El Monte, CA Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)
Key Facts
- Small daycare
- Fewer than 9 children: permitted by-right
- Large daycare
- 9-14 children: needs Director Zoning Clearance
- Where it applies
- R-1A, R-1B, R-1C one-family zones
- Review path
- Processed by Planning Division under Ch. 17.120
- Citywide table
- Same P/Z split repeated in Table 17.A-1
Summary
El Monte treats a small family day care home, up to nine children, as a permitted by-right use in every one-family zone (R-1A, R-1B, R-1C) under Table 17.20-1, the same as a single-family house. A large family day care home, nine to 14 children, needs a Director-Level Zoning Clearance before it can open, per Section 17.20.040.
Table 17.20-1—Permitted Uses—One-family Dwelling Zoning Districts ... Community Care Uses ... Family daycare home— Small, less than nine children P P P Large, nine to 14 children Z Z Z ... Key: P Use permitted by-right. C Use permitted after review and approval of a Conditional Use Permit (CUP). Z Use permitted after review and approval of a Director Level Zoning Clearance (ZCD).
Full Breakdown
040, sets out the permitted-use matrix for the city's three one-family dwelling zoning districts: R-1A, R-1B and R-1C. Under the 'Community Care Uses' portion of that table, a 'Family daycare home—Small, less than nine children' carries a 'P' designation in all three districts, meaning it's permitted by-right with no discretionary review, exactly like the underlying single-family dwelling use. 120, rather than a public-hearing Conditional Use Permit; it sits below the 'C' designation used elsewhere in the same table for uses like a large adult day care home (7 to 12 adults) or a large group home, which do require a Conditional Use Permit.
A-1 applies the identical P/Z split to family day care homes across the rest of the city's zoning districts. 020(B), no land in El Monte can be used for any purpose other than one listed as permitted in its zoning district, so operating a large family day care home without first obtaining the Director-Level Zoning Clearance would put the property out of compliance with that permitted-use table.
Violations & Fines
Running a large family day care home (nine to 14 children) without first securing the Director-Level Zoning Clearance required by Table 17.20-1 violates Section 17.10.020(B), which limits land use to what's listed as permitted in the applicable zoning district; that puts the operation in the same unpermitted-use category as any other business run without its required zoning entitlement, subject to the city's standard code enforcement and abatement process through the Community Development Director.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I run a home daycare in my El Monte house without a permit?
What if I want to care for more than nine children?
Is a home daycare treated differently from a group home?
Where is this rule written?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in El Monte
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Home Daycare in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle home daycare.