Apple Valley, MN Building Safety: Childcare Center Rules (2026)

Apple Valley Code of Ordinances § 155.203(L) governs child care centers in the I-1 district of the City of Apple Valley, Dakota County, Minnesota. Section 155.203 lists conditional uses for I-1, and paragraph (L) adds child care centers with four numbered conditions. No child care center can open in I-1 by right: the operator applies for a conditional use permit, and the City Council decides the request.

Condition (1) requires every child care center to be licensed by the State of Minnesota. The operator must also provide proof of that licensure before the city issues a certificate of occupancy, so the license has to be in hand before the space can be occupied.

Condition (2) bars a child care center from a stand-alone building. The center has to sit inside a building that houses other tenants. Condition (3) caps the center at 50% of the total building footprint, so the other tenants keep at least half of it.

Condition (4) sets the application package the city reviews and approves. The applicant submits a site plan showing the location of the center, outdoor play areas, garbage receptacles and similar site characteristics. The applicant also submits a list of tenants in the building and in neighboring buildings, so the city can test whether those uses are compatible with a child care center. A dimensioned floor plan for both the center and the multi-tenant building must show the center at 50% or less of the total building footprint. A traffic plan must identify peak hours of traffic generation and describe how conflicts between the building tenants will be minimized. Hours of operation are the last item.

The Apple Valley Planning Commission and City Council handle the conditional use process under the zoning chapter, and Community Development administers the application. This section covers only the I-1 district. Other Apple Valley districts have their own use lists in Chapter 155, and small in-home day care is treated separately as a family day care use in the residential districts.