This year, a new law went into effect, SB 234 (Chapter 244,
Statutes of 2019), that aims to increase the availability of
family child care homes. The sponsor of the legislation, the
Child Care Law Center, reached out to CSAC to share resources
with counties regarding the implementation of this law.
SB 234 makes various changes regarding licensing and zoning for
family child care homes, including several that directly impact
county regulations. These include:
Requiring that licensed large family daycare homes be treated
as a residential use of property for purposes of local
ordinances,
Indicating that the use of a home as a small or large family
daycare home is considered a residential use of property and a
use by right for purposes of local ordinances, including zoning
ordinances, and
Clarifying that a local government cannot require a business
license, fee, or tax in order to operate a small or large family
daycare home.
The SB 234 resources from the Child Care Law Center include a
Frequently Asked Questions, a
fact sheet on zoning and business protections for family
child care homes, and a
fact sheet on family child care homes in rental property. In
addition, the California Department of Social Services has
information about SB 234 on their website.
