Lynnwood, WA Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)
Key Facts
- Mini Day Care size
- Fewer than 13 individuals
- RN zone status
- Permitted outright ('P')
- NC and LI zones
- Conditional use ('C') required
- Larger facility (13+)
- Barred entirely from LI zone
- Additional limits
- LMC 8.35.0320 currently reserved
Summary
Lynnwood allows a small home day care, what the code calls 'Mini Day Care' for fewer than 13 individuals, by right in the RN residential zone and most other zones under the Table 8.35.0220 use table (Lynnwood Municipal Code § 8.35.0220). Only in the NC and LI zones does that same small day care use need a conditional use permit instead.
+--------------+----+-----+-------+--------+-----------+-----+-----+----+----+-----+-----+----+-----+-----+ | Day | RN | MHP | RM-45 | City | Alderwood | ACC | PCD | NC | CG | HMU | CDM | LI | P-I | OSP | | Care | | | | Center | | | | | | | | | | | +--------------+----+-----+-------+--------+-----------+-----+-----+----+----+-----+-----+----+-----+-----+ | Mini | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | C | P | P | C | P | P |
| Day | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Care | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | (fewer | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | than | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 13 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | individuals) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 3512, passed May 26, 2026).
Full Breakdown
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. 0310 that otherwise apply, such as the ban on outdoor storage and the business license requirement under Title 5.
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.
Violations & Fines
Operating a Day Care Facility use, or exceeding the individual count that keeps a home operation classified as Mini Day Care, without the conditional use approval required in the NC or LI zone is a Title 8 land-use violation. Because Title 8 is not on the civil-infraction list in LMC § 1.40.125(B), it falls under the general misdemeanor penalty in LMC § 1.01.080, up to $1,000 in fines or 90 days in jail, with each day a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I run a home day care in a Lynnwood residential zone?
Does a Lynnwood home day care need a special permit?
What size day care counts as 'Mini Day Care' in Lynnwood?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lynnwood
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Home Daycare in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Snohomish County handle home daycare.