Long Beach, CA Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)
Key Facts
- Small family daycare
- Allowed accessory use, no conditions
- Large family daycare
- Allowed, subject to 5 conditions
- Residency
- Prime provider must live on-site
- Signage
- None beyond standard residential allowance
- Home occupation status
- Exempt from § 21.51.235 rules
Summary
Long Beach zoning treats small family daycare homes as an automatically allowed accessory use and large family daycare homes as allowed too, provided the operator lives on-site under Municipal Code § 21.51.230. Providers need a State license, can't post extra signage, and must meet residential parking and Chapter 8.80 noise standards.
Small family daycare homes are an allowed accessory use. Large family daycare homes are an allowed accessory use, provided: A. The prime daycare provider shall reside in the residence; B. The daycare provider shall obtain the required State licenses; C. No sign shall be displayed other than those signs allowed for all residences as provided in Subsection 21.44.230.B and Table 44-2; D. All required parking for the residential use shall be maintained as required for all residents in Sections 21.27.090 and 21.41.170; and E. The use shall comply with all City noise regulations (Chapter 8.80). Neither small nor large family daycare homes are home occupations regulated by Section 21.51.235.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Supplement 52 Update 1 | City Charter: Supplement 5).
Full Breakdown
230 splits family childcare into two allowed categories rather than requiring a discretionary permit for either: small family daycare homes are an allowed accessory use outright, and large family daycare homes are likewise allowed, subject to five conditions. The prime daycare provider must reside in the residence, an absentee owner leasing to an outside operator doesn't qualify for the accessory-use exemption. The provider must hold the required State license. B and Table 44-2 already permit for any residence, meaning a daycare can't advertise itself with dedicated signage the way a home occupation business might.
170 for all residents, so converting a garage to daycare space that eliminates required parking would violate the section. 80. 235 home-occupation rules, daycare gets its own standalone accessory-use track rather than being folded into the employee, visitor and signage caps that apply to other home enterprises.
Violations & Fines
Operating a large family daycare home without the on-site provider requirement, State license, or required parking, or violating the noise standards of Chapter 8.80, is a zoning violation under LBMC § 1.32.060: a notice of violation with a 10-day cure period, then escalating $100 and $250 infraction citations, and a $1,000 misdemeanor fine for continued or recurring noncompliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a special permit to run a home daycare in Long Beach?
Can I put up a sign advertising my home daycare?
Does a home daycare count as a home occupation in Long Beach?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Long Beach
California rules heatmap·Compare Long Beach to another location·View the California home business overview
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Home Daycare in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle home daycare.