St. Tammany Parish, LA Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)
Key Facts
- Max children
- 8, including caregiver's own under 16
- Permitted districts
- E, R-1, R-2, L-1, L-2 only
- Permit needed
- Development plan review (P*)
- Operator rule
- Must reside in the home
- Not permitted
- S-1, S-2, TF, multi-family districts
- Governing section
- UDC Sec. 100-5
- Max fine
- $500 per violation, per day
Summary
Unincorporated St. Tammany Parish caps a home daycare at eight children under UDC Sec. 100-5's "Day Care Home" definition, counting the operator's own kids under 16 toward that limit. Exhibit 400-1 permits the use, subject to development-plan review, only in the E, R-1, R-2, L-1 and L-2 residential districts; it isn't listed as permitted in the S-1, S-2, TF or multi-family districts.
Day Care Home. A residence which cares for not more than eight children during all or part of the day. Not to be construed as a Day Care Center. The maximum of 8 children includes the natural or adopted children under the age of 16 of the occupants of the residence. The use shall be secondary to the use of the property as a residence. The day care home must only be operated, and the care of the children done by, a person who resides in the residence where the day care home is to be located.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 12 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
UDC Sec. " The eight-child ceiling includes the natural or adopted children under age 16 who already live in the home, so a caregiver with several children of their own has less room to take on paying clients. The use has to remain secondary to the property's use as a residence, and only a person who actually resides in that home may operate the day care or provide the childcare. Zoning-wise, Exhibit 400-1, the residential permitted-use table under Sec. 400-2, lists "Day Care Home" with a "P*" in only five of the parish's 11 residential districts: E Estate, R-1, R-2, L-1 and L-2.
The asterisk means the use is permitted only subject to development plan review by the Department of Planning and Development under Chapter 200, Sec. 5, so an application has to go through that review before the daycare can operate. The table leaves the S-1, S-2, TF, M-L, M-M and M-H columns blank for Day Care Home, meaning the use is not permitted in those districts at all, no matter how few children are involved.
Violations & Fines
Operating a day care home in a district where it isn't listed as permitted, exceeding the eight-child cap, or skipping the required development-plan review is a Chapter 400 zoning violation. Under Sec. 2-559 Schedule E, the hearing officer can fine the operator up to $500.00 per violation, with the same $500.00 assessed again for each day the violation continues, on top of a mandatory $100.00 minimum administrative cost.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many children can I care for in a home daycare in St. Tammany Parish?
Which zoning districts allow a home daycare?
Do I need a permit to run a home daycare?
Does the caregiver have to live in the home?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in St. Tammany Parish
Compare St. Tammany Parish to another location·View the Louisiana home business overview
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