Beaufort County, SC Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)
Key Facts
- Use classification
- Day Care: Family Home (up to 8 clients)
- By-right zones
- All T2, T3, T4 subzones and C3
- Barred zones
- T1 Natural and SI Special Industrial
- C4/C5
- Allowed only via Traditional Community Plan
- Client cap
- 9+ clients reclassified as Commercial Center
Summary
Beaufort County treats a home daycare serving up to eight clients as a by-right use in nearly every residential zone. The Community Development Code's Day Care: Family Home classification is permitted without a conditional-use hearing in every T2, T3 and T4 subzone and in C3, barred only in T1 Natural and SI, and needs a Traditional Community Plan in C4 and C5.
6. Day Care: Family Care Home A state-licensed facility in a private home where an occupant of the residence provides non-medical care and supervision for up to 8 unrelated adults or children, typically for periods of less than 24 hours per day for any client.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 55 Update 1 | Community Development Code: Supplement 16).
Full Breakdown
60 (Consolidated Use Table) marks 'Day Care: Family Home (up to 8 clients)' as 'P,' Permitted By Right, in every T2, T3 and T4 transect subzone and in C3 Neighborhood Mixed Use, meaning a residential provider does not need a conditional-use hearing or special use permit. 70 defines the use as 'A state-licensed facility in a private home where an occupant of the residence provides non-medical care and supervision for up to 8 unrelated adults or children, typically for periods of less than 24 hours per day for any client,' tying the county's zoning threshold to the same 8-client cap used in state day care licensing.
3, not as a stand-alone home occupation. 60 permits only conditionally or by special use in most zones and, in several zones, not at all.
Violations & Fines
Operating a home daycare for more than eight clients without qualifying as the licensed 'Commercial Center' use, or running one in the T1 Natural or SI zones where the Family Home use is not permitted, is a Development Code violation under Section 9.2.30. The Code Enforcement Department investigates complaints under Section 9.4.20 and can issue a Notice of Violation under Section 9.4.40; conviction is a misdemeanor of up to $500 or 30 days' imprisonment under Section 9.5.10, with continued operation counted as a separate daily offense under Section 9.4.70.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I run a home daycare in Beaufort County without a special permit?
Where is home daycare not allowed?
What happens once a home daycare grows past 8 children?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Beaufort County
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