Mesa, AZ Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)

Mesa's zoning code separates home-based child care into two tiers by size: Small Day Care Home, for up to 5 children, and Large Day Care Home, for 6 to 10, defined in Title 11's use classifications as a facility whose primary use is a residence where care is regularly provided for compensation for less than 24 hours a day. Only the larger tier, the Large Day Care Group Home, carries its own standards section, § 11-31-13. Under that section, the home's location must be registered with the Planning Division, and the operator must provide the City with evidence of certification from the Arizona Department of Health Services.

No identification of the day care may be visible from a public street by signage, graphics, display, or other visual means, and the building itself must comply with all applicable building and fire safety regulations. Outdoor play areas must be enclosed by a 6-foot-high solid, opaque fence or wall separating them from adjacent properties, except that fencing within the required front yard must instead follow the general fence standards of § 11-30-4. Finally, a proposed large day care home must maintain a 600-foot separation from any other existing large day care group home, unless a significant intervening physical feature, an arterial street, canal, park, or similar buffering feature, sits between them.

The smaller Small Day Care Home tier (up to 5 children) is permitted in residential districts under the zoning use tables without triggering these additional § 11-31-13 standards.