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

Forsyth County's Unified Development Code treats a family day care home as an accessory use of a private residence, not a standalone commercial use requiring rezoning. Chapter 3, Article II defines "Day Care Home, Family" as an accessory use within a private residence, licensed by or registered with the State of Georgia as a family day care home, operated by the occupant of the dwelling, who enrolls for pay, for supervision and care without overnight accommodations, at least three but not more than six children or adults.

An arrangement caring for fewer than three is not required by the state to be licensed and is therefore exempt from the Day Care definition altogether, meaning the county does not regulate it as a land use at all. Cross the six-person line and the use becomes a "Day Care Center," a separate, more heavily reviewed category covering seven or more enrollees. 1, which lists "Day Care Home, Family" as P (Permitted) outright in both the A1 and AG-RES districts, meaning no conditional-use hearing before the Board of Commissioners is needed to run one from a farmhouse or rural subdivision lot.

1(a) in Chapter 11, where permitted status is not uniform across every district; anyone planning to enroll paying children or adults for care in a residential-zoned home should confirm the classification for their specific district with the Department of Planning and Community Development before advertising or accepting enrollees.