Berwyn, IL Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)

Table 1244.02-A in § 1244.02 of the Berwyn Zoning Code marks Day Care Home with a P in each of the four residential columns, R-1, R-2, R-3 and R-4. A P means allowed by right, so a home day care in those districts does not go through the special use process. Blank cells elsewhere mean the use is not allowed in the commercial, industrial or public districts.

The Code defines DAY CARE HOME as a facility within a residential dwelling unit that provides care for up to eight children, including the family's natural or adopted children, or adults in a protective setting for less than 24 hours per day. The family's own children count toward the eight, so a household with three children of its own is left with room for five others. Care for adults qualifies under the same definition.

Section 1244.03(M) sets two design standards. First, the location and operation of a day care home shall not alter the residential character of the neighborhood, and the facility has to incorporate a residential design compatible with the surrounding neighborhood. Second, the design has to minimize traffic congestion, pedestrian hazards, noise and other adverse impacts on surrounding properties.

A day care center is a different use. It is defined as an establishment providing care for more than three children or adults, for less than 24 hours per day, that is not located within a residential dwelling unit. The use table lists Day Care Center as an S in C-1 through C-4 only. The off-street parking schedule requires 1 space per 500 square feet of gross floor area for a day care center and lists None for a day care home.