Prescott Valley, AZ Building Safety: Childcare Center Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Classification
- Group R-3 for the qualifying child day care facility
- Children served
- Not less than five and no more than ten, through age twelve
- Hours of care
- Less than 24 hours per day
- Room condition
- Child care rooms on the level of exit discharge
- Exit condition
- Each child care room has an exit door directly to the exterior
- Deleted provisions
- Day care within places of religious worship, Sections 305.2.1 and 308.5.2
Summary
In the Town of Prescott Valley, Arizona, a child day care facility serving not less than five and no more than ten children through age twelve for less than 24 hours per day is classified Group R-3, if every child care room is on the level of exit discharge with its own exterior exit door. The rule is in Town Code § 7-02-030.
C. SECTION 305, EDUCATIONAL GROUP E, Subsection 305.2, Group E, Day Care Facilities, Subsubsection 305.2.1, Within Places of Religious Worship, is hereby deleted in its entirety. D. SECTION 305, EDUCATIONAL GROUP E, Subsection 305.2, Group E, Day Care Facilities, is hereby amended by adding the following Exception, to read as follows: SECTION 305 - EDUCATIONAL GROUP E 305.2 Group E, Day Care Facilities. Exception: A child day care facility complying with the requirements of ARS 36-897 et seq. and providing child care for less than 24 hours per day for not less than five (5) children but no more than ten (10) children through the age of twelve years shall be classified as Group R-3, provided that all child care rooms are located on the level of exit discharge and each child care room has an exit door directly to the exterior. ... 310.4 Residential Group R-3. ... Adult and child care facilities that provide accommodations for five or fewer persons of any age.
Full Breakdown
Child care in Prescott Valley is handled through the Town's amendments to the International Building Code in § 7-02-030, not through a standalone day care chapter. The Town deleted the model code's provisions for day care inside places of religious worship: Subsubsection 305.2.1 under Group E and Subsubsection 308.5.2 under Group I-4 are each deleted in their entirety.
In their place, the Town added an identical Exception to both Section 305.2 (Group E, Day Care Facilities) and Section 308.5 (Group I-4, Day Care Facilities). A child day care facility that complies with ARS 36-897 et seq., provides child care for less than 24 hours per day, and cares for not less than five (5) children but no more than ten (10) children through the age of twelve years is classified as Group R-3. Two conditions attach: all child care rooms must be located on the level of exit discharge, and each child care room must have an exit door directly to the exterior.
Smaller operations are addressed in Section 310.4, which the Town rewrote so that Group R-3 includes adult and child care facilities that provide accommodations for five or fewer persons of any age. Adult and child care facilities within a single-family home are permitted to comply with the International Residential Code in accordance with Section 101.2 of the International Building Code.
The classification is only the first step. Under § 7-01-190(A), no building can be used or occupied, and no change in occupancy classification made, until the building official has issued a certificate of occupancy, and § 7-01-190(B) requires a change in the character or use of a building to comply with all applicable codes for the new use. The building permit and inspection steps of §§ 7-01-140 and 7-01-180 apply to the build-out. The zoning chapter separately treats in-home child care with no more than five children in the home at one time as a conditional home occupation, and prohibits in-home child care with six or more children as a home occupation.
Violations & Fines
Operating a child care facility in a building without the required permits, inspections or certificate of occupancy violates Chapter 7 of the Town Code. Under § 7-01-130, a guilty person commits a class 1 misdemeanor, punishable by a fine not to exceed $2,500.00, imprisonment not to exceed six months, or both, and each day is a separate offense. The civil sanction is up to $250.00. The Town Council, Town Manager, Town Attorney or building official can also seek an injunction or abatement.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is a child day care facility classified in Prescott Valley?
What building conditions apply to those rooms?
Can I run a day care out of my home in Prescott Valley?
Do I need a certificate of occupancy for a child care center?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Prescott Valley
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