Boone County, IN Building Safety: Childcare Center Rules (2026)

The Area Plan Commission processes the conditional use application: an applicant files with the APC office, pays the fee set by the legislative body, and submits a ten-copy site plan at least 30 days before the next APC meeting, per Section 157.040(B)(1)-(2). The BZA must hold a public hearing before granting the special exception, and a denied petition cannot be resubmitted for a year absent new facts (Section 157.040(B)(4)-(5)). For the day-care use itself, Section 157.040(D)(5) sets the outdoor play area at a minimum of 75 square feet per child, bars that play space from sitting within 25 feet of an abutting residential structure, and requires a wall or fence around it, matched to the zoning district's maximum fence height or six feet, whichever is less; a more than 50%-perforated fence needs added vertical landscaping.

Parking cannot sit in a required front or corner-side setback, refuse storage must comply with Section 157.031 and outdoor lighting with Section 157.032, and outdoor activity is capped between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. in residential districts and 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. in non-residential districts. Indoor operating hours in residential districts are fixed by the conditional use permit itself.