Rock Island County, IL Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)
Key Facts
- Cap for permitted use
- Up to 8 children, R-1/R-2/R-3
- Special use threshold
- 9 to 12 children need ZBA approval
- AG-1/AG-2 farm districts
- Daycare home is special use only
- License required
- State license plus occupancy permit
- Penalty
- $25-$200 per offense, each day separate
- Approving body
- Zoning Board of Appeals
Summary
In unincorporated Rock Island County, a family daycare home caring for up to eight children is a permitted use in the R-1 District if the operator holds a state license and an occupancy permit. Homes serving nine to twelve children need a special use permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals, and daycare homes in the AG-1 and AG-2 farm districts are special uses only.
DAYCARE HOME. A family dwelling unit occupied by attending family which receives more than three and up to a maximum of eight children for less than 24 hours a day. The maximum of eight children includes the family's natural or adopted children and all other person under the age of 12. ... The following are permitted uses in the R-1 District: ... (B) Daycare home; ... The following are permitted accessory uses in the R-1 District: (A) Daycare home licensed by the state and with occupancy permit; ... The following are special uses in the R-1 District when authorized: ... (H) Daycare home, as defined, but serves between nine and 12 children;
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2025 S-1: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ord. 2024-12-A, passed 12-17-2024; and State legislation current through 2024 Illinois Legislative Service, Pamphlet #6).
Full Breakdown
006 defines a DAYCARE HOME as a family dwelling unit occupied by an attending family that receives more than three and up to a maximum of eight children for less than 24 hours a day, counting the family's own children and all other persons under 12; a DAYCARE HOME may also take in adults age 60 or older. 173(H) moves it into special-use territory: a daycare home "as defined, but serves between nine and 12 children" requires Zoning Board of Appeals approval in R-1. 205) simply carry forward every R-1 permitted and accessory use, so the same tiers apply there.
113(J) (AG-2) list "Daycare home" only among special uses authorized by the Zoning Board of Appeals, meaning no home daycare of any size is allowed by right on agriculturally zoned land. 023(F). This zoning framework governs only the unincorporated county; Rock Island, Moline, East Moline and the county's other incorporated cities and villages set their own home daycare rules under their separate municipal codes.
Violations & Fines
Operating an unlicensed home daycare, exceeding the eight-child by-right cap without a special use permit, or running one in an AG-1/AG-2 parcel without approval violates Chapter 154. Under § 154.999(A), each offense carries a forfeiture of not less than $25 nor more than $200 plus prosecution costs, with jail of up to 30 days for nonpayment, and each day a violation continues is a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I run a home daycare on my property in unincorporated Rock Island County?
What if my home daycare serves more than eight children?
Does this zoning apply if I live inside Rock Island, Moline, or another city?
Is a home daycare allowed on farmland zoned AG-1 or AG-2?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Rock Island County
Compare Rock Island County to another location·View the Illinois home business overview
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