York County, SC Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)
Key Facts
- Exemption cap
- 6 or fewer children
- State registration
- SC DSS family child care home
- Residency
- Operator must live on premises
- Still applies
- § 155.675 performance standards
- Use table entry
- Child care (max 6) allowed, any lot size
- Penalty if noncompliant
- Up to $500/day, § 155.9999
Summary
A family child care home serving six or fewer children doesn't need a York County home occupation permit at all: § 155.672(F) exempts it outright as long as the operator is registered as a family child care home with the South Carolina Department of Social Services and lives on the property.
§ 155.672 EXEMPT HOME OCCUPATIONS. The activities listed in divisions (A) through (F), below, are subject to all applicable home occupation regulations and standards of this subpart, but are not required to obtain a home occupation permit, if all persons engaged in such activities reside on the premises: ... (F) Day care for six or fewer children registered as a family child care home by the South Carolina Department of Social Services.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-49: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ord. 3925, passed 6-16-25).
Full Breakdown
Section 155.672 lists six activities that are 'subject to all applicable home occupation regulations and standards of this subpart, but are not required to obtain a home occupation permit, if all persons engaged in such activities reside on the premises.' Division (F) covers 'day care for six or fewer children registered as a family child care home by the South Carolina Department of Social Services.' That means a York County resident running a small home daycare skips the annual permit and its fee under § 155.671, but the operation still has to meet every other home occupation standard: Table 155.674-1 separately lists 'Child care (with a maximum of six children)' as an allowed use on both large and small lots, and the § 155.675 performance standards on client drop-off hours, outdoor activity, noise and non-resident help still apply to the household even without a permit on file.
The exemption is narrow by design: it requires state registration as a family child care home and requires the caregiver to actually reside at the address, distinguishing it from a commercial daycare center, which would need to go through the full conditional or special exception use process under § 155.271's Use Table instead.
Violations & Fines
Operating a home daycare with more than six children, or without the required South Carolina Department of Social Services family child care home registration, forfeits the § 155.672(F) exemption and requires a standard home occupation permit under § 155.671; running unregistered or over the exemption's cap is a misdemeanor under § 155.9999, punishable by a fine of up to $500 per day per violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to run a daycare from my York County home?
What if I care for more than six children?
Does the exemption mean no rules apply at all?
Do I need to register with the state as well?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in York County
Compare York County to another location·View the South Carolina home business overview
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