Maricopa, AZ Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)
Key Facts
- Separation distance
- 500 feet between home day cares
- Play area fence
- Six-foot solid masonry, self-latching gates
- Signage
- No street-visible sign permitted
- State license required
- A.R.S. Title 36, Chapter 7.1
- Use status
- Must stay incidental to residence
Summary
Maricopa treats in-home family day care as an accessory home use: it must stay incidental to the residence, keep outdoor play areas behind a six-foot masonry fence, and stay 500 feet from another home day care on the same street.
B. In-home day care facilities shall be managed in accordance with the following good neighbor policies: 1. The family day care use shall be incidental to the principal use of the dwelling unit for residential purposes. 2. All outdoor play areas shall be screened and enclosed by a six-foot-high solid masonry fence with solid, self-closing and self-latching gates. 3. The minimum separation between family day care uses on the same street shall be 500 feet, measured from the lot lines.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 26-10, passed April 21, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Maricopa City Code § 18.120.080(B) lets a resident run a family day care as an accessory use inside their home, but only under strict 'good neighbor' conditions: the business stays secondary to the home's residential purpose, garages, carports and driveways can't be altered to accommodate it, no sign advertising it can be displayed where visible from the street, and any outdoor play area needs a six-foot solid masonry fence with self-closing, self-latching gates. No two family day cares can operate within 500 feet of each other on the same street, and every operator must hold a state license under A.R.S. Title 36, Chapter 7.1.
Violations & Fines
Violating the good-neighbor standards, altering a garage or driveway for the use, or advertising with a street-visible sign puts the home day care permit at risk of code enforcement action and possible revocation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I run a home daycare anywhere in a Maricopa neighborhood?
Do I need to fence the play area for a home daycare?
Does the city license home daycares?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Maricopa
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