A California daycare license lookup takes about a minute. The state’s Community Care Licensing Division (CCLD) runs a free public database called Care Facility Search at ccld.dss.ca.gov/carefacilitysearch, and it covers every licensed child care center and family child care home in California, along with each one’s current status, licensed capacity, inspection history, and substantiated complaints.1California Department of Social Services. Community Care Facility Search2California Department of Social Services. Facility Search Welcome Third-party directories pull from this same data but can lag or omit the regulatory details, so go to the CCLD tool directly whenever a provider’s legal standing matters.
How to Run the Search
Open the Care Facility Search page and pick the program type from the dropdown first. The two choices that matter for daycare are Child Care Center, which is group care in a commercial building, and Family Child Care Home, which is care in the provider’s own residence.3Department of Social Services. CCC Licensing Information Family homes come in two sizes: Small, licensed for up to eight children, and Large, licensed for up to 14. If a provider tells you they take more children than the database shows, treat that as a reason to ask questions.
You can search by facility name, license number, street address, city, or zip code. A few practical notes:
- Searching by zip code pulls every licensed facility in the area, which is useful when you’re comparing options nearby.
- Small family home providers can be hard to find by name because the business name parents use may not match the one on file, or there may be no business name at all. If the name search fails, try the license number or the street address.
- Clicking into a facility’s record brings up a card with the license type, capacity, status, and links to the inspection and complaint history.
What Each License Status Means
The status field is the first thing to check on a facility’s record. It tells you where the provider stands with the state right now.
- Licensed (Active). The facility has met requirements and is authorized to operate. This is what you want to see, though it doesn’t mean the facility has a clean history. Pull up the inspection reports before you decide.
- Probationary. The facility committed serious or repeated violations, and the state imposed corrective conditions rather than pulling the license outright. The provider can still operate but is under closer scrutiny and pays an additional monitoring fee. Ask the provider directly what the conditions are and when they end.4California Department of Social Services. Title 22 Regulations – Child Care Center General Licensing Requirements
- Suspended (Temporary Suspension Order). The CDSS director has halted operations immediately, without a hearing, because the facility poses a substantial threat to children’s physical health, mental health, or safety. A suspended facility cannot legally accept children.5Justia Law. California Health and Safety Code 1596.885-1596.8895 – Article 4 Suspension and Revocation
- Revoked. The license has been permanently terminated. Grounds include violating licensing laws, conduct harmful to children, criminal convictions of the licensee, and financial malfeasance.5Justia Law. California Health and Safety Code 1596.885-1596.8895 – Article 4 Suspension and Revocation4California Department of Social Services. Title 22 Regulations – Child Care Center General Licensing Requirements
Reading Inspection Reports and Citations
The database carries five years of inspection history for each facility, including findings from unannounced site visits and substantiated complaints that investigators confirmed.2California Department of Social Services. Facility Search Welcome This is where the real picture of a facility shows up, because an Active license can still sit on top of a pattern of recurring problems.
California sorts violations into three tiers:
- Type A. A serious deficiency presenting an immediate or substantial threat to children’s physical health, mental health, or safety. Examples include missing criminal background clearances for staff, fire safety failures, unsafe water, and failure to meet care and supervision requirements. One Type A citation is worth a direct conversation with the provider.
- Type B. Not currently serious, but could become so if uncorrected. Think incomplete paperwork or not enough clean dishes for the next meal.
- Type C. Minor technical violations with no immediate risk, like paperwork stored in the wrong location or undated food menus.
Look at the pattern across years rather than any single report. One Type B that was corrected quickly reads very differently from repeated Type A findings. If a citation isn’t clear, call the local CCLD Regional Office listed on the facility’s record and ask them to explain what happened.
When a Provider Won’t Appear in the Database
Not every legal caregiver in California is licensed. A person caring for their own children plus the children of only one other family is exempt from licensure, and so are relatives caring for family members’ children.6California Department of Social Services. Do I Need a License? These providers won’t show up in the CCLD database at all, and that absence doesn’t mean anything is wrong.
For exempt caregivers, including nannies and babysitters, California offers the TrustLine Registry as a voluntary alternative. Caregivers on TrustLine have submitted fingerprints to the California Department of Justice and cleared the California Criminal History System, the Child Abuse Central Index, and FBI criminal history records.7California Department of Social Services. TrustLine You can verify whether a specific caregiver is registered by calling (800) 822-8490.
Reporting Unlicensed Care or Suspected Violations
If you believe a facility is operating without a license or a licensed provider is breaking the rules, the CDSS Centralized Complaint and Information Bureau takes reports three ways:
- Phone: 1-844-538-8766 (1-844-LET-US-NO)
- Email: letusno@dss.ca.gov
- Online: complaints.ccld.dss.ca.gov8California Department of Social Services. File a Complaint
Include the facility name and address, the nature of the problem, and as much specific detail as you can. Complaints are confidential.
Why the License Matters at Tax Time
Verifying the license has a financial side too. To claim the federal Child and Dependent Care Credit for expenses paid to a dependent care center, the IRS requires that the center comply with all applicable state and local regulations, which in California means a valid CCLD license.9Internal Revenue Service. Publication 503, Child and Dependent Care Expenses The same compliance requirement applies to a Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account through an employer.
When you file Form 2441, you report the provider’s name, address, and taxpayer identification number (SSN, ITIN, or EIN). Request that information with IRS Form W-10. If the provider refuses, you can still file by attaching a statement explaining the refusal.10Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form 2441 If the provider turns out to be unlicensed, the expenses themselves may not qualify, and the credit can be worth hundreds or thousands of dollars. Running the license lookup before you enroll protects both the child and the deduction.