Douglas County, CO Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)
Key Facts
- Small day-care home cap
- Six children (nine with state license)
- Large day-care home range
- Seven to 12 children
- Small home approval
- Accessory use, no permit needed
- Large home/center approval
- Board special review required, § 1-2107
- Large-use lot size
- 10,000 sq ft minimum
- Large-use fencing
- 6-ft solid fence around play yard
Summary
Unincorporated Douglas County lets a small home daycare, up to six children (nine with a state license), operate as an accessory use alongside a house in every residential zone district, no separate zoning approval required. Once a home cares for seven to twelve children it becomes a "large" day-care home, which needs Board-approved special review, a 10,000-square-foot lot, and a six-foot fence around the play yard.
Day-care center, preschool, or day-care home – large: A-1, LRR, RR, ER, SR, MF, and MH zone districts, provided that such uses shall be situated on a lot of not less than 10,000 square feet and that a solid fence or wall six feet in height shall completely surround the yard used for playground purposes.
13. Dude ranch: A-1 zone district.
14. Event center:
A. CMTY and D zone districts, subject to the following additional requirement:
(1) A noise study shall be submitted demonstrating compliance with the limits established in § 1-1703A of the Noise Overlay District.
B. A-1 zone district, subject to the following additional requirements:
(1) Structures used for the event center shall be of a scale and design that is compatible with the surrounding rural environment.
(2) Structures, outdoor assembly areas, and parking lots used for the event center shall be set back a minimum of 200 feet from all adjacent property lines.
(3) Noise generated by the event center use shall not result in noise levels which exceed 40 dB(A) between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., and 35 dB(A) between 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., measured in accordance with § 1-1705A.
(4) A noise study shall be submitted demonstrating compliance with the event center noise standard.
(5) In addition to the management plan components specified in § 1-2112, operational limitations for the event center shall address the following:
(a) Maximum number of event patrons.
(b)
Full Breakdown
Douglas County Code § 1-3602 splits home childcare into two tiers. A "small" day-care home cares for up to six children or adults, including the provider's own, plus two additional school-age children before or after school hours and on non-school days; with a Colorado Department of Human Services experienced-provider license, that cap rises to nine. A "large" day-care home covers seven to twelve children or adults. The accessory-use lists in every residential zone district, A-1 (§ 1-303), LRR (§ 1-403), RR (§ 1-503), ER (§ 1-603), SR (§ 1-703), MF (§ 1-803), and MH (§ 1-903), name "Day-care home - small" as a use allowed automatically once a principal residence exists on the lot, with no separate permit, hearing, or Site Improvement Plan required.
A "large" day-care home or day-care center is not automatic: § 1-2107, Allowed Uses by Special Review, lists "Day-care center, preschool, or day-care home - large" in the A-1, LRR, RR, ER, SR, MF, and MH districts, but only provided the use sits on a lot of not less than 10,000 square feet with a solid fence or wall six feet in height completely surrounding the playground yard. That application goes to the Board of County Commissioners under Part 21's special-review process, not to staff, and can be denied, conditioned, or capped on hours and enrollment. A day-care center/preschool, a commercial facility rather than a residence-based day-care home, falls under the same large-use special-review track regardless of enrollment size.
Violations & Fines
Running a large day-care home (seven to twelve children) without the Board's special-review approval, or without meeting the 10,000-square-foot lot and six-foot playground fence standard in § 1-2107, is an unpermitted use the Community Development Department can cite as a zoning violation, triggering a stop-use order before children can resume being cared for on-site. Exceeding six children in a "small" home without the Department of Human Services experienced-provider license risks the same enforcement, since the extra capacity depends on that state license existing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many children can I watch out of my home in unincorporated Douglas County without a permit?
What if I want to care for more than nine children?
Does Highlands Ranch have its own home-daycare rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Douglas County
Compare Douglas County to another location·View the Colorado home business overview
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