North Carolina General Statute 110-86 and Chapter 110 Article 7 require state licensure for any home caring for three or more unrelated children, preempting most local attempts to ban regulated family child care homes from residential zones.
Under NC law, a family child care home is a residence caring for three to eight children. Operators must be licensed by the Division of Child Development and Early Education, complete background checks, training, and CPR certification. State law treats licensed family child care homes as residential uses for zoning purposes, limiting cities' ability to exclude them. Operators must follow staff-child ratios, safe sleep rules, and facility standards regardless of locality. Local zoning may still address parking and traffic but not ban the use itself.
Operating without a license, exceeding the eight-child cap, failing background checks, or violating ratios can lead to license revocation and civil penalties.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Cary, NC
Cary regulates amplified music under the general noise ordinance. Sound permits available for events. N.C.G.S. §14-288.4 applies to unreasonable disturbances.
Cary, NC
Cary Code of Ordinances Chapter 22, Division 2 prohibits unreasonably loud, disturbing noises that annoy, disturb, or endanger citizens. The ordinance restri...
Cary, NC
Cary regulates construction noise through its general noise ordinance (Chapter 22). Construction activity near residential areas should be confined to reason...
Cary, NC
Cary's noise ordinance covers barking dogs under the general prohibition on disturbing noises. Persistently barking dogs that disturb neighbors may result in...
Cary, NC
Cary's Land Development Ordinance restricts parking of RVs, boats, and trailers in residential areas. These vehicles typically must be stored in rear or side...
Cary, NC
Cary restricts parking of commercial vehicles in residential zones. Large commercial vehicles, semi-trucks, and heavy equipment may not be stored in resident...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Wake County.
See how other cities in Wake County handle home daycare.
See how Cary's home daycare rules stack up against other locations.
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