Boca Raton, FL Building Safety: Childcare Center Rules (2026)

Division 5 of Chapter 28, Sections 28-1416 through 28-1423, sets zoning-specific standards for every new child care and adult care center in Boca Raton, layered on top of the base zoning district rules under Sec. 28-1416. Sec. 28-1417 sets a minimum lot area of 10,000 square feet with a minimum street frontage of 100 linear feet. Sec. 28-1418 requires a 6-foot-high fence or wall to surround all play areas accessory to the center. Where a play area is adjacent to a residential district, Sec. 28-1419 adds a 20-foot landscaped yard around the play area on top of that fence or wall.

Sec. 28-1420 requires centers operating as accessory uses within multifamily or commercial buildings to be located on the ground floor, with parking set under Sec. 28-1655(bb). Sec. 28-1421 requires adequate screening for outside use areas, as determined necessary by the planning and zoning board, and Sec. 28-1422 bars centers contiguous to residential zones from having frontage on a minor street. Hours of operation are fixed by Sec. ; the restriction covers only regular day-care operation and does not block scheduled parent and staff meetings outside those windows. These standards trace to Ord. No. 3705, Sec. 5, adopted July 26, 1988, with later amendments in Ord. No. 4290 (1996).