Yuma, AZ Building Safety: Childcare Center Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Large day care threshold
- 6 or more children (§154-01.07)
- Separation from similar facility
- 1,320 feet
- Play area fencing
- 5-ft solid wall, self-latching gate
- Pool requirement
- must meet AZ Pool Safety Codes
- Licensing
- State Dept. of Health Services required
- Review path
- Planning and Zoning Commission conditional use
Summary
A day care serving six or more children in a Yuma residential zone needs a conditional use permit and must meet fixed safety standards: state licensing, a five-foot self-latching fence around any outdoor play area, and code-compliant pool barriers. Large facilities also can't sit within 1,320 feet of another day care or care home in a residential district.
CHILD DAY CARE SERVICES, LARGE. Establishments primarily engaged in the care of six or more infants or children under 18 years of age... Establishments of this type located within any residential districts shall not be located within 1,320 feet of a child day care services (large), a nursing care facility, large or small or a residential care facility, large or small that are also located within any residential district (SIC 8351). ... (c) There shall be no swimming pool on the site, unless the pool is in compliance with the current adopted Pool Safety Codes per the Arizona Revised Statutes; (d) Any outside play area shall be enclosed by a five foot high solid wall or fence with self-latching gate; (e) There shall be no structural additions or equipment not customarily in a residential dwelling, excepting those modifications required under state licensing, building code or fire code regulations pertaining to this class of child day care service;
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-74: Current through May 20, 2026).
Full Breakdown
07 defines CHILD DAY CARE SERVICES, LARGE as care for six or more children, and bars a large facility in a residential district from locating within 1,320 feet of another large day care, or a nursing care or residential care facility, large or small, also sited in a residential district. 05(G)(2). 04(E)(1), the facility must be licensed by the State Department of Health Services; any swimming pool on site must comply with Arizona's adopted Pool Safety Codes; any outdoor play area must be enclosed by a five-foot solid wall or fence with a self-latching gate; and no structural additions or equipment beyond what's customary in a residential dwelling are allowed, except modifications required by state licensing, building code or fire code rules for that class of day care.
The Commission can layer on further conditions covering setback, lot coverage, off-street parking, screening and hours of operation as part of the conditional use approval.
Violations & Fines
Operating a large day care center without the required conditional use permit, or outside its approved conditions, is a zoning violation under §154-999, a class 1 misdemeanor punishable by a fine up to $1,000, up to ten days' imprisonment, or both, with each day of continued violation a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far must a large day care center be from another one in Yuma?
What safety features does Yuma require for a large day care center?
Can a large day care add buildings or equipment beyond a normal house?
Does Yuma review large day care applications case by case?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Yuma
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