How to look up a daycare license in California

Last updated 2026-07-09

Where is California's official daycare license lookup tool?

The official tool is the Community Care Facility Search, run by the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) through its Community Care Licensing Division (CCLD). It is free. No login, no account, no fee.

The direct portal is at https://www.ccld.dss.ca.gov and it has sat at that address for years. You can also reach it from the main CDSS website at https://www.cdss.ca.gov by looking for the Care Provider Search under Community Care Licensing. ^[1]

Search by facility name, address, city, county, or license number. If a provider already gave you a license number, use that. It returns one exact match instantly and skips the guesswork of matching a business name to a licensed name.

What information does the California CCLD database show?

Every facility record shows the license number and type, the current status, the licensed capacity, the licensee's name, the facility address, and the date the license was first issued. It also links to the facility's inspection and complaint history. That history is the part worth your time.

Here is what those fields cover:

• License number and license type (family childcare home, infant center, preschool, school-age program, and so on)
• Current license status (Licensed, Revoked, Suspended, Closed, Pending)
• Licensed capacity, the maximum number of children the facility may serve
• The licensee's name and the facility address
• The date the license was first issued
• A link to inspection and complaint history ^[1]

Each inspection report lists the visit date, whether it was routine or complaint-driven, and any deficiencies issued. California calls these deficiencies and sorts them from Type A (serious, immediate risk) to Type B (less immediate). ^[2]

You can download the actual reports as PDFs. Read them. One old Type B citation for a paperwork slip is a different animal from repeated Type A citations for leaving kids unsupervised.

What are the different California childcare license types and what do they mean?

California licenses several distinct facility types under the Health and Safety Code, and the CCLD database labels each one specifically. The type changes how you read the record.

License Type	Setting	Typical Capacity
Family Child Care Home (FCCH)	Provider's private residence	Up to 14 children (large) or up to 8 (small)
Child Care Center (CCC)	Non-residential commercial or institutional space	Varies by approval
Infant Care Center	Center serving children under 24 months	Varies
School-Age Child Care Center	Children in K-12, before/after school	Varies
Preschool (Day Care General)	Children 2-5 years	Varies

Family childcare homes are the most common type in California. A small FCCH may serve up to 8 children total, no more than 4 of them infants. A large FCCH may serve up to 14, again no more than 4 infants, and only when the assistant requirements are met. Those capacity rules come from California Health and Safety Code Section 1596.78. ^[3]

A provider running without a license is breaking the law. California requires a license for anyone regularly caring for children from more than one unrelated family for pay. ^[3]

How do you search the CCLD database step by step?

Here is the exact process, no guesswork.

1. Go to https://www.ccld.dss.ca.gov ^[1] 2. Under Facility Type, pick the type you want (Child Care Center, Family Child Care Home, and so on) or leave it on All to widen the net. 3. Enter a facility name, city, county, or zip code. You can combine fields. Partial names work, so searching "Sunshine" pulls every licensed facility with that word in its name. 4. Click Search. 5. In the results list, click the facility name to open its full detail page. 6. On the detail page, scroll to the Inspection section and open the inspection history link. 7. Click an inspection date to download that report as a PDF.

Getting zero results for a provider you know is operating? Try a broader search by address or county. The licensed name often differs from the name on the sign or website. If they still do not show up after you widen the search, the facility may not be licensed, and you should report that to CCLD. ^[1]

Comparing several providers? Save the license number from each one. That number is the steadiest identifier, because names and addresses change and license numbers do not.

How do you verify a specific provider's license is active and not expired or revoked?

Active and current are not the same thing in the CCLD system, so read the status word carefully. Here is what each one means in practice.

Licensed means the facility holds a current, valid license. Good.

Pending means an application is under review. The facility is not yet licensed and cannot legally operate.

Revoked means CDSS took the license away, usually after serious or repeated violations. A revoked license is not operational. Period.

Suspended means the license is temporarily halted, often during an investigation.

Closed means the provider surrendered the license or let it lapse.

If you see anything other than Licensed, do not use that facility until you have talked to the provider and, better yet, called your local CCLD Regional Office to ask what is going on. CCLD runs regional offices across California, and their contact information is on the CDSS website. ^[1]

Californians also have the right to request a facility's most recent licensing inspection report. The facility itself must post its license in a visible spot and keep the most recent inspection report available for parents to review on request, per California Health and Safety Code Section 1596.859. ^[4] As that section requires, the license must be "posted in a prominent, publicly accessible location in the facility."

Can parents and the public see complaint investigations in the CCLD database?

Yes, within limits. The database shows complaint-based inspections and their outcomes. You see that a complaint triggered an inspection, the date, and the deficiencies found. What you usually will not see is who filed the complaint or the specific allegation narrative before it is substantiated.

When a complaint was investigated and no deficiencies turned up, the record still shows the visit with no citations. That is useful too. It tells you complaints were filed and the facility came through clean.

Want more detail on a specific investigation? Submit a California Public Records Act (CPRA) request to CDSS. The CPRA, codified at California Government Code Section 7920.000 and following, gives the public broad rights to government records. ^[5] CDSS may redact personal information, but the underlying findings are generally releasable.

That paper trail matters. Child Care Aware of America's licensing report found that state childcare licensing systems vary widely in how much complaint data they release, and California is among the more open ones. ^[6]

How does California's childcare licensing compare to other states in transparency?

California puts more licensing data online than many states, and it still is not perfect. Inspection reports come as downloadable PDFs rather than a structured, searchable format, so comparing several providers means real manual work.

Child Care Aware of America's annual "Demanding Change" report scores states on licensing transparency. In its recent edition, California got credit for posting inspection results online, running a searchable database, and publishing both routine and complaint-driven inspections. ^[6] Not every state does all three.

Texas and New York also run public searchable databases, but the depth of the online reports varies. Some states show only whether a license is active. California goes further and hands you the actual report documents.

Where California still falls short is real-time notification. No public system emails or texts you when a facility you are watching picks up a new citation. You have to go back and check by hand. Child advocacy groups have pushed for this for years with no success yet.

Operators checking their own record before a licensing visit should learn to read these reports from the inside. The daycare compliance toolkit at ChildCareComp maps what inspectors look for against what the public later sees in the database.

What should you do if a California daycare is operating without a license?

Operating without a license in California is a misdemeanor under Health and Safety Code Section 1596.805. ^[3] If a provider does not appear in the CCLD database and you have reason to believe they are caring for children from more than one unrelated family for pay, you can report them.

Reports go to your local CCLD Regional Office. Find the right one by county on the CDSS website. You can also call the CDSS main line or file a report online through the CDSS complaint system. Reports can be anonymous.

CCLD must investigate complaints about unlicensed operations. Timelines vary, but cases involving child safety move to the front. If you think children are in immediate danger, call 911 first, then CCLD.

If you are an operator who has been running without a license or with an expired one, stop taking new children today and call CCLD about applying or renewing. Every extra week of unlicensed operation raises your legal and financial exposure, including civil liability. Home-based providers in that spot should also recheck their home daycare insurance, because most homeowner policies flatly exclude business activities.

How do California daycare licensing fees and renewal timelines work?

California licenses do not renew themselves. They require an annual fee and, in some cases, a renewal inspection. This is where providers get tripped up.

CCLD charges an annual fee based on facility capacity. For family childcare homes, the fee runs roughly $75 to $230 per year depending on capacity, but CCLD adjusts these figures periodically. Pull the current fee schedule from the CDSS website before you trust any number, including mine. ^[7]

For child care centers, fees are higher and scale with capacity. The CDSS fee schedule is the authoritative source.

Renew before the license expires. If it lapses, the facility shows as Closed or inactive in the public database, which looks bad to any parent running a lookup even when it was a simple paperwork miss. CCLD mails renewal notices, but do not lean on that. Set your own reminder 90 days before your license anniversary date.

Does the federal Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) require licensing? Yes. Providers taking CCDF subsidy payments must hold a valid state license. California runs CCDF through its Alternative Payment Programs, and an inactive license shuts off your subsidy eligibility. ^[8]

What ratio and capacity rules should you know when reading a California license record?

The licensed capacity in the CCLD database is a hard legal ceiling, not a suggestion. Going over it is a deficiency.

For child care centers, California's Title 22 regulations set staff-to-child ratios by age group:

Age Group	Minimum Staff-to-Child Ratio	Maximum Group Size
Infant (0-18 months)	1:4	8
Toddler (18-36 months)	1:6	12
Preschool (3-5 years)	1:12	24
School-age (6+)	1:14	28

These come from California Code of Regulations, Title 22, Division 12. ^[9]

For family childcare homes, the ratios are built into the capacity limits above. A large FCCH with 14 children still needs a qualified assistant once the count passes 6.

The capacity number tells a parent the most children allowed at any single moment. It does not tell them typical enrollment or the daily headcount, which usually runs lower. Want to know how full a program really is? Ask the director straight out.

How do California childcare license requirements apply to home-based providers differently than centers?

Home-based providers, meaning family childcare homes, go through the same CCLD licensing process as centers, but what gets inspected and required differs.

For an FCCH, the home is the facility. The initial inspection covers fire safety (smoke detectors, a fire extinguisher, clear exit paths), safe sleep equipment for infants, outdoor play space, hazardous material storage, and the condition of every room children use. ^[2]

The licensee must pass a criminal background check through the Department of Justice and FBI, complete a health screening, hold current pediatric CPR and first aid training, and finish at least 15 hours of preventive health and safety training before licensure. Assembly Bill 243 raised the training bar for new applicants. ^[10] Confirm the current CCLD requirements, because they have changed more than once. ^[4]

Here is what FCCH operators forget: your license record signals something to every prospective family. Parents searching the database see your entire inspection history from day one. A clean record is a real competitive edge. That is why the basics, from daycare cleaning standards to tidy documentation, feed straight into the business.

For center operators, the inspection scope is wider. Title 22 covers staffing qualifications, director permits, outdoor square footage per child, and more.

What if the CCLD database information looks wrong or outdated?

It happens. Providers move, rename, change capacity, or go through a change of ownership, and the database does not always catch up right away.

If you are a provider and your own record is wrong, contact your local CCLD Regional Office. Bring documentation: your current license certificate, any capacity approval letters, and the exact field that is off. CCLD staff make the database changes, not providers, so you have to work through the office.

If you are a parent and the database conflicts with what a provider tells you, trust the database first. Ask the provider to show you the written CCLD documentation that explains the difference. A legitimate provider produces it without flinching.

CCLD inspectors also catch these mismatches during routine visits. Part of the inspection is confirming that posted information matches what CCLD has on file. ^[2]

Frequently asked questions

Is the California daycare license lookup free and public?

Yes. The CCLD Community Care Facility Search at the CDSS website is free and open to anyone. No account, no login. Search by facility name, address, zip code, county, or license number and view inspection history, including downloadable PDF reports of each visit and any deficiencies found.

What is a CCLD license number and where do I find it?

A CCLD license number is the unique identifier California assigns to each licensed childcare facility. Find it on the provider's posted license certificate (required to be displayed in a visible spot), in the CCLD database search results, or by asking the provider directly. It is the fastest way to pull an exact record.

Can I look up a family daycare home the same way as a daycare center?

Yes. Family childcare homes and child care centers live in the same CCLD database. When you search, pick the facility type from the dropdown to narrow results. Family childcare homes appear under Family Child Care Home, and the record shows capacity, license status, and inspection history just like a center record.

How often does California inspect licensed daycares?

CCLD must inspect licensed family childcare homes and centers, but the frequency varies by facility type and shifts with budget cycles. Complaint-driven inspections happen as cases come in. Routine inspections for family childcare homes have historically run annually or every two years. Check your local CCLD Regional Office for the current schedule, since funding drives how often unannounced visits occur.

What does a 'Type A' deficiency mean in a California daycare inspection report?

A Type A deficiency means inspectors found a condition posing an immediate or substantial threat to the health or safety of children in care. These are the most serious citations. Type B deficiencies are lower-level violations. Repeated Type A citations on a record are a strong warning sign for any parent evaluating a program.

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

Processing time varies widely. CCLD has faced application backlogs, and real timelines from application to approved license have ranged from a few months to over a year. The initial inspection, background check, and document review run in parallel or in sequence depending on the office. Budget for at least 6 months and follow up regularly with your regional office.

What happens to a California daycare license when the owner changes?

A California daycare license is non-transferable. When ownership changes, the new owner must apply for a new license. The facility cannot legally operate under the old license with a new owner. During the gap, it should not serve children. The database shows the original license as closed and the new application as pending.

Can I look up whether a daycare has ever had its license revoked in California?

Yes. The CCLD database includes facilities with revoked or closed licenses, not only active ones. Search broadly by name or address to find historical records. Revocation records are also open to California Public Records Act requests if you need more detail than the database displays on the facility's page.

Does a California daycare license lookup show the director's name?

The database shows the licensee's name, meaning the person or entity holding the license. For family childcare homes that is usually the owner-operator. For centers it may be a corporation or organization. The center director is not always listed separately in the public search but often appears in the inspection reports on file.

What ratio rules apply to California daycare centers and where can I verify them?

California centers follow staff-to-child ratios in California Code of Regulations, Title 22. Infant rooms require 1 adult per 4 children, toddler rooms 1:6, preschool rooms 1:12, and school-age rooms 1:14. Verify current ratios in Title 22, Division 12 on the CDSS website or the California Office of Administrative Law site.

Can a provider appeal a deficiency found during a California daycare inspection?

Yes. California providers can appeal deficiencies through CCLD's administrative appeal process. Submit a written appeal within the window stated in the citation notice, typically 15 days. CCLD reviews the evidence during the appeal. The citation stays on the public record while the process runs and may be removed or amended if the appeal succeeds.

Does a daycare need a separate license for each age group in California?

No. A California child care center license covers all age groups the facility is approved to serve, as spelled out on the license. Each age group must still meet the applicable ratio and square footage requirements under Title 22. Infant care has specific requirements, so a center adding infant care to an existing license needs CCLD approval for that change.

How do I report an unlicensed daycare in California?

Contact your local CCLD Regional Office, listed on the CDSS website. You can also use the CDSS online complaint intake. Reports can be anonymous. If you believe children are in immediate danger, call 911 first. Operating without a license is a misdemeanor under California Health and Safety Code Section 1596.805.

Sources

1. California CDSS, Community Care Licensing Division, Facility Search: CCLD operates the public database for searching licensed childcare facilities by name, address, or license number
2. California CDSS, Community Care Licensing Division: CCLD classifies inspection deficiencies as Type A (immediate risk) or Type B and makes inspection reports available to the public
3. California Health and Safety Code, Sections 1596.78 and 1596.805: Small FCCHs may serve up to 8 children and large FCCHs up to 14; operating without a license is a misdemeanor
4. California CDSS, Family Child Care Home Licensing (Health and Safety Code Section 1596.859): FCCH licensees must complete 15 hours of preventive health and safety training and maintain CPR and first aid certification; facilities must post their license visibly and make recent inspection reports available to parents per Health and Safety Code Section 1596.859
5. California Government Code, Section 7920.000, California Public Records Act: The CPRA gives the public broad rights to request government records including CCLD complaint investigation findings
6. Child Care Aware of America, Demanding Change: Repairing Our Child Care System: California received credit for making inspection results publicly available online, having a searchable database, and posting both routine and complaint-driven inspections
7. California CDSS, CCLD License Fee Schedule: Annual FCCH license fees range from approximately $75 to $230 depending on capacity as of the most recent CCLD fee schedule
8. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Child Care, CCDF Program: Providers receiving CCDF subsidy payments must hold a valid state license; an inactive or revoked license ends subsidy eligibility
9. California Code of Regulations, Title 22, Division 12, Child Care Center Regulations: Title 22 sets staff-to-child ratios: 1:4 for infants, 1:6 for toddlers, 1:12 for preschoolers, and 1:14 for school-age children, with corresponding maximum group sizes
10. California Assembly Bill 243, Child Care Facility Health and Safety Training Requirements: AB 243 raised the pre-licensure health and safety training requirements for family childcare home applicants in California