Bossier City, LA Building Safety: Childcare Center Rules (2026)

Section 5.6.5 of the Unified Development Code lets a day care facility locate in certain residential districts shown on the Use Table only if the site abuts and draws access from an Arterial or Collector street, and any facility sited within a residential district must clear Site Plan Review under Section 3.7 for approval or expansion. The operator must meet "State licensing requirements... including those pertaining to building, fire, safety and health codes," layered on top of the City's own zoning approval. Outdoor play or activity areas must be fenced or otherwise enclosed on all sides as approved by the Executive Director and built on developable land, excluding driveways, parking areas or drop-off areas from the fenced footprint.

The Code also requires an on-site vehicle turnaround, or separate entrance and exit points, plus passenger loading and unloading areas, so pickup traffic doesn't back into the street. When a day care shares a lot with other commercial uses, such as inside a shopping center, its parking and drop-off areas must function independently and stay physically separated from the general parking and circulation pattern of neighboring stores. In residential districts, the Code bars structural or decorative changes that would alter the exterior residential character of a house converted to day care use, and any new or remodeled structure must stay compatible with the surrounding neighborhood's residential look.