Folsom, CA Building Safety: Childcare Center Rules (2026)

Chapter 5.100 sets the administrative permit standards for large family day care homes, defined under Section 5.100.020(D) as licensed family day care serving more than eight and up to fourteen children in the provider's own home. Section 5.100.050(F), 'Indoor Areas,' requires that all indoor areas where children are regularly present and cared for comply with the city's building and zoning codes, and makes that compliance subject to inspection and approval by the city's building department and fire marshal, not just a self-certification by the provider.

That inspection requirement carries through to permit issuance: under Section 5.100.060(B)(3), the director cannot approve an administrative permit unless the proposed location 'has a current fire department occupancy permit and has received a fire and life safety inspection.' Section 5.100.040(B) makes clear that getting the administrative permit does not excuse compliance with the building code, fire code, or any other city or state licensing requirement that otherwise applies to the home. Garage conversions are barred outright as a way to create daycare space (Section 5.100.050(L)), closing off a common route providers might otherwise take to add square footage without a building permit.

These building-safety conditions sit alongside operational standards in the same section, including an 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. limit on outdoor activity noise, mandatory on-street parking for drop-off and pick-up, and a requirement that the day care remain the provider's principal residence.