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Floyd County, GA Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)

Light Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Permitted by right (6 or fewer children)
A-R, S-R, HT-R, LT-R, M-R
Not a listed accessory use
D-R Duplex Residential district
Larger group home (7-18)
needs special use permit in A-R/S-R/HT-R only
Separate siting standard
none required for the family-home version
Maximum penalty
$1,000 fine or 6 months jail (§ 7.6.2)

Summary

A family home day care serving six or fewer children is an accessory use permitted by right, with no special use permit, in nearly every residential zoning district in unincorporated Floyd County. The Unified Land Development Code's accessory-use table allows it in A-R, S-R, HT-R, LT-R, and M-R; D-R Duplex Residential is the one exception.

These county ordinances apply to unincorporated areas of Floyd County. Incorporated cities within the county may have their own rules that take precedence over county-level regulations.

• = Use is permitted by right º = Use may be permitted as a Special Use ... ACCESSORY USES A-R S-R HT-R LT-R D-R M-R See Also Parking ... Day Care, Family Home (6 or less persons) • • • • •

Full Breakdown

The Unified Land Development Code's Table 3-1 accessory-use list includes "Day Care, Family Home (6 or less persons)" and marks it with a bullet, meaning permitted by right, in the A-R Agricultural Residential, S-R Suburban Residential, HT-R High Density Traditional Residential, LT-R Low Density Traditional Residential, and M-R Multi-Family Residential districts. The entry is blank for the D-R Duplex Residential district, so a home day care of six children or fewer is not a listed accessory use there. 9, which applies to centers rather than in-home care and requires arterial lot access, a circular loading drive, a play-area fence at least 4 feet high, and set square-footage-per-child minimums.

A larger in-home operation, the table's separate "Day Care, Group Home (7-18 persons)" entry, is not permitted by right; it needs a special use permit in the A-R, S-R, and HT-R districts and is not listed at all in LT-R, D-R, or M-R. 3.

Violations & Fines

Operating a family home day care in the D-R Duplex Residential district, where the accessory use table does not list it, or running a 7-plus-child group home without the required special use permit, is a Development Code violation. Section 7.6.2 makes it a misdemeanor punishable by up to $1,000, up to six months in jail, or both, with each day of continued operation a separate offense.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a special permit to run a home day care in Floyd County?
Not if you are caring for six or fewer children. The Unified Land Development Code lists "Day Care, Family Home (6 or less persons)" as an accessory use permitted by right in the A-R, S-R, HT-R, LT-R, and M-R residential districts, with no cross-referenced siting standard attached.
Can I run a small home day care if my lot is zoned D-R?
The accessory-use table leaves the D-R Duplex Residential district blank for "Day Care, Family Home," so the use is not permitted by right there. Check with the Rome-Floyd County Planning Department before starting one on D-R-zoned property.
What if I want to care for more than six children at home?
That moves you into the table's "Day Care, Group Home (7-18 persons)" category, which needs a special use permit and is only listed in the A-R, S-R, and HT-R districts; it is not available at all in LT-R, D-R, or M-R zoning.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Floyd County

All Floyd County rules

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