Decatur, GA Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)

2 of the Decatur Unified Development Ordinance governs family day care homes, one of five day care types the UDO recognizes alongside adult day care centers, day care centers, nursery schools and after-school programs. Family day care homes may operate only in the zoning districts where the use table allows them as a permitted use; the R-85, R-60 and R-50 single-family districts list the use as limited (L), while denser residential and commercial districts do not list it at all. To open one, the operator files an application with the City along with any fee the City Commission has set, plus a description of the program and a sworn affidavit that the operator has applied for the required approval from the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning and will run the home in conformance with state, federal and local law.

Once the Zoning Administrator finds the application complete, the property is posted with a public placard for 15 days announcing the pending application and where to review it; the Administrator logs any public comments received during that window, and no application can be approved before the 15 days run. If the Administrator finds the application compliant, a permit is approved, but the certificate of occupancy or operating approval cannot be issued until the operator submits proof of state registration or authorization from the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning.

A family day care home must also carry a City of Decatur business license, and the operating permit cannot be transferred to a new operator or address; a change of hands requires starting the process over.