Cincinnati, OH Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)

Schedule 1403-05 lists 'Day care home, Type A' and 'Day care home, Type B' as an 'L4' use in every single-family subdistrict, SF-20, SF-10, SF-6, SF-4, and SF-2, meaning the use is permitted by right but subject to the numbered limitation at the bottom of the schedule. That limitation, L4, reads in full: 'Fencing, a minimum of four feet in height must be provided for purposes of securing outdoor play areas which must be located in the rear yard only.' Any operator who wants outdoor play space anywhere other than the rear yard, or without the four-foot fence, needs a variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals under Chapter 1445, per the schedule's general rule that 'modifications of a numerical, locational or dimensional limitation requires a variance under Chapter 1445 - Variances, Special Exceptions and Conditional Uses.'

The Zoning Code's definitions chapter distinguishes the two license types by headcount. Under § 1401-01-D2, a 'Day Care Home - Type A' facility is 'located in a permanent residence where an occupant of the residence provides care and supervision for seven to twelve children at one time, including children under the age of 6 related to the provider,' and 'the provider must be licensed by the State of Ohio Department of Human Services and can have no more than one employee assisting.' Under § 1401-01-D3, a 'Day Care Home - Type B' facility covers 'six or fewer children at one time' with 'no employees permitted' at all. Both are distinct in the Code from a 'Day Care Center,' defined at § 1401-01-D, which covers seven or more children in a non-residential establishment and is zoned separately from these in-home uses.