Carrollton, TX Building Safety: Childcare Center Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required
- City Council Special Use Permit (Art. 21)
- Space standard
- TAC Ch. 746 minimum indoor/outdoor space
- Default hours
- 6:00 am to 12:00 midnight
- Stacking trigger
- Drop-off under 250 ft from entrance
- Traffic study trigger
- Enrollment of 80+ students
- Max fine
- $2,000 per day (Art. 36)
- Governing ordinance
- Ord. No. 38391, 12/11/18
Summary
Child day care centers in Carrollton need a City Council-approved Special Use Permit and must meet Texas Administrative Code Chapter 746 space standards under Article 21 of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance. Default hours run 6:00 a.m. to midnight, stacking spaces are required when drop-off sits under 250 feet from the entrance, and enrollment of 80 or more students triggers a traffic impact analysis.
Child day care centers shall provide minimum indoor and outdoor space requirements, as required by the Texas Administrative Code, Chapter 746 Minimum Standards for Child-Care Centers and all other applicable laws. Hours of operation for day care centers shall be determined on a case-by-case basis. Where a Special Use Permit has been established allowing a day care center, and where the applicable hours of operation have not been identified, the hours of operation are limited to the period between 6:00 am and 12:00 midnight. Where the front entrance or designated student disembarkation point of a child daycare center is less than 250 feet from the main entrance of the site, off-street vehicle stacking spaces shall be provided in accordance with Article 24 of this ordinance. A Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) is required for all day care centers with an enrollment of 80 or more students.
Full Breakdown
a of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance (updated April 2026) sets the special conditions a child day care center must meet to obtain a Special Use Permit, first adopted for this use by Ordinance No. 1705 in 1991 and last amended by Ordinance No. 4035 in 2021, with the current subsection language from Ordinance No. 38391 (December 11, 2018). A center must provide the minimum indoor and outdoor space required by Texas Administrative Code Chapter 746, the state's Minimum Standards for Child-Care Centers, and all other applicable laws.
through 12:00 midnight, decided case-by-case at approval. Where the front entrance or designated student drop-off point sits less than 250 feet from the site's main entrance, the operator must provide off-street vehicle stacking spaces under Article 24. Centers with an enrollment of 80 or more students must submit a Traffic Impact Analysis. Under Article 21, Section C, the SUP process itself runs through the Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council after a public hearing, and the property must comply with the City's electrical, fire, plumbing and building codes on top of the zoning conditions; the City Council can also impose additional restrictions as a condition of the permit.
Article 31, Section A requires a Certificate of Occupancy before the space can be used, confirming compliance with both the building codes and the zoning ordinance.
Violations & Fines
A center that operates outside its SUP hours, skips required stacking spaces, or opens without the required Traffic Impact Analysis is in violation of the zoning ordinance. Article 36 makes any such violation a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $2,000, with each day of continuing violation a separate offense, and owners, builders and agents involved can each be charged separately. The City Manager or Designee may also suspend or revoke the center's Certificate of Occupancy under Article 31, Section A.5.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Carrollton child daycare center need a zoning permit?
What hours can a Carrollton daycare center operate?
When does a Carrollton daycare center need a traffic study?
What happens if a daycare center violates its Special Use Permit conditions?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Carrollton
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