Peoria County, IL Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)
Key Facts
- Zoning status
- Permitted use in R-1, Sec. 5.4.1
- Children allowed
- 5 to 8, reduced by resident kids
- State licensing
- Required under 225 ILCS 10/1 et seq.
- Housing type
- Must be a detached dwelling
- Parking requirement
- 3 spaces per home daycare
- Over 8 children
- Becomes a Child Care Center, different rules
Summary
A licensed home daycare for five to eight children is a permitted use in Peoria County's R-1 residential district, no special use hearing required. The home must be a detached dwelling, and the operator needs a license or registration under the state's Child Care Act before the county treats it as lawful.
Child Care Home: Any detached dwelling which receives more than four (4) but no more than eight (8) children for less than twenty-four (24) hours per day. The maximum of eight (8) children received shall be reduced in number by the family's natural or adopted children and all other persons under the age of fourteen (14) residing in the home. ... 5.4.1Permitted Uses. The following uses may be established as permitted uses in the R-1 District ... 5.Commercial Uses.a.Child care homes, provided that the use is licensed by or registered with the Illinois Department of Children in accordance with the Child Care Act of 1969, as amended, 225 ILCS 10/1 et seq.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 52).
Full Breakdown
The county's Unified Development Ordinance defines a 'Child Care Home' as a detached dwelling that takes in more than four but no more than eight children for less than 24 hours a day, with the 8-child ceiling reduced by however many of the family's own children and other household members under 14 already live there. 1 lists 'Child care homes' among the permitted Commercial Uses in the R-1 Single-Family Residence District, meaning an operator does not need a special use permit or a public hearing before the Zoning Board of Appeals; they only need the use to be licensed or registered with the state under the Child Care Act of 1969, 225 ILCS 10/1 et seq.
The same permitted-use language runs through the county's other residential and agricultural district sections, so the treatment does not change whether the home sits in an R-1, R-2 or R-R district. Because a Child Care Home has to occupy a detached dwelling, an accessory building, garage conversion, or attached duplex unit does not qualify under this definition. Parking Table 7-5 also assigns a home daycare three off-street parking spaces, separate from the household's own vehicle parking, to handle drop-off and pick-up traffic. 1.
Violations & Fines
Running an unlicensed home daycare, or one that exceeds the eight-child cap without becoming a licensed child care center in an appropriately zoned location, is a zoning violation the Zoning Administrator can act on under Article 10 of the UDO. Absent a specific fine listed for Article 5, a violation is a petty offense punishable by up to $500, with each week it continues counted as a separate offense enforceable through the county's Code Hearing Unit or the circuit court.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I run a home daycare in a Peoria County residential zone?
How many children can a home daycare in Peoria County have?
Does a home daycare need extra parking?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Peoria County
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