Stanislaus County, CA Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)

Under Stanislaus County Zoning Ordinance definitions (Section 21.12.225), a “family day care home” regularly provides care for 14 or fewer children in the provider's own home for periods under 24 hours; a “small” family day care home serves eight or fewer children (per California Health and Safety Code Section 1597.44) and a “large” family day care home serves 7 to 14 children (per Health and Safety Code Section 1597.465). The County's residential and rural-residential district provisions list small family day care homes (eight or fewer) as a permitted use and large family day care homes (7 through 14) subject to printed criteria: one off-street parking space per employee plus two spaces, the two additional spaces arranged so vehicles head in and out without using the public road to maneuver, and no other day care facility for more than eight persons within 300 feet of the property's exterior boundary. Note that California state law preempts local discretion here: Health and Safety Code Section 1597.46, as amended by SB 234 (2019), provides that the use of a home as a small OR large family day care home is a residential use and a use by right for purposes of all local ordinances, including zoning, so a county may not require a discretionary use permit and must classify these homes as a permitted residential use. Family day care homes are also licensed by the California Department of Social Services. Operators should confirm current parking and fire/life-safety expectations with the County Planning Department (209.525.6330).