That’s probably one of the more egregious ones we’ve seen,” Rector said.
The core problem is Keller’s existing code, which prohibits home businesses from “changing the neighborhood character” — language so broad it rarely holds up, Rector said.
Keller city attorney L. Stanton Lowry said that winning in court requires more than annoyed neighbors.
“It needs to be shocking to somebody to see what is occurring at that property,” Lowry said. “The more benign it is, the harder it is for us to prove our case.”
State law compounds the city’s challenge. In June 2025, the 89th Texas Legislature’s HB 2464 revised the authority of a municipality to govern home-based business.
“The state law is trending away from our ability to regulate,” Lowry said. “We’re probably only going to be able to pursue the cases that are somewhat drastic.”
Council members believe the solution is to replace the “neighborhood character” standard with an enumerated list of enforceable factors — on-street parking, nonresident employees, noise and visible activity — drawn directly from the state’s own definition of a “no-impact” home business.
“We need more concrete specifics,” he said. “I think that would help staff,” council member Chris Whatley said.
No formal vote was taken. Staff were directed to finalize the revised ordinance — after consulting peer cities Southlake and Colleyville — and bring it directly to a council vote, with planning and zoning review expected in July and a council decision anticipated in August.
To learn more about how the transcript that informed this report was created, visit Cambridge Artificial Intelligencer.
Eric Zarate is a freelance journalist. If you believe anything in this account is inaccurate, please email us at news@fortworthreport.org with “Correction Request” in the subject line.
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