Florence County, SC Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Florence County Code § 30-311
- Child cap
- One to six children, including caregiver's own
- Caregiver rule
- Care given only by a family member
- Zoning status
- Listed as accessory use in Table I/Table II
- General penalty
- Up to $200 fine or 30 days jail (§ 1-13)
Summary
Florence County zoning caps a home-based day care at six children. Under Florence County Code § 30-311's definition, care must be given only by a family member during the day, for one and not more than six children including the caregiver's own, and the use is listed as accessory to a home in Table I and Table II of the zoning ordinance.
Child day care services. Where permitted as an accessory use, a home in which care is given by a family member and no others during the day only for one and not more than six children, including the day care parents' own children.
Full Breakdown
Florence County's zoning ordinance addresses in-home day care through its definitions section, Section 30-311, which defines 'child day care services' narrowly: a home in which care is given by a family member, and no others, during the day only, for one and not more than six children, including the day care parents' own children, where permitted as an accessory use. That six-child cap and family-only staffing requirement is what distinguishes a home-based 'family day care home' from a commercial day care center, which the ordinance separately defines and regulates as 'day care services' covering any home, center, agency or place receiving children or others for custodial care apart from their parents.
Florence County's residential-district use table, Table I, and its business and rural-district table, Table II, both list 'family day care home' as an accessory use available in the county's residential zones and several other districts, subject to the permitted or conditional designation set for each specific district. Because the use is treated as accessory to a residence, an operator running a home day care must still meet the underlying zoning district's home-occupation and accessory-use standards, and the county's building and life-safety codes continue to apply to any home used for care of children outside their own family.
Exceeding six children moves the use out of the 'family day care home' definition entirely and into the broader 'day care services' category, which triggers different, more intensive zoning treatment as a nonresidential care use rather than an accessory use to a dwelling.
Violations & Fines
Operating a home day care for more than six children, or with non-family caregivers present, exceeds the 'family day care home' definition in Florence County Code § 30-311 and pushes the use into commercial day care territory requiring separate zoning approval. Unpermitted operation is enforced under the Code's general penalty, Section 1-13: a fine up to $200.00, imprisonment up to 30 days, or both, with each day of violation a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many children can I care for in a home day care in Florence County?
Can someone other than a family member help run a home day care?
Is home day care allowed in all zoning districts?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Florence County
Compare Florence County to another location·View the South Carolina home business overview
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