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Boone County, MO Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Family Day Care cap
Six children maximum
Group Day Care cap
Ten children maximum
Extra requirement
Must meet Home Occupation criteria
Districts
R-S, A-1 by right

Summary

Boone County zoning caps a Family Day Care Home at six children and a Group Day Care Home at ten, permitting both by right in residential and agricultural districts if state and home-occupation rules are met.

City-specific rules exist: Columbia has its own home daycare rules that differ from Boone County's county-level regulations. If you live in Columbia, check the city-specific page instead.

Family Day Care Home (maximum of six children) Group Day Care Home

(maximum of ten children) provided that the Day Care Home is (1) in compliance with all state regulations, and (2) meets all the criteria for a Home Occupation.

- Public Park or playground

- Place of worship

- Public school, elementary and high, or private school having a curriculum equivalent to a public elementary or public high school and having no rooms regularly used for housing or sleeping purposes.

- Golf course, except miniature course and driving tees (Ranges) operated for commercial purposes

- Home Occupation

- Two-Family Dwelling on a corner lot meeting the provisions of Section 4 (15)

Conditional Uses:

- Privately operated club with swimming pool and/or tennis courts on site of not less than five acres

- Public building erected by governmental agency

34 BOONE COUNTY ZONING REGULATIONS, BOONE COUNTY, MISSOURI SECTION 5

- Hospital, nursing home, retirement center, group home for the handicapped, and educational, philanthropic or religious institution on site of not less than five acres, provided not more than 50 percent of the site area may be occupied by buildings, and provided further, that the building shall be set back from all required yard lines and additional foot for each foot of building height

- Nursery, pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, play, special, and other private schools

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.

Full Breakdown

The zoning ordinance lists 'Family Day Care Home (maximum of six children)' and 'Group Day Care Home (maximum of ten children)' as Permitted Uses in the R-S Single-Family District (§5.A(7)) and the A-1 Agriculture District (§5.A(1)), conditioned on compliance with state day care regulations and meeting all the criteria for a Home Occupation. No conditional-use hearing is required if a provider stays within those numeric caps and the Home Occupation limits on signage, employees and equipment.

Violations & Fines

Exceeding the six- or ten-child cap, or running a daycare that fails the Home Occupation criteria, is a zoning violation and a misdemeanor under Section 18.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many kids can I watch at my Boone County home daycare?
Six for a Family Day Care Home, ten for a Group Day Care Home: both must also meet state regulations and the ordinance's Home Occupation standard.
Do I need a conditional use permit for home daycare?
No: it's a Permitted Use in districts like R-S and A-1 as long as you stay within the child-count caps and Home Occupation rules.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Boone County

All Boone County rules

Compare Boone County to another location·View the Missouri home business overview

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