Washington County, MD Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)

15 of the Washington County Zoning Ordinance opens by stating that nothing in the Ordinance prohibits any residence in the county from being used as a registered Family Day Care Home, so the use is allowed by right in every zoning district without a separate zoning permit or site plan. The tradeoff is that the operator must register with, and meet all the requirements of, the Maryland Office of Child Care Licensing and Regulation before opening. The Ordinance defines Family Day Care as care given for compensation in a residence other than the child's own home for part of a 24-hour day, and it sets the enrollment ceiling: no more than eight children under age 13 (or one developmentally disabled person under 21) at a time.

The provider's own children under age six count toward that cap of eight, so a provider with two young children of her own can enroll only six others. Within the group, the Ordinance further limits infant care: at no time may the provider have more than two children under age two in care, regardless of total enrollment. Because the use is zoning-permitted by right, Washington County's Division of Plan Review and Permitting does not require a separate application; the real constraint is the state license. 2(d), including a written notice by certified mail ordering the owner to correct or discontinue the violation.