California daycare licensing search: how to look up any provider

Last updated 2026-07-09

What is the California daycare licensing search and who runs it?

California's licensing search tool is the Child Care Licensing Program database maintained by the Community Care Licensing Division (CCLD), which sits inside the California Department of Social Services (CDSS). The database is public, free, and requires no account to use. ^[1]

CCLD licenses two main facility types: Family Child Care Homes (small and large) and Child Care Centers. Both show up in the same search. You can search by facility name, address, city, county, license number, or licensee name. The results page for any individual facility shows its current license status, the licensed capacity, the date it was first licensed, and links to inspection reports and any enforcement history.

If you're a parent trying to verify a provider before enrolling your child, this is the only authoritative source. Licensing documents found anywhere else (Facebook, a provider's own website, a referral agency) can be outdated. The CCLD database reflects what the state actually shows on file today.

If you're a provider or prospective licensee, the same search tells you which county offices are actively processing applications, what license numbers look like, and whether a competitor's license is current or under suspension.

How do you actually run a California child care license lookup?

Go to ccld.dss.ca.gov and click "Facility Search" in the top navigation. ^[1] The search form has fields for:

• Facility type (select "Child Care Center" or "Family Child Care Home")
• Facility name (partial names work)
• Address or city
• County
• License number (if you already have it)
• Licensee name

You don't need to fill in every field. Searching by city and facility type alone will return every licensed daycare in that city. Results load as a paginated table showing the facility name, address, license number, license status, and capacity.

Click any facility name to open its detail page. That page is where the real information lives: the full inspection history, any citations issued, complaint investigation summaries, and the licensee's name. Inspection reports from the past few years are typically available as PDFs directly from the detail page.

One thing that trips people up: Family Child Care Homes show two sub-types, "Small" (capacity up to 6 children) and "Large" (up to 14 children under the right conditions). ^[2] If you're searching for a home-based provider and getting no results, try switching between the two sub-types or leave the type field blank.

The database updates continuously as CCLD staff enter new actions, but there can be a lag of a day or two between a field visit and the time the report appears online. For urgent situations, call the county office directly.

What information does the CCLD database show for each licensed daycare?

Each facility record in the CCLD database carries several data fields, and different fields matter to different people.

Field	What it tells you
License status	Active, Inactive, Revoked, Suspended, Pending
License type	Child Care Center, Family Day Care Home (Small/Large)
Licensed capacity	Maximum number of children allowed at one time
Licensee name	The individual or entity legally responsible
Initial license date	How long the provider has been operating
Expiration date	When the license must be renewed
County office	Which CCLD regional office oversees this facility
Inspection history	Dates of visits, type (routine vs. complaint-driven)
Citations	Any deficiencies cited, their category, and resolution status
Enforcement actions	Revocations, suspensions, civil penalties

The citation data is the most underused piece. Every inspection note is categorized: a Class A deficiency is the most serious (immediate risk to health or safety), Class B is less immediate. ^[3] A long list of old, resolved Class B citations at a facility with a clean recent record is a very different animal from a recent Class A that's still open. Read the actual PDF report instead of just counting citations. That's where the real picture lives.

Check capacity even if you only want to confirm a provider is licensed. A family daycare home listing "large" capacity but only holding a small-home license is operating out of compliance, and the database will reflect that mismatch.

How do you find a licensed family daycare home in California specifically?

Family daycare homes are harder to find than centers because they often operate without a street sign, a website, or a Yelp listing. The CCLD search is the most complete list that exists.

On the search form, select "Family Child Care Home" as the facility type. You can also select the sub-type: "Small Family Child Care Home" allows up to 6 children (8 under specific conditions), while a "Large Family Child Care Home" allows up to 12 children (14 under specific conditions). ^[2] Those caps changed when California enacted AB 676 in 2021, which raised the previous limits by two children in each category. ^[4]

Search by ZIP code or city rather than county if you want results near a specific neighborhood. The database returns all active licenses in that area. Cross-reference the address against Google Maps to get a sense of the neighborhood before calling.

California Child Care Resource and Referral Network (California Child Care R&R) agencies also maintain local referral lists and can point you to licensed home providers in your area. ^[5] Those lists pull from the same CCLD data but are sometimes easier to navigate with local context. For parents researching childcare subsidy eligibility, R&R agencies often help connect families to subsidized slots at licensed homes.

One honest caveat: some licensed home providers deliberately keep a low profile for personal safety reasons and won't appear in any public listing beyond the CCLD database itself. The database covers every licensed home, but it doesn't tell you which ones are accepting new enrollees.

What does license status mean, and which statuses are red flags?

The status field is the quickest signal in any CCLD record. Here's what each status actually means.

"Active" means the license is current, the renewal is paid, and there's no ongoing enforcement action blocking operation. This is what you want to see.

"Pending" on a new application means CCLD has received the application but hasn't finished the approval process. The facility legally cannot operate yet. On a renewal, it can mean the paperwork is in process while the existing license remains valid.

"Suspended" is a red flag. The state has temporarily prohibited the facility from operating, usually because of a serious safety finding or an emergency action. CCLD can issue a temporary suspension order before a full hearing when it believes children are at risk. ^[3]

"Revoked" means the license was taken away after due process. A revoked provider can reapply after a waiting period, but the revocation history stays on file permanently.

"Inactive" usually means the licensee voluntarily closed or let the license lapse. It's not inherently negative, but a facility advertising itself as "licensed" with an inactive status is a compliance problem.

If you see a suspended or revoked status, open the enforcement tab on the detail page. The enforcement history shows the specific action, the reason, and whether appeals were filed. CCLD posts Notice of Action documents publicly for revocations and denials. ^[6]

How does California's licensing system compare to federal CCDF requirements?

California's CCLD licensing system is the state mechanism that satisfies federal Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) requirements. Under federal law, states that accept CCDF block grant money must run a health and safety standards system covering child care providers who receive subsidy payments, and California's licensing rules do that work. ^[7]

The CCDF reauthorization in 2014 (through the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act) required states to conduct annual unannounced inspections of licensed facilities serving CCDF-funded children. California CCLD conducts unannounced inspections annually for centers and at least once every five years for family child care homes, though higher-risk facilities get more frequent visits. ^[8]

For parents using a childcare subsidy (California's version is called CalWORKs Stage 1/2/3 and the General Child Care program), the provider must hold an active California license. Unlicensed providers can only participate in the license-exempt provider option, which has separate enrollment steps and doesn't show up in the CCLD search at all.

For providers, sitting in the CCLD database as "Active" is effectively the prerequisite for accepting subsidy payments. If your license lapses or is suspended, you lose the ability to accept state-funded children immediately, which can be financially devastating.

How much does a California daycare license cost and how long does it take?

License fees in California are set by statute and tiered by facility type and capacity. As of the most recent CDSS fee schedule, application fees for a Family Child Care Home range from roughly $89 to $178, depending on capacity, and annual renewal fees are in a similar range. ^[9] Child Care Center application fees are higher and scale with licensed capacity, typically running from a few hundred to several thousand dollars for large centers.

The timeline is where California gets complicated. CCLD target processing times vary by county and workload. In practice, applicants for a new Family Child Care Home license often wait four to twelve months between submitting a complete application and receiving their license. Some counties have moved faster with electronic submissions; others still run long queues. The application itself requires a completed application form, fire clearance from your local fire authority, health and safety self-certification, proof of CPR and first aid training, a TB clearance, and fingerprint-based criminal background checks (LiveScan) for all adults in the home. ^[9]

Background checks alone can add six to twelve weeks during busy periods. LiveScan results go through the California Department of Justice and then the FBI. Until both clearances come back acceptable, CCLD won't issue the license.

ChildCareComp's compliance toolkit has a step-by-step California application checklist that tracks which documents are due when, which can help you avoid the common delay of submitting an incomplete packet.

Child Care Centers face a longer process because they also require a physical site inspection before the license issues. Budget at least six months for a new center license and potentially twelve or more in high-demand counties. Start the fingerprint process on day one. It's the single best thing you can do to protect your timeline.

What are California's child-to-staff ratio requirements by license type?

Ratios are set in California Code of Regulations Title 22, and they vary by age group and facility type. ^[10]

Setting	Age group	Max ratio	Max group size
Family Child Care Home (Small)	Mixed ages	1:6	6 (up to 8 with conditions)
Family Child Care Home (Large)	Mixed ages	1:12	12 (up to 14 with conditions)
Child Care Center	Infant (0-18 mo)	1:3	6
Child Care Center	Toddler (18-36 mo)	1:4	12
Child Care Center	Preschool (3-5 yr)	1:12	24
Child Care Center	School-age	1:14	28

These are state minimums. Local ordinances or a center's own accreditation standards can impose stricter ratios. National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) accreditation, for example, requires a 1:3 ratio for infants regardless of state law.

For family daycare homes, the capacity limits above include the licensee's own children under 10 years old who are present during operating hours. ^[2] Providers miss this detail constantly. If you have two kids of your own under 10 at home, they count toward your 6-child cap.

Violating ratios is a citable deficiency. Repeated ratio violations can escalate to a Class A citation and trigger an enforcement action. CCLD inspectors count attendance records during inspections, so paper documentation of daily attendance matters.

Can you find out if a daycare has had complaints or violations?

Yes, and this is one of the most useful things the CCLD search gives you. Open a facility's detail record and look for the "Inspection History" and "Enforcement" tabs. ^[6]

Inspection reports show the date of each visit, whether it was a routine annual inspection or a complaint investigation, and any deficiencies found. If a complaint was substantiated, the report notes that finding, though the identity of the complainant is protected.

CCLD also posts "Notice of Action" documents for facilities facing revocation or denial. These are public records and often contain detailed narratives of the alleged violations. They're written in formal legal language, but the underlying facts are there.

One limitation: complaints found "unsubstantiated" don't always appear prominently in the record. A pattern of unsubstantiated complaints against the same facility is worth noting even if no citations issued.

California Public Records Act requests can get you more detailed records than the online portal shows, though that's a more involved process. ^[11] For most purposes, the online database gives you enough to make a reasonable judgment. Look at the last two to three years of inspections rather than fixating on old violations the provider has since corrected.

Parents doing due diligence should also check with their county's Child Protective Services if they have specific concerns, since CPS and CCLD are separate agencies and share some but not all information.

What qualifications does a California daycare provider need to get licensed?

Requirements differ significantly between family daycare homes and child care centers.

For a Family Child Care Home, the licensee must be at least 18 years old, pass a criminal background check (LiveScan), hold a current pediatric CPR and first aid certification, clear a tuberculosis (TB) test, and complete a health and safety orientation. ^[9] There is no formal education requirement for a basic family daycare license, though Title 5 quality-rated programs or subsidy contracts may layer on additional training requirements.

For a Child Care Center, the director and teaching staff face heavier requirements. A center director must typically have 15 semester units in child development or a related field plus at least one year of supervised experience working with children. Lead teachers need an Associate Teacher Permit or higher from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. ^[10] Permit levels range from Assistant Teacher through Master Teacher, and each level requires more units and experience. The CDA credential, while a federal credential rather than a California one, can count toward some of these unit requirements depending on equivalency review.

All adults living in a family daycare home must be fingerprinted, even if they don't work in the program. This catches a lot of applicants off guard. A household member with a disqualifying criminal history can block the license even if the applicant themselves has a clean record.

California also runs a Health and Human Services background check separate from DOJ/FBI that checks child abuse and neglect index records. Both must clear.

How does California's licensing search help parents compare daycare costs?

The CCLD search itself doesn't show pricing. Daycare costs in California are set by individual providers and are not regulated except in subsidy programs, where reimbursement rates come from county Market Rate Surveys.

That said, Child Care Aware of America's annual report found that the median annual cost of center-based infant care in California was approximately $22,000 in its most recent data, making California one of the most expensive states for child care in the country. ^[12] Family daycare homes tend to run lower, often in the $12,000 to $18,000 range annually for full-time infant care, but those figures vary enormously by county.

The licensing database helps with cost comparison indirectly. Once you pull a list of licensed providers in your area from the CCLD search, you can call each one for rates. Knowing a provider is licensed before you call saves you from wasting time on unregistered programs.

Families who qualify for assistance should ask each provider whether they accept subsidized payments. The childcare tax credit is a federal benefit available to families regardless of whether their provider is state-licensed, but for California-specific subsidies (CalWORKs, General Child Care), the provider must appear in the CCLD database as an active licensee.

For a fuller picture of what licensed daycare actually offers and costs, the overview at Daycare center: what it is, what it costs, how it's licensed covers those fundamentals alongside the licensing angle.

What should providers do if their information in the CCLD database is wrong?

Errors in the CCLD database happen. A provider might find their capacity listed incorrectly, an old address still showing, or an enforcement action listed as open when it was resolved.

The fix goes through the county CCLD office that oversees your facility. Find your county office's contact information from the CDSS website. ^[1] Submit a written correction request with supporting documentation (your original license showing the correct capacity, a letter confirming a resolved action, etc.). Staff will update the record after verification.

Providers, keep your own copies of every correspondence with CCLD. If a dispute arises about whether you were cited or cleared, you need paper. CCLD's records are the official record, but humans maintain them, and humans make data entry errors.

Name and address updates after a move or legal name change also require written notification to CCLD within a specific timeframe. ^[9] Failing to notify CCLD of an address change when you move your home program is itself a citable deficiency. The license is address-specific. Move without reapplying and you're operating at an unlicensed location.

If a provider believes an enforcement action was entered in error or is under appeal, that appeal process goes through CDSS's hearing system, not through the online database. The database shows the action as pending appeal until the hearing result is entered.

How do you get started if the CCLD search shows no license for a provider you're considering?

If a provider you're considering doesn't appear in the CCLD database, there are a few possibilities.

First, they might be license-exempt. California allows some relatives and in-home providers to care for children without a CCLD license under specific conditions. The state's license-exempt provider system has its own enrollment process through Alternative Payment Programs if the family uses a subsidy. ^[5] License-exempt providers are not subject to CCLD inspections.

Second, the provider might be operating illegally. Running an unlicensed family daycare home or child care center in California is a misdemeanor. ^[11] If you suspect a provider is unlicensed and operating for pay, you can file a complaint with your county CCLD office. CCLD has the authority to investigate and order unlicensed facilities to close.

Third, the license might be pending. Ask the provider for their application confirmation number. If they have one, they're in the queue but not yet approved to operate.

For any provider who claims to be licensed but doesn't show up in the database, ask to see the physical license document. It will have a license number you can search directly. If that number doesn't return a matching active record, something is wrong, and you should not enroll your child until it's resolved.

If you're the prospective provider in this situation, ChildCareComp's compliance resources can help you map out exactly which documents you need before submitting an application that CCLD will actually process without delays.

Frequently asked questions

Is the California CCLD licensing search free to use?

Yes, completely free. The CCLD facility search at ccld.dss.ca.gov is a public database with no login, subscription, or fee. Anyone can search by name, address, city, county, or license number and view the full inspection history, capacity, license status, and enforcement actions for any licensed California daycare.

How do I search for a licensed daycare by ZIP code in California?

The CCLD search form doesn't have a dedicated ZIP code field, but you can type your city name in the City field and select your county. That narrows results to a specific area. For a tighter geographic search, use city name since California cities often straddle county lines. You can also search by partial address if you know the street.

How often does CCLD inspect licensed California daycares?

Child Care Centers receive at least one unannounced inspection annually. Family Child Care Homes are inspected at least once every five years under state baseline rules, though homes with complaint histories or serving CCDF-funded children receive more frequent visits. Federal CCDF rules require annual unannounced inspections for facilities serving subsidized children.

What is a Class A citation in California daycare inspections?

A Class A citation is CCLD's most serious deficiency category, issued when an inspector finds a condition that poses an immediate risk to the health or safety of children in care. Class B citations are for conditions that don't pose immediate risk but still violate licensing regulations. Repeated Class B violations can escalate in severity. Both types appear in the public database.

Can a provider with a revoked California daycare license reapply?

Yes, but there's a mandatory waiting period and the revocation history stays permanently visible in the CCLD database. CCLD can also bar reapplication for a set number of years depending on the reason for revocation. Serious violations involving child abuse or neglect may result in a permanent bar. Applicants with prior revocations face heightened scrutiny in the reapplication review.

How long does it take to get a California family daycare home license?

Four to twelve months is a realistic range for a complete application in most California counties, based on common applicant experience. The biggest delay is typically the LiveScan criminal background check, which requires both California DOJ and FBI clearances. Submitting every required document in your initial packet and completing LiveScan on the first day you apply can cut weeks off the timeline.

Does a California daycare license transfer if I move to a new address?

No. A California family daycare home license is tied to a specific address. If you move your program, you must apply for a new license at the new address before operating there. Moving without notifying CCLD and receiving an updated license is a violation. The application for the new address triggers a new inspection and background verification process.

How do I report an unlicensed daycare in California?

Contact your county CCLD office directly. CCLD has investigative authority over suspected unlicensed facilities. You can find county office contact information on the CDSS website. Reports can typically be made by phone or in writing. CCLD treats complaints as confidential and can issue cease-and-desist orders and refer cases to the district attorney for criminal prosecution.

Are license-exempt home daycares in California safe?

License-exempt providers are not subject to CCLD inspections or the same health and safety standards as licensed programs. California does require license-exempt providers who receive subsidy payments to meet a basic health and safety checklist and enroll through an Alternative Payment Program. Families choosing a license-exempt provider take on more responsibility for vetting the caregiver directly.

What is the maximum capacity for a large family daycare home in California?

A Large Family Child Care Home in California can care for up to 12 children, or up to 14 under specific conditions that include having an additional qualified adult caregiver present. These limits were raised by AB 676 in 2021. The licensee's own children under age 10 who are present during operating hours count toward the capacity limit.

Does the California CCLD search show center director qualifications?

No. The CCLD database doesn't display individual staff credentials or director qualifications. It shows the facility's license, capacity, and inspection history. To verify that a center's director and teachers hold the required California Commission on Teacher Credentialing permits, you'd need to ask the provider directly or use the CTC credential lookup at ctc.ca.gov.

How do California daycare license fees compare to other states?

California's family daycare home application fees run roughly $89 to $178 depending on capacity, which is in the low-to-moderate range nationally. Some states charge no fee for home daycares; others charge several hundred dollars. California's center fees scale with capacity and can run into the thousands for large programs. The bigger cost for California applicants is typically the time spent waiting for clearances rather than the fee itself.

Can I verify a preschool's license using the CCLD search?

Yes. California preschools that charge tuition and operate independently must hold a Child Care Center license from CCLD, and they appear in the same database. Some preschools operate as TK (Transitional Kindergarten) or state preschool programs through school districts and are regulated separately by the California Department of Education rather than CDSS, so they may not appear in the CCLD search.

Sources

1. California Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Division, Facility Search: CCLD maintains the public facility search database for all licensed California child care facilities
2. California Department of Social Services, Family Child Care Home licensing overview: Small Family Child Care Homes serve up to 6 children (8 under conditions); Large serve up to 12 (14 under conditions); licensee's own children under 10 count toward capacity
3. California Code of Regulations Title 22, Division 6, Chapter 1, Licensing regulations for child care centers and family homes: Class A citations indicate immediate risk to health or safety; CCLD may issue temporary suspension orders when children are at risk
4. California Legislative Information, AB 676 (2021) Family Child Care Homes: AB 676 enacted in 2021 raised family daycare home capacity limits by two children in each category
5. California Child Care Resource and Referral Network (California R&R): California R&R agencies maintain local referral lists and help connect families to licensed and license-exempt providers and subsidy programs
6. California Department of Social Services, Notice of Action public postings: CCLD posts Notice of Action documents publicly for revocations and denials; inspection and enforcement history is viewable on each facility's detail page
7. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Child Care, Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) overview: CCDF requires states to have health and safety standards systems covering child care providers who receive subsidy payments
8. Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014 (P.L. 113-186), annual unannounced inspection requirement: CCDBG Act of 2014 requires states to conduct annual unannounced inspections of licensed facilities serving CCDF-funded children
9. California Department of Social Services, Family Child Care Home license application requirements: Application requirements include LiveScan fingerprinting, TB clearance, CPR/first aid certification, fire clearance, and health and safety self-certification; fees range approximately $89 to $178 for family homes; address changes require new application
10. California Code of Regulations Title 22, child-to-staff ratio requirements by age group: Child care center ratios: 1:3 infant, 1:4 toddler, 1:12 preschool, 1:14 school-age; director requires 15 semester units plus one year experience; teachers require California CTC permit
11. California Health and Safety Code, unlicensed facility provisions: Operating an unlicensed family daycare home or child care center in California is a misdemeanor; California Public Records Act allows requests for additional CCLD records
12. Child Care Aware of America, Demanding Change: Repairing Our Child Care System, 2022 annual cost data: Median annual cost of center-based infant care in California was approximately $22,000, making it one of the most expensive states for child care