Doral, FL Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)

Section 74-155 of the Doral Land Development Code permits family day care and after-school care for children in a residential dwelling only if the operator meets six specific conditions. First, the total number of children on the premises cannot exceed five, and only preschool-aged children of the resident family (age five or younger) count toward that five-child cap. Second, any children on site who are not part of the resident family cannot be older than 11. Third, the operator must secure a license from the state department of health and rehabilitative services before operating a family day care home at the property.

Fourth, the operation must comply with the Land Development Code's other requirements for educational and child care facilities where applicable. Fifth, after all conditions are met, the operator must obtain a certificate of use and occupancy from the Doral Department of Planning and Zoning before the home day care can legally open. Sixth, the facility must comply with the child-safety-barrier requirements set out in section 33-151(18)(j) of the Miami-Dade County Code, which governs pool and hazard barriers around properties used for child care. The code separately defines a 'family day care home' in section 74-1 (definitions) as child care and recreation with a maximum of five children including the day care operator's own children, matching the numeric cap in section 74-155.

This use is listed as a conditional accessory use permitted in Doral's residential zoning districts (including the Estate Residential and Single-Family Residential districts) alongside group homes and religious assembly, meaning it must be reviewed against these standards rather than operating by right with no limits. The ordinance traces to Ord. No. 2007-12, adopted August 22, 2007, as part of the original Land Development Code enacted shortly after Doral's 2003 incorporation.