Sumner County, TN Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)
Key Facts
- By-right limit
- 4 or fewer children, no state license needed
- Special exception band
- 5 to 12 children in the home
- Approval body above 4 children
- Sumner County Board of Zoning Appeals
- Enforcing office
- Director of Building & Codes
- Max criminal fine
- $50 per offense, each day separate
- Geographic reach
- Unincorporated Sumner County only
Summary
In unincorporated Sumner County, a private home may care for up to four children without a state child-care license or any zoning review, permitted outright as an accessory residential use. Once a home cares for five to twelve children it becomes a Family/Group Child Care Home and needs a Board of Zoning Appeals special exception before it can operate.
Private residential homes that provide childcare for four (4) or
less children and requires no licensure from the State of
Tennessee.
j. Child Care Centers accessory to legally established
Community Assembly Uses by special exception, subject to
provisions Chapter 11 and Chapter 14 and to any applicable
state requirements.
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k. Operation of a playfield or other recreational facility including but not limited to clubhouses, pools and tennis courts for employees, members, residents, patrons or others participating in the principal activity on the same zone lot.
B. Special Exceptions Special exceptions permitted for consideration by the Board of Zoning Appeals are listed in the Land Use Activity Table in Appendix B.
C. Prohibited Uses Any use or structure not specifically permitted by right or special exception as presented in the Land Use Activity Table in Appendix B is prohibited.
The use of a mobile home or similar structure as an office, storage space, retail space, or in any other nonresidential manner is expressly prohibited unless permitted as a temporary use in Chapter 11. The County Board of
Full Breakdown
The Zoning Resolution's Appendix A defines a "Family/Group Child Care Home" as child care "in an occupied residence of not more than twelve (12) children including children under the age of ten (10) living in the home," and specifies that "child care for four (4) or fewer children does not require a special exception and may be approved administratively." Section 403(A)(2), governing accessory uses in the county's residential districts (AR, RP, RR, SR and MHC), lists as a permitted accessory use item (i): "Private residential homes that provide childcare for four (4) or less children and requires no licensure from the State of Tennessee." Above that threshold, Section 1411(F)(8)(a), "Special Conditions for Personal and Group Care Facilities - Family/Group Care Home," governs: "The required lot size, yard, and bulk regulations of the district shall apply," "All requirements of the State of Tennessee shall be met related to wastewater disposal," and site access "shall be arranged to permit vehicles to exit from the site without backing out into any street." These standards are conditions the Board of Zoning Appeals attaches when it grants the special exception under Section 1411.
Because this is a county zoning resolution, it reaches only unincorporated Sumner County; homes inside Gallatin, Hendersonville, Portland or White House fall under each city's own zoning code instead.
Violations & Fines
The Director of Building & Codes, appointed by the County Mayor and confirmed by the County Commission, administers and enforces the Zoning Resolution and may inspect premises to verify compliance. Under Section 1413(D), operating a child care home without a required special exception is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $50 monetary penalty per offense, and each day the unpermitted use continues is a separate offense. Section 1413(E) also authorizes civil remedies, including injunction, mandamus or abatement actions, that the county or an affected neighboring property owner may pursue in addition to criminal penalties.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many kids can I watch at home in unincorporated Sumner County without a permit?
What if I want to care for more than four children?
Does this rule apply inside Gallatin or Hendersonville?
What happens if I run an unpermitted daycare in the county?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sumner County
Compare Sumner County to another location·View the Tennessee home business overview
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