Lynnwood, WA Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)

Chapter 8.35 of Lynnwood's Unified Development Code sorts day care into two use categories in the table at LMC 8.35.0220: 'Mini Day Care (fewer than 13 individuals),' the size that covers a typical in-home family day care, and 'Day Care Facility (with 13 or more individuals),' the larger commercial-scale use. The table marks Mini Day Care 'P,' meaning permitted outright, in the RN (residential neighborhood) zone as well as MHP, RM-45, City Center, Alderwood, ACC, PCD, HMU, CDM, P-I and OSP; it only drops to 'C,' a conditional use requiring discretionary review, in the NC (neighborhood commercial) and LI (light industrial) zones.

That means a resident running a small family day care out of an RN-zoned house does not need a rezone or a conditional use permit on the land-use side, though the operation is still subject to Washington's separate state licensing requirements for family child care homes, and to any home occupation standards in LMC 8.35.0310 that otherwise apply, such as the ban on outdoor storage and the business license requirement under Title 5. The table cross-references LMC 8.35.0320 for further limitations on day care uses, though that section is currently reserved with no additional text in force.

A larger 'Day Care Facility' serving 13 or more, by contrast, is permitted in most zones but is not allowed at all in the LI zone, reflecting the city's preference for keeping larger group care out of light industrial areas.