Vanderburgh County, IN Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)
Key Facts
- Capacity cap
- 12 persons per day
- 24-hour care
- not permitted
- Approval body
- Board of Zoning Appeals
- Notice required
- 12 days, certified mail
- First violation fine
- up to $500.00
- Refiling bar after denial
- 12 months
Summary
Vanderburgh County only allows a resident-run preschool or adult day care in a home through a Board of Zoning Appeals special use permit under Special Use 27, capped at 12 people a day and barring 24-hour care.
SU 27 Resident-occupied and resident-operated preschools, adult day care facilities or similar operations which keep up to 12 persons on a daily basis, but not including 24-hour care
Full Breakdown
070 restricts to the zoning districts identified on the chapter's use table. 030, submitting a site plan showing the proposed use, building and structure locations, access drives and off-street parking, and required buffer landscaping. The Board must hold a public hearing under IC 36-7-4 after the applicant gives 12 days' notice by certified mail to abutting owners and any registered neighborhood association, plus posted and published notice; missing that notice window forces withdrawal of the petition. The Board weighs site suitability, effect on the surrounding area, nuisance or safety hazards, adequacy of facilities, harmony with the Evansville-Vanderburgh County Comprehensive Plan, and public convenience, and may attach conditions such as larger yards, added parking or screening, and time limits.
120). Because county zoning authority under Indiana law reaches only the unincorporated area, this special-use track applies outside Evansville and Darmstadt; a home day care inside those municipalities falls under their own zoning, not this county chapter.
Violations & Fines
Operating an unlicensed home preschool or day care without an approved Special Use 27 designation is a zoning code violation under Section 17.36.150. A first Notice of Ordinance Violation from the Area Plan Commission carries a civil penalty of up to $500.00; a second violation within 12 months rises to $1,000.00, a third to $2,500.00, and a fourth to $5,000.00. A person aggrieved by a Board of Zoning Appeals denial may appeal under IC 36-7-4-1000 et seq.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I run a home day care anywhere in Vanderburgh County?
What has to go in the special use application?
What happens if I operate without the permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Vanderburgh County
Compare Vanderburgh County to another location·View the Indiana home business overview
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