Barrow County, GA Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)
Key Facts
- Max children
- 5, or 6 if institutional code met
- Absolute headcount cap
- 8 including related children
- Spacing rule
- 500 feet from another day care
- Care hours
- under 24 hours per day
- Home area limit
- 25 percent of residence
- Permit required
- county business permit, § 89-219(e)(9)
Summary
A family day care home is allowed as a home occupation in unincorporated Barrow County, capped at five paid children or elderly adults, or six if the home meets institutional building code standards. Barrow County Code § 89-219(e) also requires 500 feet of separation from any other family day care and a county business permit before it can open.
(e)Family day care home. Daily care for children or elderly adults for pay is allowed as a home occupation subject to the following limitations:(1)Care shall be limited to fewer than 24 hours per day.(2)A maximum of five children or elderly adults for whom compensation is received, or no more than six children or elderly adults if the structure meets the building code requirements for institutional uses.( ... 4)No family day care shall be established within 500 feet of another family day care.(5)No off-street parking may be provided for child pick up and drop off in a front yard, and all other outward appearance of the day care use shall be prohibited other than normal play equipment associated with a residence.
Full Breakdown
Barrow County Code § 89-219(e) treats a family day care home as a type of home occupation, defined earlier in subsection (a) as an accessory use within a private residence, run by the occupant, that enrolls five or fewer children or elderly adults for pay with no overnight stays, or up to six if the structure meets the building code's institutional-use requirements. The operating rules in subsection (e) cap daily care at fewer than 24 hours, and they exclude the provider's own children related by blood, marriage or adoption from the headcount, though the total present at once, related children included, can never exceed eight.
No family day care may open within 500 feet of another family day care, which spreads the use out across a neighborhood rather than clustering several on one street. Pick-up and drop-off parking cannot be placed in the front yard, and nothing about the property's outward appearance may signal the day care use beyond ordinary play equipment. The care must be provided personally by the resident operator, since the section bars any employees, and no more than 25 percent of the residence can be devoted to the day care activity.
Outdoor play areas have to sit in the side or rear yard, set apart from driveways, streets and parking areas so children are not exposed to vehicle traffic. Subsection (e)(9) makes the permit step mandatory: no family day care service may be established or operated in Barrow County until the operator obtains a business permit from the county, in addition to any state day care licensing that applies.
Violations & Fines
Operating a family day care home over the five- or six-child cap, within 500 feet of another day care, or without the business permit required by Barrow County Code § 89-219(e)(9), is a Unified Development Code violation. Barrow County Code Enforcement can cite the property and require the operator to reduce enrollment, relocate the use or obtain the missing permit before continuing to care for children or elderly adults for pay.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many kids can a home day care in Barrow County watch?
How close can two home day cares be to each other?
Does a home day care need a permit in Barrow County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Barrow County
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