Stockton, CA Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)

Stockton Municipal Code § 16.20.020's Table 2-2 land use table states directly, without requiring any land use permit symbol, that "small and large family day cares are permitted in all zoning districts where residential uses are allowed and are considered residential uses of property." That means no Administrative Use Permit or Commission Use Permit is triggered just by operating a family day care in a house located in the RE, RL, RM, or RH residential districts (or any other district where a dwelling is an allowed use).

Operational standards still apply under § 16.80.100 (Child care facilities), which governs large family child care homes and centers citywide. The operator must hold a current license from the California Department of Social Services. The property needs a minimum six-foot-high solid decorative fence or wall on all property lines except in the front yard or a traffic sight area under § 16.36.140, with a three-foot landscaped strip of evergreen shrubs at least 15 gallons in size. Indoor play space must meet the state's 35 square feet per child, and outdoor play space must meet 75 square feet of fenced area per child, with any pool enclosed by a five-foot fence. Hours run 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. unless a use permit says otherwise, and no child may stay a continuous 24 hours or more. A large family child care home must sit at least 500 feet from another licensed large family child care home or child care center, and off-street parking follows Chapter 16.64 without doubling as play space.