Broomfield, CO Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)
Key Facts
- Maximum children
- 12 total, including provider's own
- Licensing agency
- Colorado Dept. of Early Childhood
- Vehicle limit
- 2 at a time (over 15 min.)
- Exempt from
- General (C) area/sign rules
- Governing section
- § 17-32-020(D)(1)-(5)
Summary
Family child care homes are allowed in Broomfield dwellings as home occupations, exempt from the usual home-occupation size and signage rules, but they must be state-licensed and cap out at twelve children total. Section 17-32-020(D) sets the licensing, headcount, and vehicle conditions.
(D)Family child care homes, as defined below, shall be allowed as home occupations, subject to the following regulations, except that family child care homes are not subject to the requirements of sections 17-32-020(C), B.M.C., but shall comply with the following:(1)Family child care homes must be licensed by the state and comply with all state regulations promulgated by the Colorado Department of Early Childhood, and all local zoning and building regulations.(2)Family child care homes may care for no more than twelve children total, including any children of the provider under twelve years of age, at any one time.
Full Breakdown
Section 17-32-020(D) carves family child care homes out of the general home-occupation restrictions in subsection (C), such as the one-half-first-floor area cap and the vehicle limits in (C)(7)-(9), and replaces them with a dedicated set of rules. Clause (D)(1) requires the home to be licensed by the state and to comply with all regulations the Colorado Department of Early Childhood has promulgated, plus all local zoning and building rules. Clause (D)(2) caps enrollment at twelve children total at any one time, counting any of the provider's own children under age twelve.
Clause (D)(3) allows rear-yard storage of playground equipment, swing sets, toys, and similar outdoor-activity items connected to the care home, which is otherwise the kind of exterior storage the general home-occupation rule in (C)(5) forbids. Clause (D)(4) limits patron and employee vehicles associated with an immediately adjacent large family child care home to two parked at the dwelling site or on the street at a time, except for stops of fifteen minutes or less to load or unload. Clause (D)(5) requires that use to stay clearly incidental and secondary to the home's residential character and not change the character of the area.
Because the exemption from (C) is explicit, a licensed family child care home does not need a separate use permit from the city; compliance turns on the state license and these five numbered conditions.
Violations & Fines
Operating a family child care home without the required state license, exceeding the twelve-child cap, or exceeding the vehicle limits under (D)(4) is enforced under the citywide general penalty, section 1-12-020: a fine up to $2,650.00, up to 364 days in jail, or both, with each day of noncompliance a separate offense. A revoked or lapsed state license also removes the home occupation exemption entirely.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many kids can a Broomfield home daycare care for?
Does a home daycare need a Broomfield business permit?
Can a home daycare keep outdoor play equipment in the yard?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Broomfield
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