Plainfield, NJ Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)

Section 17:9-28 of the Plainfield Municipal Code treats a family day care home as a permitted home occupation and states that childcare centers shall not be considered permitted home occupations. Family day care is permitted in all residential zones in the City of Plainfield, and the section lists the safety conditions that must be followed.

The provider must be the resident of the premises. On an annual basis the provider presents the Zoning Officer with documentation of substantial compliance with all Division of Youth and Family Services requirements, and the home must be registered under the Family Day Care Provider Registration Act. Chapter 17 defines a family day care home as a private residence approved by the Division of Youth and Family Services or an organization the Division contracts with, operated in accordance with N.J.S.A. 40:55D-66.5 et seq., that provides child care services to no more than five children at any one time, excluding children legally related to the provider and children cared for as part of an employment agreement where no payment of care is made.

Outdoor play is regulated. For a home not located in a single-family dwelling, a side or rear yard used for recreation must be fenced in accordance with the fence section of Chapter 17, which caps residential side and rear yard fences at six feet under § 17:9-29. No recreation area can sit in a front yard, and associated equipment stays inside the fenced yard. The facility must also comply with all applicable BOCA, State of New Jersey and City building safety regulations.

Zoning enforcement runs through the Zoning Officer under § 17:1-20: a letter requesting compliance within ten days, then a certified letter with another ten days, then a summons prosecuted in Municipal Court.