Columbia, MO Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)
Key Facts
- R-1 / R-MH / A districts
- accessory use only
- R-2 district
- accessory, or conditional if larger
- Max unrelated children
- 10 (up to 13 briefly)
- Location required
- operator's own residence
Summary
In Columbia, Missouri (Boone County), the Unified Development Code allows a family day care center as an accessory home use in R-1, R-2, R-MH, and A districts, capped at ten unrelated children in the operator's own residence.
In the R-1, R-2, R-MH, and A districts: Not more than ten (10) children not related to the operator shall be kept. Up to three (3) additional children over the age of two (2) may be kept for up to two (2) hours per day...provided that at no time shall more than thirteen (13) children not related to the operator be kept...The use shall be located in a dwelling used by the operator as his or her private residence.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 138).
Full Breakdown
Columbia's UDC (City of Columbia, Missouri, Boone County) permits a "family day care center" only as an accessory use, never a stand-alone business, in the R-1, R-2, R-MH, and A zoning districts under § 29-3.3(j). The cap is ten unrelated children, with up to three more for short periods or school closings (never exceeding thirteen), the operator must live in the home, and only one non-resident full-time or two part-time assistants are allowed. In the R-2 district only, exceeding the size cap can be approved as a conditional use.
Violations & Fines
Exceeding the child-count cap, or operating without the required conditional-use approval in a district that demands it, is a UDC violation the Community Development Department can enforce by ordering compliance or revoking the accessory-use status.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I run a home daycare in a Columbia, Missouri R-1 neighborhood?
What if I want more than ten children in my Columbia home daycare?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Columbia
Compare Columbia to another location·View the Missouri home business overview
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