Carroll County, GA Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)

Zoning defines a "family child care home" as "a private residence where care, protection, and supervision are provided at least twice a week for a fee to no more than six children at one time, including children of the adult provider" (Sec. 102-4), while a "group child care center, class A" covers seven to 12 children and "class B" covers more than 12, both requiring a building or structure rather than a private residence. Separately, the home occupation list under Sec. 11)(b) specifically includes "Care of not more than four children for compensation" as one of the customary occupations that may receive administrative approval from the director of community development in every agricultural and residential zoning district.

That smaller-scale home daycare must also satisfy the section's general home-occupation specifications: the operator must reside full-time at the home, floor space devoted to the business is capped at 25 percent of heated dwelling area, no outside storage or on-street parking is allowed, and the permit expires December 31 each year and must be renewed (Sec. 11)(c), (j)). Larger child care operations that exceed the home-occupation cap or otherwise function as a group child care center are not permitted by right in residential districts; the code lists "Day care facilities" as a conditional use, subject to review and approval of a conditional use permit, only within the Office and Institutional (OI) District.