Scranton, PA Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)
Key Facts
- Family day care home size
- 4-6 unrelated children
- Zoning status
- "P", Permitted Use by Right
- State registration
- Required with PA Dept. of Public Welfare
- Accessory-use ceiling
- 6 or fewer unrelated children, no permit
- Principal-use trigger
- 7+ children needs § 445-41U standards
Summary
Scranton's zoning code allows a "Day Care Home, Family," caring for four to six unrelated children and registered with the state, as a Permitted Use by Right in residential districts such as § 445-12E's Suburban Single Family Residential District. Caring for six or fewer unrelated children as an accessory home use needs no district review at all.
DAY CARE HOME, FAMILY: A premises in which child day care is provided at any one time to between four to six children or more who are not relatives of the provider of the child day care, where such facility is required to be registered with the PA Department of Public Welfare under the PA Public Welfare Code. DAY CARE HOME, GROUP: A State licensed facility in which care is provided for more than six but less than 12 children, at any one time, if care is provided in a facility where the childcare areas are being used as a family residence. ... E. ... 6 Suburban Single Family Residential. ... Day care home, family P
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4719898; v25 updated 2025-12-16; through 12-16-2025).
Full Breakdown
where such facility is required to be registered with the PA Department of Public Welfare," and separately defines DAY CARE HOME, GROUP as a state-licensed facility caring for "more than six but less than 12 children" inside a residence used as a family home. The district use tables in § 445-12 list "Day care home, family" as "P," Permitted Use by Right, in residential districts including the R-6 Suburban Single Family Residential District at § 445-12E, so a resident registered with the state does not need a conditional-use hearing or special exception to run one out of the house.
Below that threshold, § 445-8's DAY CARE CENTER, CHILD definition carves out an even lighter tier: care of one to three children is exempt from the chapter entirely, and caring for up to six unrelated children as "(Child) Day Care Center, as an Accessory Use" is treated as incidental to the residential use rather than a separate principal use requiring its own zoning line. limit on outdoor play near neighboring dwellings.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 445 imposes no separate fine for the day-care-home use itself since it is permitted by right; a home day care that exceeds its permitted headcount and crosses into the § 445-41U principal-use threshold without meeting that section's lot-area, setback, and fencing standards is treated as an unpermitted use or expansion, enforceable through the Zoning Officer and the Municipalities Planning Code's zoning enforcement and appeal procedures, 53 P.S. § 10101 et seq.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many children can I watch out of my Scranton home without a special zoning permit?
Does a home day care in Scranton need to be licensed by the state?
What zoning standards apply if my home day care grows past six children in Scranton?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Scranton
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