Chula Vista, CA Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)
Key Facts
- Small family day care
- 8 or fewer children
- Large family day care
- 9 to 14 children
- Zoning status
- Principal permitted use, no CUP
- Governing sections
- CVMC 19.24.020(D); 19.04.002
- Landlord notice
- Written notice required if renting
- 2023 change
- CVMC 19.58.147 repealed by Ord. 3544
Summary
Chula Vista treats licensed family day care homes as a right, not a special use: CVMC 19.24.020(D) lists 'small and large family day care homes' as a principal permitted use in the R-1 zone, matched in the R-E, R-2, and R-3 zones, with no conditional use permit required since the City repealed its separate large-family-day-care standards in 2023.
19.24.020 Permitted uses. Principal permitted uses in the R-1 zone include: ... D. Small and large family day care homes. (Ord. 3544 § 6, 2023...). / 19.04.002: 'Family day care' means regularly provided care, protection and supervision of 14 or fewer children in the state-licensed provider's own home, for periods of less than 24 hours per day, while the parents or guardians are away; provided, that the licensee of such family day care home who rents or leases their home shall notify the property owner or landlord in writing that they are operating a family day care home in the rented or leased property. 'Family day care home, large' means...nine to 14 children, inclusive... 'Family day care home, small' means...eight or fewer children...
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 3623, passed May 19, 2026).
Full Breakdown
002 as regularly provided care, protection and supervision of 14 or fewer children in the state-licensed provider's own home, for periods of less than 24 hours per day, while the parents or guardians are away, splitting the category into a 'small' home (eight or fewer children, including any who live there) and a 'large' home (nine to 14 children, inclusive). The definition also carries a distinctive local disclosure duty: a provider who rents or leases the home used for day care must notify the property owner or landlord in writing that they are operating a family day care home in the rented or leased property.
020(J)). This reflects a 2023 ordinance (Ord. 147, folding both size tiers directly into each zone's permitted-use list instead of subjecting large homes to separate site standards or a conditional use permit. A day care home still needs its state child care license from the California Department of Social Services, but Chula Vista's own zoning code no longer imposes an added local approval layer beyond the underlying residential use.
Violations & Fines
Operating a day care home for more children than the small (eight) or large (14) caps allow, or without the required state license, falls outside the permitted use and is enforceable as a zoning violation under CVMC 1.20.010 -- an infraction (up to $100 for a first offense) or misdemeanor (up to $1,000 and/or six months in jail), with each day of continued noncompliance a separate offense. A landlord notified of unlicensed day care use in a leased home can also pursue standard lease remedies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Chula Vista home day care need a conditional use permit?
How many kids can a large family day care home in Chula Vista have?
Do I have to tell my landlord if I run a day care in my rental?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chula Vista
California rules heatmap·Compare Chula Vista to another location·View the California home business overview
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