Dearborn, MI Building Safety: Childcare Center Rules (2026)

G, "Group day care home, child care center," sets the site standards that apply on top of Michigan Department of Social Services licensing. Every facility must first be registered with or licensed by the state and must comply with the state's minimum care standards. 00 standards. Centers must front onto a thoroughfare or collector road constructed to City standards, not a local residential street, and must maintain a minimum side yard setback of 25 feet, well above the standard residential side yard. G. 03) separately defines "child care center" as a facility other than a private residence that receives preschool or school-age children for care periods under 24 hours a day where parents are not immediately available, including centers that provide at least two consecutive weeks of care regardless of daily hours; this covers day care centers, day nurseries, nursery schools, parent cooperative preschools, play groups, and drop-in centers.

01: one space per teacher, administrator, or other employee, plus one space per 400 square feet of usable floor area, with the ordinance also requiring that sufficient area be set aside on-site for safe child drop-off and pick-up that will not disrupt traffic.