Edmonds, WA Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)
Key Facts
- Family day care
- Outright permitted use, no CUP
- Mini day care
- Type II conditional use permit required
- Outdoor play hours
- 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. only
- Play area
- Must be completely fenced
- Spacing (mini day care)
- 300 feet from other day care/preschool
- Parking
- 2 spaces family, 3 spaces mini day care
Summary
Edmonds allows a family home day care outright in any residential zone with no permit, but a mini day care center needs a Type II conditional use permit and both must follow the same operating standards in ECDC 20.19.020.
The purpose of this chapter is to permit residents to operate either a family day care or mini day care facility at their home, subject to the requirements of this chapter. Nothing herein shall be interpreted to require a permit for family home day care facilities which are outright permitted uses in any zone, however, such outright permitted home day care facility shall comply with the provisions of ECDC 20.19.020 in the course of their operation. ... ... B. Outdoor Play Times. Outdoor play times shall not be scheduled before 9:00 a.m. or after 8:00 p.m. ... C. Fenced Play Area. A completely fenced play area is required. No play area shall be allowed in the street setback. ... ... E. Location and Limitation. No mini day care center located within a residential zone shall be located closer than 300 feet to any other day care operation of any kind or nature, or any preschool
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 4444, passed August 3, 2026).
Full Breakdown
19 ECDC splits home child care into two tracks. 020. 05 ECDC to confirm the facility will not be deleterious to the neighborhood or create a public nuisance. , provide a completely fenced play area that cannot sit in the street setback, and provide at least two on-street or off-street parking spaces for a family day care and at least three for a mini day care. Mini day care centers in a residential zone cannot be located within 300 feet of any other day care operation or preschool, though this spacing rule does not apply to public school facilities.
A conditional use permit for a mini day care is personal to the applicant, cannot be transferred to another person or site, and does not relieve the holder of any state or federal licensing duty.
Violations & Fines
Neighbors may petition the hearing examiner under ECDC 20.19.040 to revoke or modify a mini day care conditional use permit any time at least six months after it is granted, if signed by at least five residents (or 50 percent of residents) within 300 feet who allege the facility is deleterious or a nuisance. After a hearing, the examiner can revoke the permit if the impact cannot be mitigated, or impose added conditions with a compliance deadline if it can; missing that deadline is grounds for revocation. Staff decisions and revocations may be appealed to the hearing examiner under Chapter 20.06 ECDC, whose decision is final.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a family home day care in Edmonds need a permit?
What permit does a mini day care center need in Edmonds?
Can neighbors get an Edmonds day care permit revoked?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Edmonds
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Home Daycare in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Snohomish County handle home daycare.