Pottstown, PA Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)

The Pottstown Zoning Ordinance defines a home daycare through its "major home occupation" category: Section 1400's definitions list "family child/adult day care involving no more than six children or adults unrelated to the operator" as an example of a major home occupation, distinct from the lighter "no-impact home occupation" tier that covers things like tutoring or bookkeeping. Section 504 governs how major home occupations operate. Under Section 504(1), no-impact home occupations are permitted as of right, but major home occupations, including a home daycare over the no-impact threshold, are permitted only as a conditional use in every zoning district, meaning the operator must go through a public hearing before Borough Council rather than simply pulling a permit over the counter.

Section 504(3)(E) sets a minimum lot size: no major home occupation, including a daycare, may be approved on a lot smaller than 15,000 square feet, and it must be located in a single-family detached dwelling or an accessory building on the same lot. The activity is capped at 25% of the dwelling's floor area or 600 square feet, whichever is less, and Council may impose buffering or screening conditions if it finds the use will create off-site noise, glare, parking, or traffic impacts on neighbors.

Section 504(4) requires all home occupations, including daycares already operating, to register with the Department of Licensing and Inspections within six months of the section's effective date; failing to register is treated as abandonment of any right to run the use, after which it is processed as a brand-new application. A permit from Licensing and Inspections is mandatory before operating, the application must identify the exact nature of the business, and the Department can revoke the permit for noncompliance. Fees are set by Borough Council resolution rather than fixed in the ordinance text itself.