Manitou Springs, CO Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)
Key Facts
- Definition
- Family child care home for 2-6 children
- State cross-reference
- C.R.S. § 26-6-102(4)
- Zoning treatment
- Not regulated as a Home Occupation
- Key condition
- Must be operator's primary residence
- Outdoor play
- Expressly allowed outside the dwelling
Summary
A family child care home for two to six children is exempt from Manitou Springs' Home Occupation permit and standards entirely, as long as the daycare operator's own residence is the home where the daycare runs; the outdoor play areas that come with childcare are also expressly allowed.
A.Defined. A family child care home, as defined in § 26-6-102(4), C.R.S., for two or more but no more than six children. ... 1.Home Daycares are permitted and shall not be regulated as Home Occupations provided that the Home Daycare is also the primary residence of the operator. ... and Daycare Homes may utilize outdoor play areas.
Full Breakdown
, for two or more but no more than six children. 4(B)(1) removes it entirely: Home Daycares are permitted and shall not be regulated as Home Occupations, provided the Home Daycare is also the primary residence of the operator. That single condition, the operator actually living where the daycare runs, is what unlocks the exemption; a daycare run out of a house where the licensee does not live would not qualify for this carve-out. customer-visit window. 4(C)(2)(ix) states that Daycare Homes may utilize outdoor play areas, an exception carved out from the general rule confining Home Occupation activity to the enclosed dwelling, accessory structure, or garage.
Violations & Fines
Because Home Daycares are removed from the Home Occupation chapter altogether when the primary-residence condition is met, they are not subject to that chapter's permit-violation penalties for the exempted activity itself; a daycare that does not meet the primary-residence condition, however, defaults back into Home Occupation regulation and its permit requirement, and noncompliance there is enforceable under the citywide general penalty, § 1.01.100(A), up to a $2,650 fine, ninety days in jail, or both.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a home daycare in Manitou Springs need a Home Occupation Permit?
How many children can a Manitou Springs home daycare have?
Can daycare kids play outside at a Manitou Springs home daycare?
What if the daycare operator doesn't live in the home being used?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Manitou Springs
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Home Daycare in Nearby Cities
How other cities in El Paso County handle home daycare.