Palmdale, CA Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)

PMC Section 17.16.030(C) defines "Child day care in a home" to mean "a day care facility licensed by the State of California, located in a residential unit where a resident of the dwelling provides care and supervision for periods of less than 24 hours for up to 14 children under the age of 10, including children who reside at the home." Table 17.35.020-1 (Allowed Uses, Residential Zones) lists this use as "P," permitted by right, across all nine residential zones the table covers: Equestrian Residential (ER), Low Density Residential (LDR), Single Family Residential 1 through 3 (SFR 1, SFR 2, SFR 3), Residential Neighborhood 1 and 2 (RN 1, RN 2), Residential Neighborhood 3/4 (RN 3/RN 4), and Manufactured Home (MH). No conditional use permit, minor use permit, or administrative clearance is listed for this use in that table, unlike the accessory Cottage Food Operation and Cottage Industry rows on the same table, which both require an Administrative clearance plus Minor Use Permit.

This is distinct from a "Family Day Care Center" under PMC Section 17.92.060, which the definitions section separately describes as covering care "other than child day care in a home," such as nursery schools, preschools, and licensed centers run as a primary commercial use; those larger center-based facilities go through the development standards, location buffers, and minor site plan review in Section 17.92.060, none of which apply to a state-licensed home day care operated by a resident of the dwelling.