Lakewood, CO Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)
Key Facts
- State license
- Required for all home day cares
- Adult day care cap
- Maximum 6 adults
- Parking
- Street frontage, driveway, garage, or carport only
- Play equipment
- Barred from the primary front yard
Summary
Lakewood's Zoning Ordinance allows home child or adult day care as an accessory use if state-licensed, caps adult day care at six clients, and bars front-yard play equipment and residential-character-changing alterations.
Where identified as an accessory use, a day care facility shall be subject to the following:
1. A day care facility shall comply with all applicable license requirements of the State of Colorado.
2. Day care facilities for adults on a residential single-family or duplex property shall be limited to a maximum of six adults.
3. External alterations that would change the residential character of a residential property shall be prohibited.
4. Parking associated with day care facilities shall be confined to the street frontage of the lot containing the day care, the driveway, the garage, or carport.
5. Any play equipment associated with a home child day care shall not be located within the primary front yard of the lot.
6. Signage shall comply with the standards set forth in Article 9.
Full Breakdown
In Lakewood, Colorado (Jefferson County), a home day care is allowed as an accessory residential use under Zoning Ordinance § 17.4.3.1.L, part of Article 4 as amended June 10, 2024. Every facility must hold the applicable State of Colorado license. Adult day care on a single-family or duplex property is capped at six adults. Operators cannot make exterior alterations that change the home's residential look, parking must stay on the street frontage, driveway, garage or carport, and play equipment for a home child day care must stay out of the primary front yard. Signage follows Article 9's home-business sign standards.
Violations & Fines
Operating an unlicensed home day care, exceeding six adults in an adult day care, or placing child-care play equipment in the front yard violates Lakewood's Zoning Ordinance and can trigger code enforcement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a permit needed to run a home day care in Lakewood, CO?
How many adults can a home adult day care in Lakewood serve?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lakewood
Compare Lakewood to another location·View the Colorado home business overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Home Daycare in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Jefferson County handle home daycare.