Cary, NC Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)
Key Facts
- Small home capacity
- Up to 6 children
- Large home capacity/permit
- 7-12 children, special use permit
- Minimum on-site parking (small)
- 3 spaces
- Operator residency
- Required on premises
Summary
Cary allows a small day care home for up to 6 children as an accessory use by right, with state licensing, parking, and residency conditions.
A small day care home is intended for the care of up to six (6) children not related to the care provider by birth, marriage, or adoption at any given time... Small day care home uses shall be permitted as an accessory use in a residential dwelling unit provided that all the following provisions are met: (a) Appropriate licensing by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Child Development is maintained...
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2023 S-87_S-57: Current through local ordinance 2022-Code-05, passed 11-17-2022 and effective 11-17-2022 | LDO: Current through local ordinance 2022-LDO-04, passed 11-17-22 and effective 11-17-22).
Full Breakdown
The Town of Cary's Land Development Ordinance permits a small day care home for up to six children (not related to the provider) as an accessory use in a residential dwelling, without a special use permit, if all conditions are met: the operator maintains North Carolina DHHS Division of Child Development licensing, provides at least three on-site parking spaces meeting Table 7.8-1 standards, screens any added parking area from adjacent residential views, resides on the premises, employs no more than one non-resident worker, and obtains all required Town permits. A larger home caring for 7 to 12 children instead requires a special use permit and a 12,000-sq.-ft. minimum lot.
Violations & Fines
Operating a home daycare above the licensed capacity, without required parking or Town permits, or without the operator residing on-site is a zoning violation enforceable by the Planning Department.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I run a daycare from my home in Cary, NC?
Does a Cary home daycare need a special use permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cary
Compare Cary to another location·View the North Carolina home business overview
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Home Daycare in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Wake County handle home daycare.