Scottsdale, AZ Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)
Key Facts
- Day care home cap
- 4 people, permitted by right
- Day care group home cap
- 10 people, also permitted
- Day care center threshold
- 5+ people, needs conditional use permit
- Governing section
- Zoning Ordinance § 3.100
- Zoning table listing
- Table 5.012, item 7, marked 'P'
- Unpermitted-use fine
- $500 minimum, up to $2,500
Summary
Scottsdale's Zoning Ordinance lets a resident run a small in-home day care by right: a 'Day care home' watching no more than four unrelated people needs no conditional use permit and shows up as a flat 'Permitted' use on the residential zoning tables. Cross the four-person line and the operation shifts into a different, more heavily regulated use category.
Day care home is a dwelling providing, for compensation, the care, supervision and guidance of no more than four (4) people unaccompanied by parent, guardian or custodian, on a regular basis for periods of less than twenty-four (24) hours per day, in a place other than the persons' own dwelling.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 80).
Full Breakdown
100 of the Zoning Ordinance defines 'Day care home' as a dwelling providing, for compensation, care, supervision and guidance to no more than four people unaccompanied by a parent, guardian or custodian, for periods under twenty-four hours. 012 for the R1-190 Single-family Residential district, marked simply 'P' for permitted, with no conditional use permit or additional zoning conditions attached. The code also defines a 'Day care group home' covering up to ten people, likewise listed as a permitted use on the same tables. G, which triggers conditional use permit review and specific standards: compliance with county and state health department requirements, and a solid wall or fence at least six feet high with a buffer around any play area that abuts a residential district.
A day care center may also use up to half its required parking area for outdoor play space, provided all required parking is restored if the building's use changes. The practical dividing line for a Scottsdale home operator is headcount: four or fewer keeps the use in the by-right 'Day care home' category with none of the wall, health-department or permitting requirements that attach once the operation reaches day-care-center scale.
Violations & Fines
Because a Day care home of four or fewer children is a permitted use, no zoning violation attaches unless the operator exceeds the headcount without qualifying as a group home or center, or otherwise fails to comply with an applicable use condition. General Zoning Ordinance violations under §§ 1.1401-1.1402 draw a civil sanction up to $2,500 (minimum $500 for an unpermitted use), issued by the Zoning Administrator, a police officer, the City Attorney or the City Manager's designee under § 1.1404, with a second violation within two years becoming a misdemeanor.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many kids can I watch in my Scottsdale home without a special permit?
What if I want to care for more than four children at home?
Do I need a conditional use permit to open a small home daycare in Scottsdale?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Scottsdale
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Home Daycare in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Maricopa County handle home daycare.