Marathon County, WI Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)
Key Facts
- Under 4 children
- unregulated
- Type A home
- 4 to 8 children
- Type B home
- 9 to 15 children
- Type C center
- not allowed in a residential unit
- Counted as home occupation
- no
Summary
Marathon County zoning treats home daycare separately from home businesses: a Type A Day Care Home covers four to eight children and a Type B covers nine to 15, both allowed in an occupied residence without the home-occupation floor-area limits.
A.Type A - Day Care Home (four to eight children). Occupied residences in which a qualified person(s) provide child care for four to eight children. Refer to § 66.1017(1)(a), Wis. Stats. These shall not be considered "Home Occupations" for the purpose of the Chapter.B.Type B - Day Care Home (nine to 15 children). Occupied residences in which a qualified person(s) provide child care for nine to 15 children. Refer to § 48.65, Wis. Stats. These shall not be considered "Home Occupations" for the purpose of the Chapter.C.Type C - Group Day Care Center (nine or more children). Group day care centers provide child care services for nine or more children by qualified persons. Group day care facilities may include nursery schools and day care centers; however, shall not be located within a residential unit. Group day care facilities may be operated on a profit or not-for-profit basis in conjunction with another principal use such as a church, school, business, and civic organization. Adult Day Care. The care of less than three non-related people receiving care from a non-family member in the same structure shall not be regulated under this Chapter, but considered a home occupation. The following day care uses include the following types of facilities:
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 59).
Full Breakdown
Care for fewer than four children isn't regulated under the zoning chapter at all. Above that, a Type A Day Care Home (four to eight children) and Type B Day Care Home (nine to 15 children) may operate out of an occupied residence and are explicitly not treated as "Home Occupations," so the § 17.204.56 floor-area caps don't apply to them. A Type C Group Day Care Center (nine or more children) is a different category and may not be located within a residential unit. This is county zoning, applying only in unincorporated towns that adopted the Marathon County Zoning Code, not inside Wausau, Mosinee, Rothschild, or the county's other cities and villages.
Violations & Fines
Running a group day care center for nine or more children inside a residential unit, or exceeding a Type A/B home's licensed capacity, is a zoning violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does home daycare count against my home-occupation floor-area limit?
Can I care for 12 children in my house in the county?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Marathon County
Compare Marathon County to another location·View the Wisconsin home business overview
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