Grand Rapids, MI Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)
Key Facts
- City license
- Not required for exempt daycares
- Covers
- Family & Group Child Care Homes
- Statutory basis
- MCL 125.3102, Zoning Enabling Act
- Code location
- Chapter 116, § 7.641
Summary
State-licensed family and group child care homes in Grand Rapids are fully exempt from the City's Home Occupation licensing chapter.
a state licensed "Family Child Care Home" or a state licensed "Group Child Care Home" or any "state licensed residential facility" as defined by MCL 125.3102 of the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act located in a private residence shall not be defined as a Home Occupation, and shall not be subject to the licensing requirements of this Chapter.
(Ord. No. 2010-32, § 1, 6-22-10; Ord. No. 2010-52, § 1, 9-14-10; Ord. No. 2013-75, § 2, 11-19-13; Ord. No. 2014-66, § 2, 8-26-14; Ord. No. 2015-11, § 1, 2-24-15)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 70).
Full Breakdown
Section 7.641 closes with a carve-out: a state-licensed 'Family Child Care Home,' a state-licensed 'Group Child Care Home,' or any 'state licensed residential facility' under MCL 125.3102 of the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act, when located in a private residence, is not defined as a Home Occupation and is not subject to Chapter 116's licensing requirements at all. These providers answer to Michigan's own child care licensing scheme instead of City home-business rules.
Violations & Fines
None run through Chapter 116 for exempt providers; oversight of licensing compliance sits with the State of Michigan's child care licensing program, not the City Clerk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a Grand Rapids home occupation license to run a home daycare?
Does the City still regulate my in-home daycare?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Grand Rapids
Compare Grand Rapids to another location·View the Michigan home business overview
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Home Daycare in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Kent County handle home daycare.