Raleigh, NC Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)

UDO Sec. B defines "Day Care, Home" as "a day care for a maximum of 8 persons in the residence of the provider," and the use table shows it allowed with limitations ("L") in every residential district, R-1, R-2, R-4, R-6, R-10 and RX-, as well as most mixed-use and industrial districts, but not in Office Park, Commercial Mixed Use Parkway, or Industrial Heavy districts. The use standards require the day care be run by a resident, either as a sole proprietorship or through a corporation or partnership wholly made up of the structure's residents.

An accessory building or structure cannot be used for the day care, it must operate inside the residence itself. Staffing is limited to family members residing on the premises, with one exception: a substitute nonresident may cover while the owner/operator is sick or otherwise unable to provide care. Outdoor play equipment stored day and night is barred from the front yard and must sit at least 15 feet from any adjoining lot containing a dwelling. No more than 8 persons may be cared for at any given time, and the operation must comply with all other state and local child-care standards, which in North Carolina means separate licensing through the NC Division of Child Development and Early Education.

A larger operation exceeding 8 enrollees is reclassified as a "Day Care Center" under Sec. C, which carries its own, stricter district table and minimum lot-area-per-enrollee standards in residential zones.