Caddo Parish, LA Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)
Key Facts
- Zoning status
- Permitted by right in most residential districts
- State license
- Required for the operator (UDC § 6.1.J)
- Appearance rule
- Must look like a residential dwelling
- Exclusion
- Single-household babysitting is not covered
- Dimensional standards
- Same as the dwelling type in that district
Summary
Caddo Parish's Unified Development Code permits Day Care Homes by right in nearly every residential zoning district, from R-A through R-MHS, so long as the operator holds a state child care license and the home keeps its original residential appearance under UDC Section 6.1.J.
J.Day Care Center and Day Care Home 1.Each day care must comply with all applicable state and federal regulations. 2.The operator of a day care must be licensed by the state. 3.A day care home must maintain its original appearance as a residential dwelling. 4.A day care center must provide a pickup/drop off area. When a day care center is part of a multi-tenant retail center, the pickup/drop off area must not interfere with vehicle circulation in the parking lot, including blocking of the drive aisle.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 26 | Unified Development Code: Supplement 2).
Full Breakdown
Section 6.1.J of the Unified Development Code, titled Day Care Center and Day Care Home, sets four standards that apply to both uses: each day care must comply with all applicable state and federal regulations, the operator of a day care must be licensed by the state, a day care home must maintain its original appearance as a residential dwelling, and a day care center must provide a pickup and drop-off area that does not block drive aisles when it sits inside a multi-tenant retail center.
Table 5-1, the Use Matrix, marks Day Care Home with a P for permitted-by-right in the R-A, R-E, R-1-12, R-1-10, R-1-7, R-1-5, R-UC, R-HU, R-TH, R-2, R-3, and R-MHS residential districts, meaning a family childcare business run out of a home does not need special use approval or a public hearing in any of those zones. Section 5.3 defines Day Care Home as a residential dwelling where care and supervision is provided by a permanent occupant of the dwelling for unrelated children or for elderly or functionally-impaired adults, and it excludes a dwelling that receives children from a single household from the definition entirely, so watching one neighboring family's children in a private home does not trigger the day care rules.
For dimensional purposes, the Code adds that day care homes are subject to the standards for the dwelling type, meaning the home follows the same setback, height, and lot-coverage limits as any other residence in its district rather than a separate commercial standard.
Violations & Fines
Running a day care home without the state child care license required by UDC Section 6.1.J, or altering a home's exterior so it no longer reads as a residential dwelling, is a Code violation the Zoning Administrator enforces under Section 19.1, with each day of an uncorrected violation a separate offense under Section 19.3 and a fine set under Section 19.4 in the Code of Ordinances.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a special permit to run a home daycare in Caddo Parish?
Does watching a neighbor's kids for pay count as a regulated day care home in Caddo Parish?
Does a home daycare have to look different from a regular house?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Caddo Parish
Compare Caddo Parish to another location·View the Louisiana home business overview
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