Wichita, KS Building Safety: Childcare Center Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- State license required
- Kansas Dept. of Health and Environment
- Home-based operators
- Also need city home occupation license
- Inspecting agency
- Dept. of Environmental Services / Health Officer
- Max penalty
- $1,000 fine, 6 months jail
Summary
Wichita requires every child care facility to hold a state license or registration plus, for home-based operations, a city home occupation license before opening.
No person shall operate a child care facility within the city limits without first having secured a license from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. No person shall operate a family day care home or a child care facility that is a day care home, or group day care home within the city limits without first having registered or licensed the facility through the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and securing a home occupation license from the Office of Central Inspection.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 35).
Full Breakdown
The Code of the City of Wichita bars operating a child care facility without first securing a license from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Family day care homes and day care/group day care homes also need a city home occupation license from the Office of Central Inspection. The city's Department of Environmental Services can inspect any covered facility during operating hours and enforces the state's child care operating standards, which the city incorporates by reference.
Violations & Fines
Operating unlicensed, or interfering with or refusing to identify yourself to the Health Officer during an inspection, is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine and/or 6 months in jail, with each day a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Wichita license child care facilities itself?
Can the city inspect a licensed day care?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Wichita
Compare Wichita to another location·View the Kansas building safety overview
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