Santa Maria, CA Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)

Chapter 12-29A of the Municipal Code, adopted by Ordinance 91-23, governs large family day care homes located on property occupied by a single-family residence. 02 makes the use permitted by right anywhere a single-family home legally exists in the City; no conditional use permit or public hearing is required. But the permitted status comes with conditions the City enforces directly. 04 requires each provider to sign and file a statement acknowledging Santa Maria's regulations and to submit a copy of their current State license to the Community Development Department before operating.

05 requires parking spaces to be provided under Chapter 12-32's standards for single-family residences, meaning the same off-street parking count a single-family home must carry. 06 requires the provider operating the large family day care home to actually live in the home, though additional caregivers required under the State Health and Safety Code do not have to reside there. 07 requires activities in the home to comply with the noise regulations of Chapter 5-5, and mandates that all play areas sit behind a solid wall or fence separating them from neighboring residences, a physical buffer requirement unique to day care operations.

08 folds in every other title requirement that applies to single-family dwellings generally, including signs and landscaping standards. Together, these sections let a large family day care home operate in any single-family zone in Santa Maria without discretionary review, provided the operator lives on-site, parks correctly, screens play areas, and keeps noise within residential limits.