Santa Clara, CA Building Safety: Childcare Center Rules (2026)

070 of the Title 18 Zoning Code applies to Child Day Care Centers, the commercial category of licensed child care distinct from small in-home Family Daycare Homes covered separately under state law. The section requires access only from a collector or arterial street, or a local street if the street is developed primarily with businesses, steering center traffic away from purely residential blocks. Play areas must sit at least five feet from adjacent property lines and be separated from any contiguous residential yard by a six-foot-high solid fence or wall, and the same five-foot setback applies to outdoor play equipment, which additionally cannot be placed in front yards at all.

On capacity, the code requires a minimum of 75 square feet of outdoor activity space for each ambulatory child, and that outdoor area must be owned or leased by the applicant; it cannot be shared with other property owners unless the joint owners grant permission. The Review Authority can also attach additional conditions it deems reasonable and necessary to satisfy the section's purpose. Under the City's permit table, Child Day Care Centers require a Minor Use Permit (MUP) in the applicable zones, meaning the Zoning Administrator or Planning Commission reviews and can condition or deny the application, unlike the ministerial Zoning Clearance used for smaller in-home care.

These standards apply in addition to, not instead of, the licensing requirements the California Department of Social Services imposes on the facility's operations, staffing ratios, and safety protocols.