Centennial, CO Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)

Family child care homes are a limited use in Centennial. Table 12-2-302 marks them "L" in the AG, RS, RA, RU, NC, NI, CG, AC, UC and EC-MU zoning districts and prohibits them in EC-N, EC-LI, BP, I, ED and OSR. Section 12-2-405 says the homes are permitted pursuant to its standards, and those standards apply in addition to the other applicable standards of the Land Development Code. The Code defines the use as a facility for child care in a place of residence of a caregiver that provides less than twenty-four-hour care for children under the age of eighteen years who are not related to the head of the home. The definition covers infant-toddler child care homes, large child care homes and experienced provider child care homes, plus any other type designated by rules under Sec. 26-6-106(2)(p), Colorado Revised Statutes. The Code also excludes family child care homes from its definition of a home-based business, so this Section is the rulebook for the use.

State agencies control the two numbers that matter most. Subsection B requires a license under the applicable rules of the State Department of Human Services, and subsection C ties the maximum capacity of the home to the capacity established by the State Department of Early Childhood. Subsection C makes the cap whatever the state establishes for that home.

The remaining standards protect the residential look of the block. Subsection D bans signs advertising the business, modifications to the principal building that alter its residential character, accessory structures that alter the residential character of the lot, new separate entrances visible from the street that provide access only to the business area, and outdoor displays. Subsection E bans parking of commercial vehicles outside enclosed garages and bars more than one employee at the home who does not reside in the home.

Subsection F requires every family child care home to register with the City. The licensee describes the nature of the business and certifies that it will comply with all of the standards of the Section. Subsection G confirms that the Section does not override private covenants that prohibit the use of the home for family child care, but the City will not research or enforce them, as Section 12-1-303 provides.