Loveland, CO Building Safety: Childcare Center Rules (2026)

Loveland's amendments to the adopted 2021 International Building Code, at § 15.08.020, carve out a specific building-classification path for in-home child care. Amended Section 308.5 exempts a residential structure from a building permit if it is licensed by the State of Colorado and meets Colorado Department of Human Services rules on "Child Care Facility Licensing" at 12 CCR 2509-8 § 7.707.22; a structure that does not meet that state licensing rule is classified as an Institutional Group I-4 day care facility under Chapter 3 of the IBC, which triggers the fuller commercial building code.

The same amendment rewrites Section 508.5, "Home Occupations and Family Child Care Homes," to spell out two size tiers: Section 508.5.3 exempts a Family Child Care Home serving one to six children from a permit, and Section 508.5.4 exempts a Large Family Child Care Home serving seven to twelve children, both conditioned on complying with the state licensing rule at 12 CCR 2509-8 § 7.707.22. The definition of "Family Child Care Home" itself is not written locally; § 15.08.020(U) points operators to the state definition at C.R.S. § 26-6-102(13) and to the licensing types detailed in 12 CCR 2509-8 § 7.707.

A minor home occupation that meets Loveland's zoning rules is regulated under the adopted Residential Code, while a major home occupation not classified as R-3 must meet the International Existing Building Code as a change of occupancy or the full IBC.