Macon-Bibb County, GA Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)

03 of the Land Development Resolution, titled "Childcare-in home (aka, Day care home)", governs family day cares run inside a residence as either a limited or conditional use. The rule caps enrollment at six children under age 17 at any one time, and that count includes any children who already live in the home, so a family with kids of their own has less room for paying clients. The operator must be the property owner, or a renter with the owner's written permission, and must live in the dwelling as a permanent residence, not just supervise from elsewhere.

No accessory building, garage, shed or detached structure may be used for the day care; everything happens inside the primary dwelling. , so weekend or overnight care is not allowed under this use. Outdoor play space must be fenced or otherwise enclosed, cannot double as a driveway or parking area, and cannot sit in the front or side yard, only the rear. Signage is limited to whatever Chapter 25 otherwise allows, and the operation cannot hire part-time or full-time staff except as Georgia's day care licensing rules require in an emergency.

The section also requires the day care to be clearly incidental to the residential use, conducted so that, in the code's words, "the average neighbor, under normal circumstances, would not be aware of the day care home's existence," and it is restricted to single-family detached dwellings only, so it is not available to duplex, townhome or apartment residents. State and federal day care licensing requirements apply on top of these zoning standards.