Listing of Essential and Nonessential Services

What businesses will stay open?

All Essential Businesses will remain open but must adhere to Social Distancing Requirements.  This is a list of examples of businesses that may remain open (this is not an exhaustive list).

Try the FAQ about this list if you can’t find your industry or business.

Food and Drug

  • Grocery and beverage stores (including stores that sell grocery and non-grocery items necessary for maintaining the safety, sanitation and essential operations of residents)
  • Restaurants/bars (only for take-out/delivery)
  • Pharmacies
  • Convenience stores
  • Farmer’s markets
  • Food banks
  • Food cultivation, including farming, livestock and fishing 

Health/Medical

  • Research and laboratory services
  • Hospitals
  • Walk-in-care health facilities
  • Emergency veterinary and livestock services
  • Elder care
  • Home health care workers or aides for the elderly, children and people with disabilities
  • Dental services
  • Optometrist
  • Nursing homes or residential health care facilities
  • Blood banks
  • Veterinarian and dog grooming

Transportation & Logistics

  • Gas stations
  • Buses
  • Taxis
  • Private transportation providers (Uber and Lyft)
  • Airlines/airports
  • Mail and shipping services
  • Auto repair shops
  • Auto Dealers/Retail
  • Auto Parts Retailer
  • Warehouse/distribution and fulfillment
  • Ride Share
  • Bicycle retail/repair

Housing and Real Estate

  • Property management company (Residential and Commercial)
  • Commercial and residential construction
  • Planning, surveying, engineering, design firms
  • Real estate agents/services
  • Home or building cleaning and maintenance
  • Skilled trades such as electricians, HVAC, and plumbers
  • Hardware stores

Services

  • Daycare and childcare services
  • Waste disposal and recycling
  • Laundromats, dry cleaners and laundry services
  • Funeral homes, crematoriums and cemeteries
  • Lawn care
  • Pest control
  • Locksmiths
  • Legal services
  • Medical billing services
  • Alarm and security companies
  • Businesses that provide services that are necessary to maintain the sanitation, safety, and essential operation of residences and businesses, such as maintenance on HVAC

Human/Charitable Services

  • Child care services
  • Homeless shelters
  • Businesses that provide food, shelter, social services and other necessities for those in need
  • Services that provide drug/alcohol/mental health counseling and support

Manufacturing

  • Medical wholesale and distribution
  • Hardware and building material stores
  • Medical equipment/instruments
  • Food processing, manufacturing agents
  • Chemical plants
  • Pharmaceuticals
  • Paper goods/cardboard
  • Sanitary products
  • Microelectronics/semi-conductor

Government

  • Federal and state offices and services, including post offices and airports
  • Essential Memphis government functions including law enforcement, transportation, and businesses that provide government programs and services

Other

  • Banks and other Financial institutions (including pawn shops)
  • Insurance
  • Newspaper/media
  • Cell Phone and electronic stores
  • Office supply stores
  • Hotels (restaurants and bars on hotel premises must close any dine-in facilities; however, take-out, delivery, and room service is allowed)
  • Businesses that provide goods and services exclusively deliver through curb side pickup, drive-thru, shipment or delivery.  For example, customers call and place order or order online, then customers pick up goods by curbside pick-up or goods are delivered to the customer.  However, customers and employees must still adhere to the social distancing requirements to the greatest extent possible.  Businesses can start providing goods by these delivery means even if they did not before.

What businesses are required to close?

This is a list of examples of businesses that must close (this is not an exhaustive list):

Non-essential Services

  • Personal appearance businesses (hair salons, eyelash salons, barber shop, tattoo shop, body piercing shop, day spas)
  • Vaping supply stores (unless providing delivery and curbside pickup only)
  • Beauty supply stores (unless providing delivery or curbside pickup only)
  • Car washing businesses
  • Retail with no exclusive delivery or curb-side pick-up
  • Entertainment and recreation facilities (bowling alleys, trampoline parks)
  • Indoor rock climbing
  • Craft/Art Business
  • Gyms, including yoga, barre and spin facilities
  • Concert venues
  • Theaters
  • Movie theaters
  • Shopping malls
  • Golf courses
  • Sporting event venues
  • Skating rink
  • Dance Schools
  • Private Clubs (except for the provision of food for take-out)

Violations

Do you need to report a non-essential business that is violating the Order? Report online or call 311.

Report Online

FAQ About Essential & Non-essential Business

Tax Preparation Businesses

Tax preparation businesses are an Essential Business under the Order.  However, such businesses are encouraged to limit onsite staff and have employees work from home to the greatest extent possible. Such businesses are also required to adhere to the social distancing requirements for customers and employees.

Law Firms

Legal services are covered by the professional services exemption under the Order.  However, such businesses are encouraged to limit onsite staff and have employees work from home to the greatest extent possible.  Such businesses are also required to adhere to the social distancing requirements for clients and employees.        

Auto Dealers

Auto dealers are an Essential Business under the Order.  However, such businesses are encouraged to limit onsite staff and have employees work from home to the greatest extent possible.  Such businesses are also required to adhere to the social distancing requirements for customers and employees.  

Vaping Stores

Vaping stores are Non-Essential Businesses and must close, unless a vaping store provides goods to its customers by delivery or curbside pickup only.  For example, customers can call and place order or order online and customers can pick up goods by curbside pick-up (but customers and employees must still adhere to the social distancing requirements to the greatest extent possible).  Businesses can start providing goods by these delivery means even if they did not before.

Medical Billing

Medical billing is an Essential Business under the Order as a professional service for healthcare facilities.  However, such businesses are encouraged to limit onsite staff and have employees work from home to the greatest extent possible. Such businesses are also required to adhere to the social distancing requirements for customers and employees.

Beauty Supply Stores

Beauty Supply Stores are Non-Essential Businesses and must close, unless a beauty supply store provides goods to its customers by delivery or curbside pickup only.  For example, customers can call and place order or order online and customers can pick up goods by curbside pick-up (but customers and employees must still adhere to the social distancing requirements to the greatest extent possible).  Businesses can start providing goods by these delivery means even if they did not before.

Hotels

A hotel is an Essential Business under the Order for the purposes of lodging and may stay open.  However, such businesses are encouraged to limit onsite staff and have employees work from home to the greatest extent possible.  Such businesses are also required to adhere to the social distancing requirements for customers and employees.  Any restaurant or bar on the hotel premises must close any dine-in facilities; however, take-out, delivery, and room service is allowed.

Churches

Under the Order, churches, synagogues, and all other places of worship may operate for the essential purposes of providing food, shelter and other necessities for individuals in need, such as victims of domestic violence and the homeless.  Otherwise, churches, synagogues, and all other places of worship are not allowed to have gatherings of more than 10 people.

Complaints About Businesses

Essential Business:  Essential businesses remaining open and non-essential business activities permitted by the Order must conduct business in such a way to protect the health and safety of the community, employees, vendors, and the general public.  This includes compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19  (https://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3990.pdf) and other applicable state and federal workplace rules.  Each workplace is different and its needs and ability to comply with social distancing and other hygienic measures will vary from industry to industry and business to business.  OSHA is in the best position to assess a particular operation’s compliance with its Guidance.  You may contact the local TN OSHA office at (901) 543-7259.  In addition, you may call the Shelby County Health Department COVID-19 Call Center at 833-943-1658 (available to take calls 8:00am-4:30pm, Monday-Sunday; if after hours, leave a message and your call will be returned the next day).

Non-Essential Business:  If you believe a Non-Essential Business is not complying with the Order, please report it to 311.  Include the name and location of the business and the specific nature of the violation.

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