Home Child Care Licensing
A recently completed review of the home day care licensing process has prompted the District to decide to remove itself from that process.
The District’s involvement in home day care licensing was the result of several home providers seeking fire inspections to obtain their licenses. Part of those inspections was trying to determine how the fire code applied to home day care. The fire code is clear: if fewer than five children are cared for the use is accessory to the primary classification of the building. If the number of children being cared for exceeds five, then the use becomes either an "E" or "I" Use Group depending on several factors and the residence becomes a commercial occupancy.
During the process review, we have discovered and verified that a Fire District inspection is not required for a home day care license- the State will issue the license pursuant to their own rules and inspection. The State also conducts annual inspections that have a broader scope than a fire inspection. Emergency plans, general safety, and fire safety in particular are part of the inspection process.
Accordingly, we see no need to add an additional layer of regulation to the process, particularly considering the complexity of applying the fire code to a building regulated by the International Residential Code. The day care licensing authority has specific rules designed for the home day care process and conducts annual on-site inspections. We have nothing to add to the process.
Therefore, effective immediately, we will no longer conduct fire inspections on home day care facilities, even if they are specifically requested. Any requests for information regarding home day care centers will be referred to state day care licensing.
Since the initial cause of this confusion was the result of an exchange of erroneous information with individual providers, we will not communicate with individual providers on any licensing issues. We will communicate with any licensing authority (day care, building, or other) on code or inspection related matters, but not with individual providers. All questions regarding home day care will be referred to the State licensing authority without comment.
