Garland, TX Building Safety: Childcare Center Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit issuer
- City Health Authority
- Permit duration
- 1 year from issuance
- Fee source
- Master Fee Schedule, Ch. 10 § 10.85
- Appeal deadline
- 10 days after notice of denial/revocation
- Revocation bar
- 36 months, no new permit
- Records retention
- 3 months after child leaves care
Summary
Garland requires every child care center to hold a valid permit from the Health Authority before operating, with no permit transferable between owners or sites. Operating without one, or altering a permit, is a criminal offense under Chapter 22, Article IX of the city code.
§ 22.161. Permit required. No person shall operate a child care center without a valid permit issued by the health authority. ... § 22.169. Enforcement, permits, and inspections. (A) General offenses. A person commits an offense if the person operates or causes to be operated a child care center within the City in violation of any provision of this article. (B) Permit required. (1) Generally. A person commits an offense if the person operates or causes to be operated a child care center within the City without having first obtained a permit issued by the health authority. Permits are not transferable. A valid permit shall be posted in plain view of parents in every child care center.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4862189; v40 updated 2026-05-19).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 22, Article IX of the Garland Code of Ordinances regulates child care centers citywide. 85. Applications go to the health authority in writing and must list the owner's name, phone, fax and address (or, for a partnership or corporation, each general partner or the registered agent); an incomplete or false application gets a written denial with reasons. Permits run one year from issuance. 166(A), and can revoke one for a false application statement, an aggravated violation, or repeated noncompliance. Revocation notice goes out by certified mail, personal service, or courier-receipted delivery, and the permit holder has ten days to file a written appeal with the City Manager, who must decide within ten days of the hearing; that decision is final.
A revocation locks out the permit holder and any of its officers, directors or partners from getting a new permit for 36 months. The article also sets operational standards enforced through the same permit: an annual fire inspection with a report kept onsite, monthly fire drills and semiannual severe-weather drills documented for three years, six-foot self-latching pool enclosure fencing, and records retained for at least three months after a child's last day in care.
Violations & Fines
Operating a child care center without a permit, or in violation of any provision of Article IX, is a criminal offense under Section 22.169(A)-(B). Counterfeiting, forging, defacing or altering a permit is separately unlawful. The health authority may suspend a permit immediately for an imminent health hazard, or revoke it for a false statement, an aggravated violation, or repeated noncompliance, with a 36-month bar on reissuance to the same holder, director, officer or partner following revocation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Garland require a permit for a home-based child care?
Can Garland revoke a child care center permit immediately?
How does a permit holder appeal a revocation in Garland?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Garland
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Childcare Center Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Dallas County handle childcare center rules.