Auburn, WA Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)
Key Facts
- Zoning status
- Permitted (P) in every residential zone
- Home daycare cap
- 12 children/adults, in family quarters
- City requirement
- Approved city business license
- State law tie-in
- Regulated per RCW 35.63.185
- Hours limit (RC, R-1, R-2)
- 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
- Governing sections
- ACC 18.07.020; 18.31.010; 18.04.290
Summary
Auburn permits home-based (family) daycare as a right in every residential zone under ACC 18.07.020, provided the operator holds a state license and an approved city business license. ACC 18.31.010 caps daycare, preschool and nursery hours in RC, R-1 and R-2 zones to between 5:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m.
A. The following performance standards shall apply to all child daycares but shall not apply to adult daycare: 1. If applicable, must be properly licensed with the state of Washington; 2. Daycare, preschool and nursery school services shall not be conducted before 5:00 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m. in the following zones: RC, R-1, R-2. B. The provisions of subsection A of this section are not intended to reduce the requirements of any other licensing agency or department. ... "Home based daycare" means a licensed daycare that regularly provides daycare for not more than 12 children or adults in the provider's home in the family living quarters, for periods of less than 24 hours.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 7023, passed July 6, 2026).
Full Breakdown
290(B) as a licensed daycare that regularly serves no more than 12 children or adults inside the provider's own family living quarters, for stays under 24 hours. Because it caps at 12 and operates inside the family home, it is treated differently from a freestanding daycare center or mini daycare center, which must locate outside the provider's home. 185 and the operator must have received an approved city business license. This means a homeowner does not need a conditional use permit or variance to run a licensed home daycare; the zoning code treats it as by-right, but the business licensing office still has to sign off.
m. 010(B) clarifies that these local hour restrictions do not reduce or override any separate requirements imposed by the state licensing agency, so a state-licensed provider still has to comply with both sets of rules simultaneously.
Violations & Fines
Operating a home daycare without the required city business license, or running hours outside the 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. window in the RC, R-1 or R-2 zones, is a zoning code violation enforceable by the city's code enforcement division; the city can require the operator to bring hours into compliance or revoke the business license, independent of any action the state licensing agency takes for its own violations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a special permit to run a home daycare in Auburn?
How many kids can I watch in my Auburn home daycare?
Can my home daycare run in the evening in Auburn?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Auburn
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Home Daycare in Nearby Cities
How other cities in King County handle home daycare.