Lincoln, NE Building Safety: Childcare Center Rules (2026)

The Health Department administers a separate track for facility construction: before a new, relocated, or remodeled child care program opens, the operator must submit architectural plans or to-scale drawings of the premises to the Health Director, who reviews them within thirty days. This sits alongside the annual certificate-of-compliance inspection under LMC Chapter 8.14. Physical build standards elsewhere in the chapter require infant rooms to have a dedicated diapering surface and permanently plumbed hand sink, and playground equipment with a fall height over six feet or a fall zone deeper than 24 inches must sit on resilient surfacing, not sand, dirt, grass, or concrete.