Columbia County, FL Building Safety: Childcare Center Rules (2026)

Columbia County's Land Development Regulations authorize child care centers in the RSF Residential Single-Family district only as a special exception under Sec. 4.7.5, item 6, subject to two site conditions: no outdoor play activity before 8:00 a.m. or after 8:00 p.m., and the site plan must set aside area for off-street pick-up and drop-off of children so vehicles are not stacking in the public right-of-way. Once approved, a child care center is held to a taller setback than an ordinary single-family home under Sec. 4.7.7, item 2: a 35-foot front yard, 25 feet on each side yard, and a 35-foot rear yard, compared with 25/10/15 feet for houses in the same RSF-1, RSF-2 and RSF-3 districts.

Parking is set separately under Sec. 4.7.11, item 7, at one space for each 300 square feet of floor area devoted to child care activities, on top of any office or accessory-use parking. The same special-exception and hours conditions repeat, with different acreage and setback numbers, in the Agricultural and Rural Residential districts, and child care centers are a listed use in the CG Commercial, General district as well. Because the use requires a special exception rather than a building permit alone, an operator must first go through the planning and zoning board and public hearing process under LDR Article 12 before the county's Building and Zoning Department will issue construction or occupancy permits for the center.