California Child Care Licensing: Types, Standards, and Application

To run a licensed child care program in California, you apply through the Community Care Licensing Division of the Department of Social Services, choose the license category that matches your setting, clear a state and FBI background check, complete 16 hours of health and safety training, meet facility standards for your space, pay a fee tied to your capacity, and pass a pre-licensing inspection. California child care licensing then continues as an ongoing obligation, with annual inspections and renewal fees for the life of the license.

Who Needs a License

You need a license once you care for children from more than one unrelated family. Caring only for your own children, relatives’ children, or the children of a single additional family is exempt.¹

If you work as a nanny or babysitter placed through an employment agency, you fall outside licensing but may need to register on TrustLine, California’s background-check registry for license-exempt caregivers. TrustLine is not a license and does not substitute for one; licensed providers go through a separate, more extensive screening through the Caregiver Background Check Bureau.²

The Three License Types

California issues three main child care licenses under Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations. Picking the right one is the first real decision, because capacity, staffing, and fees all follow from it.

Small Family Child Care Home

A small family child care home operates out of your own residence and allows up to six children, or up to eight when certain age-distribution conditions are met. Those numbers include your own children under age 10 living in the home. This is the most common entry point for a new provider who doesn’t want to lease commercial space.³

Large Family Child Care Home

A large family child care home is also home-based but can serve up to 12 children, or up to 14 when specific conditions are met. The count includes your own children under 10 and the assistant provider’s children under 10. You must have at least one assistant on-site and obtain a fire clearance from the local fire authority or the State Fire Marshal, whichever has jurisdiction.³

Child Care Center

A child care center operates in a non-residential building and covers infant centers, preschools, extended day care, and school-age programs. Centers have no single statewide cap on enrollment. Capacity is instead set by usable square footage and by child-to-staff ratios, which run as tight as one teacher per four infants in rooms of up to 12 babies, and loosen with age. In mixed-age rooms, the ratio for the youngest child in the room controls, a detail new applicants frequently miss.⁴

Background, Health, and Training Requirements

You must be at least 18 to apply. Beyond age, California screens applicants closely before issuing a license.

Fingerprint and Background Clearance

Every applicant is fingerprinted and cleared through both the California Department of Justice and the FBI. The state checks for felony and misdemeanor convictions and searches the Child Abuse Central Index, a statewide database of investigated child abuse reports. For home-based licenses, every adult living in the home goes through the same screening, not just the licensee.⁵

If you have a prior conviction, you can request an exemption from the Department of Social Services. Approval is not guaranteed and depends on the nature of the offense and the time since.

Tuberculosis Screening

All child care workers must be free of infectious tuberculosis. A health care provider administers a TB risk assessment; if risk factors turn up, a TB test and examination follow to confirm you are not contagious.⁶

Health and Safety Training

California requires 16 hours of health and safety training before you begin operating. Topics include pediatric first aid, pediatric CPR, infectious disease prevention, immunizations, safe sleep, injury prevention, nutrition, caring for children with special needs, and identifying and reporting child abuse. As of January 1, 2026, the pediatric first aid and CPR components must also cover recognizing and treating anaphylaxis, including the use of epinephrine auto-injectors. These certifications must stay current for the life of your license.

Mandated Reporter Status

Licensees, administrators, and employees of licensed child care facilities are mandated reporters of suspected child abuse or neglect. New licensees must complete mandated reporter training as a condition of licensure, and employees must complete it within their first 90 days. Renewal training is required every two years. Failing to report is a separate violation regardless of whether you completed training.

Facility Standards

Your space has to pass before the state will issue the license. Some details vary by license type, but the categories below apply across the board.

Indoor and Outdoor Space

Child care centers must provide at least 35 square feet of usable indoor activity space per child based on licensed capacity. Bathrooms, hallways, offices, kitchens, and storage don’t count. Floor space under tables and chairs used for children’s activities does.⁷

Outdoor play areas must provide at least 75 square feet per child and be enclosed by a fence at least four feet high. Pool fencing has a stricter five-foot requirement and must not block the view of the pool area from the facility.⁸

Fire Clearance

Large family child care homes and child care centers must obtain a fire clearance before the license is issued. Under Health and Safety Code Section 13235, the local fire authority or the State Fire Marshal conducts a pre-inspection covering exits, alarms, extinguisher placement, and overall building safety.⁹

Hazardous Materials and Lead

Cleaning supplies, medications, and other hazardous materials must be stored in locked areas children cannot access. Facilities in buildings built before 1978 carry extra obligations for lead-based paint: under the EPA’s Renovation, Repair, and Painting rule, any renovation that disturbs paint in a pre-1978 child care facility or home-based program must be done by a lead-safe certified contractor. This applies even when you operate a child care center out of your own home.¹⁰

Every facility must also have a working telephone on-site.

Disability Access

Private child care centers must comply with Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and government-run programs like Head Start fall under Title II. Child care operated directly by a religious organization is the main exception; a private program merely renting from a church is still covered. You cannot refuse to enroll a child because of a disability, and you must make reasonable adjustments to policies and practices. A child cannot be excluded just because they need one-to-one attention, especially where a parent or government program provides an aide at no cost to the center. The narrow exceptions are a genuine direct threat to the health or safety of others, or an accommodation that would fundamentally change the nature of your program, and both require an individualized assessment.¹¹

How to Apply

For a child care center, expect at least six months from paperwork to opening day. Home-based licenses can move faster, but incomplete documentation is the usual source of delay.

Orientation

Before you can submit an application, you must attend a licensing orientation. Sessions are offered online, as live virtual meetings, or in person around the state. The orientation walks through the laws and the application packet, and the fee is non-refundable.¹²

Forms

Home-based providers file the Application for a Family Child Care Home License, form LIC 279.¹³ Child care center applicants file form LIC 200, the Application for a Community Care Facility.¹⁴

Both license types require an Emergency Care and Disaster Plan (form LIC 610A), a detailed facility sketch showing all rooms, exits, and outdoor areas used for child care, and a fire drill log that tracks the frequency of safety rehearsals.¹³

Fees

Application fees are non-refundable and scale with capacity.

Small family child care home (1–8 children): $73
Large family child care home (9–14 children): $140
Child care center (1–30 children): $484
Child care center (31–60 children): $968
Child care center (61–75 children): $1,210
Child care center (76–90 children): $1,452
Child care center (91–120 children): $1,936
Child care center (120+ children): $2,420

These same amounts serve as the annual renewal fee for home-based licenses. For centers, the annual fee is half the original application fee.¹⁵

Submission and Pre-Licensing Inspection

The complete application goes to the Community Care Licensing regional office that covers your county. A Licensing Program Analyst then conducts an unannounced pre-licensing inspection, checking first aid kit accessibility, hazardous material storage, fire safety, square footage, and overall suitability. Any problems have to be fixed before the license issues. There is no fixed statutory deadline for the state to process your application, so clearing deficiencies quickly is the best way to avoid delay.¹⁶

Staying Licensed

Licensure is the start, not the finish. California runs unannounced annual inspections of every licensed child care facility. Analysts review records, inspect the physical space, and confirm staffing ratios. You pay the annual licensing fee and file required reports with the division.

Citations and Civil Penalties

Violations found during an inspection draw a citation at one of two severity levels. Type A citations cover immediate threats to the health, safety, or personal rights of children and can trigger immediate consequences. Type B citations cover conditions that may pose a threat but are not immediately dangerous. After a citation, you develop a correction plan with your analyst.

Failing to correct a cited violation by the deadline triggers civil penalties of $50 per day per violation, up to $150 per day. If a child becomes sick, is injured, or dies as a result of a deficiency, an immediate $150 per day penalty applies. Operating with an employee who has not obtained fingerprint clearance triggers an immediate $100 per day penalty for up to five days on a first offense, and up to 30 days for repeat violations within 12 months. Persistent non-compliance can escalate from citations to probation, then a temporary suspension order shutting the facility during proceedings, and ultimately full revocation.¹⁷

Operating Without a License

Running a child care center without a license carries a $200 per day civil penalty. The clock starts on the 16th day after the state issues a Notice of Operation in Violation of Law, assuming you have not submitted a completed license application by then. The penalty accrues without interruption until you stop operating or submit an application. If you apply and are denied, the $200 per day penalty resumes on the 10th day after the denial notice is mailed.¹⁸

1
California Department of Social Services. Do I Need a License
2
California Department of Social Services. TrustLine
3
New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. California Code of Regulations Title 22 Section 102352 – Definitions
4
Community Care Licensing Division. Teacher-to-Child Ratios in Child Care Centers
5
California Department of Social Services. Family Child Care Homes Manual
6
California Department of Public Health. California School Employee Tuberculosis Risk Assessment Questionnaire
7
Cornell Law Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 22 Section 101238.3 – Indoor Activity Space
8
California Department of Social Services. Title 22 Regulations – Child Care Centers
9
Office of the State Fire Marshal. Information Bulletin 24-012 – Child Care Centers Occupancy Classification and Use
10
US EPA. Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program
11
ADA.gov. Commonly Asked Questions about Child Care Centers and the Americans with Disabilities Act
12
California Department of Social Services. Register for an Orientation
13
California Department of Social Services. License Application and Instructions for Family Child Care Homes
14
California Department of Social Services. Application for a Community Care Facility
15
California Department of Social Services. Licensing Fees
16
California Department of Social Services. Child Care Center Licensing Information
17
New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. California Code of Regulations Title 22 Section 101195 – Penalties
18
Cornell Law Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 22 Section 101198 – Unlicensed Facility Penalties