Nevada Child Care Licensing: Categories, Ratios, and Inspections

To operate a licensed child care facility in Nevada, you apply to the Division of Social Services for the license category that matches your capacity, clear criminal background checks for every adult involved, complete the Nevada Registry’s entry-level training, carry liability insurance, pass a State Fire Marshal inspection, and meet the staffing ratios and 35-square-foot-per-child space standards in Nevada Administrative Code 432A. These are the core Nevada child care licensing requirements, and the full process typically takes several weeks from application to open doors.¹

Who Needs a License

You need a child care facility license if you are paid to care for five or more unrelated children under 18.² Four or fewer unrelated children keeps you below the licensing trigger, though you may still need to register as a small child care establishment depending on your situation.

NRS 432A.024 carves out a handful of arrangements that do not require a license:

A home where every child is related to the caregiver within the third degree of blood, adoption, or marriage.
Watching a friend’s or neighbor’s children for no more than four weeks, so long as it isn’t a regular arrangement.
Seasonal, temporary, or out-of-school recreation programs, which operate under separate rules.
Foster homes, licensed separately under NRS Chapter 424.

If your situation doesn’t clearly fit one of those categories, assume you need a license.²

Pick the Right License Category

Nevada Administrative Code 432A sorts child care facilities into three categories based on capacity, and the number of children you plan to serve dictates which one you apply for. Applying under the wrong category is a common early mistake that costs weeks.

Family home: a private residence providing care for at least five and no more than six children. This is the usual starting point for home-based providers.
Group home: a facility caring for at least seven and no more than twelve children, with tighter staffing requirements than a family home.
Child care center: a facility regularly caring for more than twelve children, typically in commercial space, with the most extensive infrastructure and administrative requirements.³

The capacity on your license is a hard ceiling. You cannot exceed it, even temporarily.

Background Checks for Every Adult

NRS 432A.170 requires the Division to pull criminal history on every applicant, licensee, employee, and any resident of the facility who is 18 or older.² For home-based facilities this reaches every adult living in the house, not just paid staff.

Certain convictions are permanent disqualifiers: murder, sexual assault, any crime against a child (abuse, neglect, endangerment, or child pornography), arson, kidnapping, and domestic battery. Drug possession or use convictions within the past five years are disqualifying, and any conviction for drug distribution or manufacturing is disqualifying regardless of when it occurred. Processing times vary, so start background checks early.

Training and Nevada Registry Membership

Every employee of a licensed facility must become an active member of the Nevada Registry within 90 days of hire and maintain membership annually.⁴ Directors have the same 90-day window from the start of their role.²

Before the registry accepts an application, the applicant must complete entry-level training covering CPR and first aid, recognition and reporting of child abuse and neglect, signs and symptoms of illness with bloodborne pathogens, child development, lifelong wellness, building and physical premises safety, emergency preparedness, medication administration and food allergies, and transportation safety for designated drivers.⁵

CPR and first aid certification is only accepted from three agencies: the American Heart Association, the American Red Cross, or HSI (parent of the American Safety and Health Institute and Medic First Aid brands). Certificates from any other provider are rejected. Staff who work with infants have two additional required topics: Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and prevention of shaken baby syndrome/abusive head trauma.

Insurance

Every licensed child care facility must carry liability insurance covering third-party claims, provide a certificate of insurance to the Division, and the policy itself must require the insurer to notify the Division before any cancellation or nonrenewal.³ Any lapse must be reported to the Division immediately. The policy has to be kept on-site. Government-operated facilities that are self-insured are the only exception.

Nevada’s administrative code doesn’t set a specific minimum dollar amount, but most commercial carriers offer child care policies that bundle general liability with property coverage. Workers’ compensation is also required in most situations once you have employees.

Space and Staffing Ratios You’re Committing To

Indoor space must provide at least 35 square feet per child, measured exclusive of bathrooms, hallways, kitchens, stairs, and storage. Facilities caring for ill children must meet a higher 50-square-feet-per-child standard.³ Your floor plan needs to show these measurements clearly.

For centers, nurseries, and similar facilities, the daytime ratios under NAC 432A.5205 (6:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.) are:

Under 9 months: 1 caregiver per 4 children, maximum group size of 8
9 months to under 2 years: 1 caregiver per 6 children, maximum group size of 12
2 to under 3 years: 1 caregiver per 9 children, maximum group size of 18
3 to under 4 years: 1 caregiver per 12 children, maximum group size of 24
4 to under 5 years: 1 caregiver per 13 children, maximum group size of 26
5 and older: 1 caregiver per 18 children, maximum group size of 36

Group homes are tighter: 1 caregiver per 2 children under age one, 1 per 4 children ages one to three, and 2 caregivers for every 6 children age three and older. When different ages share a room, the ratio for the youngest child in the group applies to everyone in that room. Overnight hours (9:00 p.m. to 6:30 a.m.) use slightly relaxed ratios.

The Application and Supporting Documents

The application goes to the Division of Social Services, which took over this function from the Division of Public and Behavioral Health.⁶ You’ll provide your legal name, tax identification information, the physical address, intended hours of operation, ages of children served, and the maximum capacity you’re requesting.

Gather the following to submit with the application:

A scaled floor plan showing all indoor and outdoor areas used for child care, with measurements demonstrating the 35-square-feet-per-child minimum.
Background check submissions for every staff member and every resident 18 or older at a home-based facility.
Current CPR/first aid certificates and documentation of all other entry-level training topics.
A certificate of liability insurance.
Proof of active Nevada Registry membership or application for all staff.

For buildings constructed before 1978, be ready to address lead paint hazards. Federal rules require disclosure of known lead-based paint hazards in older structures, and the licensing surveyor may ask about lead safety during the site review. Fees are due at submission; the amount depends on facility type. Incomplete applications get sent back, so double-check every field before you file.

Fire and Facility Inspections

Before the Division issues your license, the State Fire Marshal (or a local fire agency meeting the Fire Marshal’s standards) must inspect the building and issue a current certificate of compliance.² The fire inspection repeats annually.⁷ You schedule it by submitting a request directly to the State Fire Marshal Division, confirming the facility is complete and ready for occupancy.⁸ Expect the inspector to check functional smoke detectors, clear and marked exits, fire extinguishers, and your emergency drill procedures.

A separate health and sanitation inspection covers food preparation areas, bathroom cleanliness, water safety, and overall facility condition.

Once licensed, you’ll be inspected by the Division at least once a year, and any authorized Division employee can enter and inspect at any time without notice to check compliance or investigate a complaint.² Surveyors look at ratios in real time, pull training records, confirm background checks are current, and walk the play areas and classrooms.

Renewal and Reporting Changes

A Nevada child care license is valid for one year. The initial license runs up to one year from issuance, and each renewal runs one year from the renewal date.² Submit updated information and pay fees before expiration; late renewals may incur additional fees.

Report material changes to the Division promptly. Renovations, new hires, changes to operating hours, and particularly a change in the person directing daily operations all require notification. A new director must apply to the Nevada Registry within 90 days of starting. Keep every employee’s training certifications current throughout the year. An expired CPR card found during an unannounced visit is the kind of preventable violation that creates serious problems.

Operating Without a License

Running a child care facility in Nevada without a license is a misdemeanor. On top of the criminal charge, the Division can impose civil penalties of up to $10,000 for a first offense and between $10,000 and $25,000 for each subsequent offense.²

Enforcement typically starts with a cease-and-desist order delivered by personal service or certified mail. If you don’t stop operating or apply for a license within 30 days, the Division can go to court to shut you down. The same tools apply to anyone operating on a suspended license, and the Division actively investigates complaints about unlicensed providers.

1
Nevada Division of Social Services. Child Care FAQ
2
Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes 432A – Services and Facilities for Care of Children
3
Nevada Legislature. Nevada Administrative Code 432A – Services and Facilities for Care of Children
4
The Nevada Registry. Initial and Ongoing Training Requirements of Child Care Licensing: Guidelines for Completion
5
The Nevada Registry. Policy Manual: Entry Level Requirements
6
Nevada Division of Social Services. Child Care Licensing (CCL)
7
Legal Information Institute. Nevada Administrative Code 477.562 – General Requirements
8
Nevada Department of Public Safety. State Fire Marshal Division Child Care Inspection Request