Santa Cruz County, CA Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit status
- Permitted, administrative review (PA)
- Max children
- Up to 14, per State license
- Zone districts
- All residential districts, Table 13.10.322-1
- Governing definition
- SCCC § 13.10.700-D
- Cross-referenced section
- SCCC § 13.10.613
Summary
Santa Cruz County treats a family day care home serving up to 14 children as a permitted residential use in every residential zone district, requiring only an administrative permit. The use is defined at SCCC § 13.10.700-D and cross-referenced to the home occupation standards in § 13.10.613.
Family day care home ... PA ... Serving up to 14 children (see § 13.10.700-D). Subject to § 13.10.613. "Day care home, family" means a dwelling in which an occupant provides care, protection, and supervision of up to 14 children, for periods of less than 24 hours a day, in accordance with a State license, and which meets the definition and land use regulations for large or small family day care homes as provided in the California Health and Safety Code.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 5004302; v11 updated 2026-05-19; through 05-19-2026).
Full Breakdown
322-1, lists "Family day care home" as "PA" across every residential zone district (RA, RR, R-1, RM, RB, RF and others covered by the chart), meaning it is permitted outright subject only to an administrative permit rather than a discretionary hearing. 613, the home occupation standards section, for any additional review triggers. " That cross-reference matters because state law, not county discretion, sets the underlying capacity tiers: California's Health and Safety Code treats small family day care homes (six or fewer children) and large family day care homes (seven to twelve children) as residential uses that cities and counties must permit by right, which is why the county's own use chart mirrors that treatment rather than layering on a conditional use permit.
The same classification and citations recur in the county's Agricultural Uses Chart and its Public and Community Facilities Uses Chart, so a licensed family day care home serving up to 14 children keeps its administrative-permit status even outside a purely residential zone district.
Violations & Fines
Because a licensed family day care home is a permitted use under Table 13.10.322-1, the County's enforcement exposure here runs the other way: operating a day care home without the required State license, or exceeding the 14-child capacity tied to that license and to § 13.10.700-D, would take the use outside the table's protection and expose the operator to code enforcement for an unpermitted use rather than a licensed, permitted one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a conditional use permit to run a home daycare in unincorporated Santa Cruz County?
How many children can a licensed family day care home in the county serve?
Does county zoning or state law control family day care licensing?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Santa Cruz County
California rules heatmap·Compare Santa Cruz County to another location·View the California home business overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.