California
California licenses family child care homes through the Community Care Licensing Division at CDSS. A small home cares for up to 6 children, or 8 with conditions; a large home up to 12, or 14 with conditions and an assistant. You attend an orientation, complete a 16-hour pediatric health and safety course, clear background checks and pass a pre-licensing inspection. The license stays in effect while the annual fee is paid.
Reference only, not legal advice. Requirements change; confirm with the licensing agency before you apply or renew. This page describes what the linked official sources say as of the verification date. It is not a determination that a home will be licensed.
Your licensing path
0 of 10 doneTick each step as you finish it. Ticks are saved in this browser only, per state. The order follows the agency process, with the annual obligations at the end.
A small home can care for up to 6 children, or up to 8 with the school-age conditions. A large home needs an assistant provider and can reach 12, or 14 with conditions. The class sets the fee, the forms and the experience requirement.
Orientation is required before CDSS will accept an application. It is available online and in person. The orientation fee is $25 and is non-refundable.
The licensing standards are in Title 22, Division 12, Chapter 3. The orientation and the application both assume you know them. Read the sections on capacity, supervision, records and the physical environment.
The packet includes the application, current children in your home, criminal record statements, emergency care and disaster plan, child abuse reporting acknowledgement, facility sketch and the pre-licensing readiness guide.
The applicant, any adult residing in the facility, any adult who provides care, and any adult employee or volunteer with contact with children must clear a DOJ, Child Abuse Central Index and FBI check. Do not book Live Scan until you have a facility number.
Every adult residing in the home needs a TB clearance not more than one year old. The licensee must complete or be enrolled in 16 hours of pediatric health and safety training: preventive health practices, pediatric CPR and pediatric first aid, from an EMSA-approved provider.
A large home applicant needs at least one year as a licensed small home provider, or as an administrator, director or teacher at a licensed child care center. Keep licenses or an employer letter on letterhead.
Send the complete packet with the application fee. An incomplete packet is returned. The county licensing office may handle the application where the county contracts with CDSS.
A Licensing Program Analyst contacts you to schedule an inspection of the home and outdoor space. The analyst checks the facility sketch, safety hazards, fencing, pools, pets and the overall environment.
The license remains in effect until surrendered, suspended or revoked. The annual fee is due on each anniversary. Unannounced visits can happen, and every home is visited at least once every five years.
Permit types
California uses the categories below. Your numbers decide which one applies, and the category sets the fee and the inspection schedule.
| Type | Who it fits | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Small family child care home | Licensee is at least 18 and lives in the home. | Up to 6 children, or up to 8 when at least one child is in kindergarten or elementary school and a second is at least 6, with no more than 2 infants. Four infants may be cared for instead. |
| Large family child care home | Same qualifications plus at least one year of experience as a small home licensee or as a teacher or director in a licensed child care center. | Up to 12 children with an assistant provider, or up to 14 when the school-age and infant conditions are met. Without an assistant, the small-home limits apply. |
Fees
State fees are listed below. Local inspections, fingerprint vendors and tests can add costs that the state does not set.
| Item | Amount | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Orientation | $25 per person | Non-refundable. Online or in person. |
| Application fee, capacity 1 to 8 | $73 | Non-refundable, submitted with the application. |
| Application fee, capacity 9 to 14 | $140 | Large home applications. |
| Annual fee, capacity 1 to 8 | $73 | Due on each anniversary of the license. |
| Annual fee, capacity 9 to 14 | $140 | Due on each anniversary of the license. |
| Live Scan fingerprint check | $64 total | Published family child care home rate: $32 DOJ, $17 FBI, $15 CACI. The Live Scan site adds its own rolling fee. |
| Capacity change | $25 | To increase or decrease the licensed capacity. |
| Late annual fee | 50% of the annual fee | Added when the annual fee is not paid by the due date. |
Forms index
The forms the agency publishes for this path. Links open the official form or the agency’s form page. Confirm the current version with your licensing office before you submit.
Application for a Family Child Care Home License ↗
Core application. The LIC 279A booklet contains the form list and instructions.
Current Children In Your Home ↗
Included in the application booklet.
One for every adult living in the home.
Emergency Care and Disaster Plan ↗
Included in the application booklet.
Statement Acknowledging Requirement to Report Suspected Child Abuse ↗
Signed copy goes in the application packet.
Facility Sketch, Floor Plan and Yard ↗
Shows the home and outdoor space used for care.
Pre-Licensing Readiness Guide, Family Child Care Home ↗
Complete after the home meets the listed requirements; the analyst then schedules the visit.
Property Owner or Landlord Notification ↗
Keep in your file, do not send to licensing. Consent (LIC 9149) is needed to expand to 8 or 14.
Background checks
California runs three checks together: Department of Justice criminal history, Child Abuse Central Index, and FBI.
The applicant, every adult residing in the facility, every adult who provides care and supervision, and every adult employee or volunteer with contact with children must complete the process before a license is issued.
Live Scan instructions are sent after a complete application is accepted, or by the county licensing office. The facility number must appear on the Live Scan form, so do not book early.
A conviction does not automatically end the application. It requires a criminal record exemption decision before the license can issue.
Training hours
The pre-licensing requirement is a 16-hour pediatric health and safety course.
- Preventive health practices.
- Pediatric CPR.
- Pediatric first aid.
- All classes from the American Red Cross, American Heart Association, or a provider approved by the Emergency Medical Services Authority.
- Submit certificates or proof of current enrollment with the application.
The family child care home materials reviewed set the 16-hour pre-licensing course. They do not publish a separate annual clock-hour requirement for the licensee. Check with your regional office for any newer training bulletin.
Capacity and ratios
The license states a maximum number of children. Infants and the licensee’s own children under 10 count toward it.
A large home without an assistant provider must follow the small-home capacity limits. Children under 10 who live in the home count toward capacity.
| Home type | Standard limit | Expanded limit | Staffing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small | 6 children, no more than 3 infants | 8 children, no more than 2 infants and at least 2 school-age children | Licensee |
| Large | 12 children, no more than 4 infants | 14 children, no more than 3 infants and at least 2 school-age children | Licensee plus an assistant provider |
Space requirements
California’s family child care home regulations reviewed for this pack do not set a square-footage number per child.
Title 22, Division 12, Chapter 3 covers family child care homes. Its physical environment article is reserved, and the standards focus on cleanliness, heating, ventilation, safe toys and supervision rather than a per-child floor area.
Child care centers have a 35 square foot indoor and 75 square foot outdoor standard. That standard is in the center regulations, not the family child care home chapter, so it is not applied here to a home.
Local zoning, building and fire requirements can add space or fencing conditions. Ask the planning or fire authority before you sign a lease.
The 35 and 75 square foot figures are center standards. A home application is reviewed against the home regulations and the local code.
Inspections
There is an announced visit before licensing, then unannounced visits during operation.
- An announced site visit before initial licensing.
- Annual unannounced visits where the license is on probation, a compliance plan requires it, an accusation is pending, or the department is verifying that an excluded person has left.
- Random annual unannounced visits to at least 10 percent of homes not otherwise evaluated.
- No home may be visited less often than once every five years.
- Complaints trigger an unannounced visit and a follow-up visit.
Renewal and the annual cycle
A California family child care home license does not expire on a fixed date. It remains in effect until it is forfeited, surrendered, suspended or revoked.
- Annual fee due on each anniversary of the effective date of the license.
- A late fee of 50 percent applies after the due date.
- Report a change of address, capacity or corporate status, with the associated fee.
- Keep the license available at the facility on request.
Document checklist
0 of 8 gathered8 items to gather before or during the application. Ticks are saved in this browser only.
Contacts and complaints
Who to call for the application, a complaint about a home, or a question about the license.
Licensing agency
CDSS Child Care Licensing Program
744 P Street, MS T9-15-48, Sacramento, CA 95814.
Phone
(916) 651-6040
State office. Your regional child care office handles the application and inspection.
Licensing complaint
1-844-LET-US-NO (1-844-538-8766)
CCLD complaint hotline, LetUsNo@dss.ca.gov.
Provider search
Licensing facility search
Inspection reports and license status for a facility.
Official sources
Every requirement above is tied to one of these pages. They were fetched and read on 21 October 2026; the date is repeated on each entry.
- Agency pageFamily Child Care Home Licensing InformationCalifornia Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Divisionhttps://www.cdss.ca.gov/inforesources/child-care-licensing/how-to-become-licensed/fcch-licensing-information
- FormLIC 279A, License Application and Instructions for Family Child Care HomesCalifornia Department of Social Serviceshttps://www.cdss.ca.gov/portals/9/fmuforms/i-l/lic279a.pdf
- State guideFamily Child Care Home Provider RequirementsCalifornia Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Divisionhttps://www.cdss.ca.gov/Portals/9/CCLD/Provider%20Requirements%20FCCH%20-%20English.pdf
- RuleFamily Child Care Homes, Title 22, Division 12, Chapter 3 (manual)California Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Divisionhttps://www.cdss.ca.gov/ord/entres/getinfo/pdf/fccman.pdf
- Agency pageLicensing FeesCalifornia Department of Social Serviceshttps://www.cdss.ca.gov/inforesources/community-care/licensing-fees
- Agency pageAnnual Fee ScheduleCalifornia Department of Social Serviceshttps://www.cdss.ca.gov/Portals/9/CCLD/Old/res/pdf/annualfees2015.pdf
- Agency pageLive Scan Application Process and Associated FeesCalifornia Department of Social Serviceshttps://www.cdss.ca.gov/inforesources/community-care/caregiver-background-check/livescan
- Agency pageLive Scan Fingerprint Rate ScheduleCalifornia Department of Social Serviceshttps://www.cdss.ca.gov/Portals/9/CCLD/Old/res/pdf/livescanfees.pdf
Not verified here, confirm with the agency
- California does not publish a per-child square footage requirement for family child care homes in the Title 22 chapter reviewed. Local zoning, building and fire rules can add requirements. Confirm with your regional office and local planning department.
- The published Live Scan rate schedule is dated 2015 and the Live Scan site adds its own fee. Confirm the current total with the site before paying.
- The 16-hour course is the pre-licensing requirement in the materials reviewed. Any newer annual training requirement should be confirmed with your regional office.