Amarillo, TX Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)
Key Facts
- Headcount cap
- Up to 6 children, excluding caregiver's own dependents
- Daily hours
- 10 hours or less of standard care per day
- Extra slots
- 3 more children allowed for up to 3 hours
- Reclassification risk
- Exceeding limits makes it a Day Care Center use
- Zoning fine
- $1 to $2,000 per day, each day a separate offense
Summary
Amarillo's zoning code treats a home day care as its own land use with hard numeric limits. Sec. 4-10-83(a)(42) caps a Family Day Care Home at six children at a time, excluding the caregiver's own kids, for up to ten hours a day, plus room for three more children for a three-hour window.
(42)Family Day Care Home: A Housing Unit operated by a person (caregiver), where such caregiver houses people not to exceed six (6) in number, excluding the caregiver's own dependents, for care or training or both during ten (10) hours or less per day. The caregiver may house up to three (3) additional people for not more than three (3) hours per day.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 81).
Full Breakdown
Amarillo's zoning code lists 'Family Day Care Home' as its own land-use category in the Sec. 4-10-82 Schedule of Uses (SIC 8322), distinct from a 'Day Care Center' (Sec. 4-10-83(a)(41), any establishment with more than six people) and a 'Public or Denominational Day Care Center' run by a nonprofit or religious agency. Sec. 4-10-83(a)(42) caps a Family Day Care Home at six children or care recipients at a time, not counting the caregiver's own dependents, for up to ten hours a day, and separately allows up to three more children for a short window of no more than three hours, covering situations like an early drop-off or after-school overlap.
Because 'Family Day Care Home' and 'Day Care Center' are separate zoning classifications with different SIC codes, exceeding either the headcount cap or the daily-hours limit reclassifies the operation as a Day Care Center, a different land use under the schedule that can trigger the new-use classification process in Sec. 4-10-84 or a required specific use permit under Sec. 4-10-85. This zoning classification and its numeric caps are purely local, set by the City's own definitions rather than by the State of Texas's separate child-care licensing rules.
A caregiver planning to run a home day care in Amarillo should confirm with the Planning Department which zoning districts list 'Family Day Care Home' as a permitted or specific-use-permit use before enrolling children.
Violations & Fines
Housing more than six children, beyond the allowed three additional for up to three hours, or otherwise operating outside the limits of Sec. 4-10-83(a)(42) turns the home into an unauthorized Day Care Center use, a zoning violation under Sec. 4-10-81. Sec. 4-10-4 punishes that with a fine of $1 to $2,000 per conviction, with every day of continued noncompliance a separate offense, plus a civil suit right for affected neighboring property owners.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many kids can I watch in my Amarillo home day care?
What's the difference between a Family Day Care Home and a Day Care Center under Amarillo zoning?
What happens if my home day care exceeds Amarillo's headcount limit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Amarillo
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Amarillo to another location·View the Texas home business overview
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