Federal Way, WA Building Safety: Childcare Center Rules (2026)

020, day care facilities, commercial are a listed use in the professional office (PO) zone, permitted through Process II review (possible Process III depending on scale), with no minimum lot size set for the use itself. for each child using the area at any one time. in height. ' That formula scales the play yard directly to licensed capacity, so a center approved for 40 children in the yard at once needs at least 3,000 square feet of enclosed outdoor space. The same use table sets parking at one space for every 300 square feet of gross floor area devoted to day care, separate from the per-employee ratios that apply to attached school uses.

Federal Way repeats a version of this outdoor-play-area and fencing standard in its other commercial and mixed-use zone charts, including the city center core and city center frame zones, so a center relocating within the city should re-check the specific chapter for that zone rather than assume PO-zone numbers carry over, since the required setback for play equipment runs 5 to 10 feet depending on the district. The Community Development Department reviews the Process II application, including the play-area and fencing plan, before issuing site plan approval; construction still needs a separate building permit under FWRC Title 13.