Aiken County, SC Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)
Key Facts
- Max children per home
- 7, including provider's own children
- RH5 district treatment
- Conditional use as home occupation
- Max home-occupation floor area
- 25% of home, up to 400 sq ft
- Outside employees allowed
- 1 non-resident employee maximum
- Governing provisions
- Table 1 note (f); Section 24-3.16
Summary
Aiken County treats family day-care homes as a residential accessory use under its zoning table, permitted by right in most districts but conditional in the Residential-Horse 5 (RH5) district, where they must meet the county's home-occupation standards in Section 24-3.16. A family day-care home is capped at seven children, including the provider's own kids.
Home occupations, as defined by this chapter and where conditionally permitted by Table 1, shall meet the following requirements: (1)The home occupation shall be carried on wholly within the principal building; (2)The floor area dedicated to such use shall not exceed twenty-five (25) percent of the gross floor area of the principal building, up to four hundred (400) square feet; ... (6)No more than one (1) person not residing in the residence shall be employed by the home occupation; ... (10)The home occupation shall generate no noise, glare, heat, vibration, smoke, dust, or odor perceptible to adjacent uses.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 119).
Full Breakdown
Table 1 of the Aiken County zoning ordinance lists "Family day-care homes" as an accessory residential use, marked "P" (permitted by right) in the RC, RD, RM, NC, UD, OR, LD, IND, RUD, RUC, RH5B, and RRC Districts, and "C" (conditional) in the AP District. In the RH5 District the use carries a footnote (f) restriction: family day-care homes there are treated as home occupations subject to Section 24-3.16.
Article XI's definitions section defines a "Family day-care home" as "a home in which care is given by a family member and no others, during the day only, for one (1) and not more than seven (7) children, including the day care parents' own children, and/or for handicapped, aged adults." Any RH5 provider must instead comply with Section 24-3.16's home occupation rules, which require the activity be carried on wholly within the principal building, cap the dedicated floor area at 25 percent of the home's gross floor area (up to 400 square feet), forbid outdoor activity or storage, bar signs in RH5 and other residential districts, limit the operation to one employee who does not live in the home, and prohibit any noise, glare, or odor perceptible to neighbors.
Providers operating outside RH5 do not need a home-occupation permit for a day-care home that stays within the seven-child cap, but any provider exceeding that threshold moves into licensed child-care-center territory governed by state, not county, rules.
Violations & Fines
Operating a family day-care home beyond the seven-child cap, or violating the RH5 home-occupation conditions such as employing more than one outside worker or generating traffic beyond what a residential street can absorb, is a zoning code violation. Aiken County Code Section 1-8 sets the general penalty at a fine up to $200.00 or thirty days' imprisonment, with continuing violations charged as separate offenses for each day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I run a home day care in Aiken County?
Are home day cares treated differently in the RH5 district?
What are the home-occupation limits that apply?
How many children can a family day-care home serve?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Aiken County
Compare Aiken County to another location·View the South Carolina home business overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.