Annapolis, MD Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Zoning Code § 21.64.190
- Provider residency
- Must live in the home
- Nuisance limit
- No more than typical household
- State license required
- Education Art. § 9.5, COMAR 13A.15/13A.18
- Last amended
- Ord. O-1-25, effective 5-27-2025
Summary
Annapolis zoning allows family and large family child care homes as a residential use, but only if the provider actually lives in the house and the operation stays as quiet and low-impact as an ordinary household on that lot.
Family child care home providers shall be residents of the principal building on the zoning lot. B. Zoning Requirements. 1. No family child care home shall create noise, dust, vibrations, smells, smoke, glare, electrical interference, fire hazard, or other hazard or nuisance to any greater or more frequent extent than that usually experienced in the district on residentially used zoning lots where no family child care home exists.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 2025 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Family child care homes and large family child care homes must first hold a Maryland license under Education Article § 9.5 and COMAR §§ 13A.15 and 13A.18. Annapolis Zoning Code § 21.64.190 layers on two local conditions: the provider must reside in the principal building on the same zoning lot, ruling out an absentee owner or manager running the business, and the use can't produce noise, dust, vibrations, smells, smoke, glare, electrical interference, fire hazard, or any other hazard or nuisance beyond what's already typical for a residential lot in that district with no daycare on it.
Violations & Fines
A home daycare that doesn't meet the residency or nuisance standard is a zoning code violation; Planning and Zoning can require the operator to stop the nuisance activity or bring the use into compliance before it may continue.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I run a licensed home daycare in Annapolis if I don't live in the house?
What noise or nuisance limits apply to a home daycare in Annapolis?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Annapolis
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