A small family home daycare fits within a home occupation, but a group day care home in unincorporated Knox County is a use-permitted-on-review under Zoning Ordinance 4.91, requiring a 10,000 sq ft lot, 30 sq ft of indoor play space per child, and a fenced play area. State DHS licensing
Knox County Zoning Ordinance section 4.91 sets conditions for child day care centers and group day care homes approved as uses permitted on review. The total lot area must be at least 10,000 square feet. The building must provide 30 square feet per child of usable indoor play space, excluding halls, kitchen, and office. A fenced play area of at least 2,500 square feet is required for the first 20 children, plus 100 square feet per additional child, kept at least 35 feet from any public right-of-way, with a fence at least four feet high. Separately, the Tennessee Department of Human Services licenses child care by the number of children cared for.
Operating a group day care home without use-on-review approval or state licensing is subject to county zoning enforcement and state DHS action.
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