Home Daycare Permit Requirements in Denver, CO

1. EIN (Employer Identification Number)

   Required if you have employees or operate as an LLC/corporation. Free from the IRS, obtained instantly online.

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online application)

   Free

   Immediate (online application)

1. Colorado Family Child Care Home License (CDEC)

   A license from the Colorado Department of Early Childhood is required to run a family child care home. Colorado exempts a family care home providing less than 24-hour care for four or fewer children (birth to 18, including the provider's own children) with no more than two of them under age two — so a license is needed at five or more children, or when caring for three or more children under two. Licensing includes a home safety inspection, background checks for all household members age 18 and older, first aid and CPR training, pre-licensing orientation and a pre-licensing inspection.

   Official government source

   $65 non-refundable application fee for a Family Child Care Home (1–6 children), or $100 for a Large Family Child Care Home (7–12 children) — the same amount is charged for the annual continuation — plus $30 per person for the CDEC background check (fingerprinting costs extra)·Several months, including orientation, background checks and the pre-licensing inspection

   $65 non-refundable application fee for a Family Child Care Home (1–6 children), or $100 for a Large Family Child Care Home (7–12 children) — the same amount is charged for the annual continuation — plus $30 per person for the CDEC background check (fingerprinting costs extra)

   Several months, including orientation, background checks and the pre-licensing inspection

2. Colorado Background Checks (CDEC Background Investigation Unit)

   Every adult living in or regularly present in a licensed family child care home must clear background checks administered through the Colorado Department of Early Childhood's Background Investigation Unit. Two separate checks are required: a CBI/FBI fingerprint-based criminal history check, scheduled with IdentoGO or Colorado Fingerprinting under the facility's licence number, and a Trails child abuse and neglect registry check submitted through CDEC's Provider Hub. Anyone who has lived in another state in the past five years must also obtain that state's criminal history and child abuse registry checks.

   Official government source

   $30 per applicant for the Trails child abuse and neglect check, payable to CDEC BIU. The CBI/FBI fingerprint check is billed separately by the approved vendor (IdentoGO or Colorado Fingerprinting), and any out-of-state checks carry that state's own fees.·Fingerprints must be completed before Trails and out-of-state materials are submitted. Each out-of-state agency has up to 45 days to issue results and CDEC BIU may take a further 45 days to review, so multi-state applicants should allow several months.

   $30 per applicant for the Trails child abuse and neglect check, payable to CDEC BIU. The CBI/FBI fingerprint check is billed separately by the approved vendor (IdentoGO or Colorado Fingerprinting), and any out-of-state checks carry that state's own fees.

   Fingerprints must be completed before Trails and out-of-state materials are submitted. Each out-of-state agency has up to 45 days to issue results and CDEC BIU may take a further 45 days to review, so multi-state applicants should allow several months.

3. First Aid and CPR Certification

   Colorado requires all family child care home providers to hold current Pediatric First Aid and CPR certifications before receiving a license from CDEC.

   Official government source

   $50–$100·1–2 days (course completion)

   $50–$100

   1–2 days (course completion)

1. Denver — No Child Care Business License (state license plus local approvals)

   Denver's Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection no longer issues child care establishment licenses — the child care center and child care home licenses were repealed by Council Bill 26-0852. Family child care homes must obtain a state license from the Colorado Department of Early Childhood. To get it, Denver requires three local approvals first: a zoning use permit for a Child Care Home from Community Planning and Development, Denver Fire Department approval, and a Denver Public Health & Environment inspection approval.

   Official government source

   $0 for a Denver business license (none exists); the state CDEC license fee and the local zoning, fire and health approval fees apply instead·Allow up to 10 business days for CPD zoning records to confirm or issue a zoning use permit, plus fire and health inspection scheduling, before the state application can be completed

   $0 for a Denver business license (none exists); the state CDEC license fee and the local zoning, fire and health approval fees apply instead

   Allow up to 10 business days for CPD zoning records to confirm or issue a zoning use permit, plus fire and health inspection scheduling, before the state application can be completed

2. Denver Zoning Permit for a Home Occupation (Child Care Home)

   A home daycare in Denver needs a zoning permit for a home occupation from Community Planning and Development. Denver Zoning Code Article 11 defines two categories: Child Care Home, Small - a licensed facility caring for no more than six children plus two additional before/after school - and Child Care Home, Large, for 7 to 12 children, which additionally requires a Zoning Permit with Informational Notice (ZPIN) and public notice. City and state child care licensing requirements apply on top of the zoning permit. Most home occupations are allowed in all zone districts except S-SU-Fx and S-SU-Lx; check your address on Denver's zoning map first.

   Official government source

   $20 for the Home Occupation zoning permit. A Child Care Home, Large also requires the Zoning Permit Review with Informational Notice, which is $100 (Denver's published Building and Land Development fee schedule).·Denver does not publish a processing-time standard. A small child care home is a straightforward zoning permit; a large child care home takes longer because the ZPIN public notice period must run before the permit is issued.

   $20 for the Home Occupation zoning permit. A Child Care Home, Large also requires the Zoning Permit Review with Informational Notice, which is $100 (Denver's published Building and Land Development fee schedule).

   Denver does not publish a processing-time standard. A small child care home is a straightforward zoning permit; a large child care home takes longer because the ZPIN public notice period must run before the permit is issued.

Official Sources

• Colorado Dept of Early Childhood: Child Care Licensing
• Denver Excise & Licenses
• Denver Community Planning and Development

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