Last updated 2026-07-09
TL;DR
Michigan daycare licenses are searchable for free through LARA's Child Care License Search under the Bureau of Community and Health Systems. You can verify a provider's license type, expiration date, capacity, and any corrective actions. The same database covers licensed family homes, group homes, and centers statewide, and it updates in near-real-time as BCHS processes each action.
Where do you actually look up a Michigan daycare license?
The official tool is the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) Child Care License Search, run by the Bureau of Community and Health Systems (BCHS). You reach it at lara.michigan.gov, then go to "Licensing," then "Child Care Licensing." The search form takes a facility name, license number, city, county, or ZIP code. [1]
No account. No fee. Results return the license type, the licensee's name and address, the license status (active, lapsed, revoked, denied), the current licensed capacity, and any corrective actions or complaints that reached formal status.
The database covers the three categories LARA issues: Family Child Care Home (up to 6 children including the provider's own), Group Child Care Home (7 to 12 children), and Child Care Center. [2] If a provider claims a license but doesn't show up here, that's a real problem, not a database glitch. Call BCHS at 866-685-0006 and ask.
One thing people miss. The search shows "licensed capacity," which is the maximum allowed, not the current enrollment. Enrollment can run lower. It cannot legally run higher.
What does each field in the Michigan license search results mean?
The results page looks sparse. Every field on it matters.
License Status is the line that decides everything else. "Active" means the license is current and the facility can legally operate. "Lapsed" means the renewal deadline passed without action, and the provider cannot legally operate until they reinstate. "Revoked" means the state terminated the license, usually after serious or repeated violations. "Denied" means an application was rejected.
License Type tells you whether you're looking at a home or a center, and that changes the ratio rules. A Family Child Care Home in Michigan keeps a ratio of no more than 1 adult to 6 children (with no more than 2 under age 2), while center ratios vary by age group under Michigan Administrative Code R 400.8161 through R 400.8179. [2]
Expiration Date is the renewal deadline. Michigan issues licenses for one or two years depending on the provider's compliance history and license type. Parents checking a provider should look here first. A license expiring within 30 days is worth a direct question.
Corrective Actions are formal, documented orders telling a provider to fix a specific violation within a set window. One corrective action doesn't mean a provider is unsafe. A pattern of repeat actions in the same category (supervision, sanitation, background checks) is a warning sign.
Complaints show up only when they were substantiated or reached formal action. Unsubstantiated complaints stay off the public record in Michigan's system. [1]
How do Michigan daycare inspection records work, and how do you find them?
BCHS conducts unannounced licensing visits at least once a year for most providers, and more often for providers on corrective action plans. [1] The inspection record is tied to the license file, and substantiated findings appear in the public search results.
Want the full inspection report instead of the summary? Michigan law gives you that through a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request to LARA. The form is on lara.michigan.gov. The agency has 5 business days to respond, though the documents themselves can take longer to arrive.
Some insurers pull the license history straight from the LARA database before they quote home daycare insurance. If your record shows old corrective actions that were resolved, confirm they read as "closed" in the system. If they don't, call BCHS and get the status fixed before it costs you a rate.
Parents doing homework should pull the inspection record, then ask the provider to walk through anything shown. A provider who gets defensive about a documented public record is a bigger flag than the violation itself.
How do you look up a daycare license in other states, including New York?
Every state runs its own registry. The shape is the same everywhere: a public search portal tied to the state licensing agency, searchable by name, address, or license number. The depth of what you get varies a lot.
For the nys daycare license lookup, New York uses the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) Child Care Finder at ocfs.ny.gov. New York's system runs deeper than most. It shows inspection history with specific regulation citations, complaints and how they resolved, and capacity by age group. [3] New York also splits "Registered" family day care homes (registered, not licensed, with different oversight) from "Licensed" centers, so confirm the category before you draw conclusions.
Here's how a handful of states handle public lookups:
| State | Agency | Database Name | Shows Inspection Reports? | Complaints Public? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | LARA/BCHS | Child Care License Search | Summary only; full via FOIA | Substantiated only |
| New York | OCFS | Child Care Finder | Yes, with regulation cites | Yes |
| Minnesota | DHS | MN Child Care Provider Search | Yes | Yes |
| California | CDSS | Care Provider Management Bureau | Summary; full via public portal | Yes |
| Texas | HHSC | Child Care Licensing Search | Yes | Yes |
Child Care Aware of America keeps a state-by-state directory of licensing agencies with direct links, updated every year. It's the fastest way to land on the right portal for any state. [4]
What license types does Michigan issue, and which one should a provider have?
Michigan has three tiers. The right one depends on how many children you care for and your physical setup. [2]
Family Child Care Home: Licensed for 1 to 6 children, counting the provider's own children under school age. No more than 2 children under age 2 at any time. The provider has to live in the home.
Group Child Care Home: Licensed for 7 to 12 children, with at least 2 adults present when 7 or more children are in care. Still a residential home. This tier draws closer scrutiny in licensing visits because the child-to-adult numbers run higher.
Child Care Center: Any non-residential facility, or a residential one that doesn't fit the home categories. Centers meet Michigan Administrative Code requirements for physical space (35 square feet of usable indoor space per child), staffing ratios by age group, and program content. [2]
Some providers try to run as an unlicensed "exempt" operator to skip licensing. Michigan does allow narrow exemptions (care by a relative, or care for only one non-related child). Operating without a license when one is required is a civil infraction under MCL 722.115, with fines up to $500 per day. [5] Not sure whether a provider you're considering is legitimately exempt? Call BCHS and give them the address. They'll tell you whether a license should exist.
How do you apply for or renew a Michigan daycare license?
A new Michigan child care license starts at lara.michigan.gov through the Mi-LOGIN portal. You file the initial application, pay the fee, then schedule a pre-licensing inspection. No license issues before that in-person visit is done and passed. [1]
Fees, as of the current schedule: a Family Child Care Home initial license is $25, a Group Child Care Home is $50, and a Child Care Center pays $75 plus $1 per licensed capacity over 25. Renewal fees sit in the same range. These are among the lowest licensing fees in the country. Most states charge $200 to $500 for a center license. [6]
Renewal timing matters a lot. BCHS sends renewal notices 90 days before expiration. Don't wait for the notice. Set your own reminder. If your license lapses even one day, you stop caring for children until reinstatement finishes, which usually takes 2 to 4 weeks.
For new applicants, the full path from submission to issuance usually runs 60 to 90 days if nothing needs correcting. Background check processing is the usual bottleneck. Michigan requires fingerprint-based checks through the Michigan State Police and FBI for every adult living in or regularly present in a licensed home, and for all employees and volunteers in centers. [5]
What background check requirements apply to Michigan licensed child care providers?
Michigan's background check rules live in the Child Care Organizations Act (MCL 722.111 et seq.) and its administrative rules. Every person 18 or older who lives in a licensed Family or Group Child Care Home submits to a criminal history check. Centers check all employees and volunteers who have contact with children. [5]
The check has two layers: a Michigan State Police name-based check and an FBI fingerprint-based check. Both clear before a license issues or before anyone gets unsupervised access to children. Disqualifying offenses include any felony involving a child, any crime of violence, controlled substance offenses, and several misdemeanors. The full list sits in MCL 722.115c.
The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), the federal block grant that pays for child care subsidies in Michigan and every other state, requires states to run background check systems as a condition of getting funds. The 2014 CCDBG reauthorization set the minimum federal standards for those checks, including the FBI fingerprint piece. [7] Michigan meets those minimums and beats them in a few spots.
If you're a provider and someone in your household picks up a conviction after licensing, you have to report it. Failing to report is its own violation. The LARA guidance is in Administrative Bulletin 2019-002, which you can request from BCHS.
How does Michigan's licensing system connect to child care subsidies?
Michigan's subsidy program, the Child Development and Care (CDC) program, is run by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and paid for mostly through federal CCDF dollars. [7] Only licensed providers and a small category of legally exempt relatives can collect CDC payments for eligible families.
So your license status in the LARA database decides whether the subsidy system can pay you. A lapsed or revoked license triggers an immediate hold on subsidy payments. MDHHS and LARA share the data, so the connection is automatic. You don't file a separate notice. [8]
Child Care Aware of America's 2023 report put the average annual cost of center-based infant care in Michigan near $14,000, a bit under the national median of roughly $15,600. [9] Subsidy eligibility helps families reach care they otherwise couldn't afford, but staying in the subsidy program means staying in good standing with LARA.
For a wider look at what families pay out of pocket, read the daycare cost breakdown next to the subsidy rules.
Here's what operators often miss: if you're on a corrective action plan, you can usually keep receiving subsidy payments as long as your status still reads "active." Only a suspension or revocation triggers the automatic hold. Confirm with your MDHHS licensing consultant, because the policy on this has moved before.
What are the most common violations found in Michigan daycare license inspections?
BCHS doesn't publish an annual violation-frequency report the way some state agencies do. But the administrative rules and the corrective actions visible in the public database point clearly at where inspectors spend their attention. The categories cited most often:
1. Supervision (R 400.8154): children not within sight and sound of a caregiver, or lapses during nap. 2. Background checks: failing to submit checks for new household members or employees inside the required window. 3. Physical environment: inadequate outdoor space, unsafe equipment, or indoor square footage below the 35 sq ft per child standard. 4. Health and safety records: incomplete immunization records, missing medication logs. 5. Staff qualifications: missing the annual training hours required in specific topic areas.
Michigan requires Family Child Care Home providers to complete at least 16 hours of annual training in specific competency areas. [2] Centers have different requirements by staff role. Training has to come from approved sources, which LARA lists on its site.
Some of these categories, especially supervision lapses, decide whether your daycare liability insurance responds to a claim. Read your policy language against the administrative rules before you need it.
What should parents do if a Michigan daycare's license doesn't match what the provider claims?
Start by re-running the search across multiple fields. A provider might sit under a slightly different name or an old address. Try the license number if you have it, or the street address.
If the mismatch holds, call BCHS at 866-685-0006. They can tell you in real time whether a provider is licensed, the type, and whether any pending action hasn't posted to the public database yet. BCHS investigates unlicensed-operation complaints, and you can file one on the same call.
Fraudulent licensing claims happen more than people expect. The minnesota daycare fraud cases of recent years show providers misrepresenting their status to families and subsidy agencies for years before anyone caught it. Michigan's subsidy system has cross-checks, but a parent who verifies independently adds protection those systems can't match.
If you're a provider and your record shows errors (wrong capacity, wrong address, closed corrective actions still reading open), send a written correction request to BCHS. Keep a copy. If nothing moves within 30 days, escalate to the LARA director's office.
How do you use ChildCareComp's compliance toolkit alongside the state license lookup?
The LARA search tells you your license status. It says nothing about whether your operation is set up to pass its next inspection. That gap is where a compliance checklist earns its keep.
ChildCareComp's compliance toolkit maps Michigan's administrative rules to a provider checklist, so you self-audit before BCHS shows up. Home providers get the most out of the background check tracker, which flags when household members approach a re-check deadline. Centers lean on the staffing ratio calculator, since ratio violations are the fastest route to an emergency corrective action.
Use the state lookup first, every time. It's the authoritative record. The toolkit is the operational layer that sits on top of it.
Working through the full picture? The daycare cleaning standards Michigan requires under R 400.8140 (daily cleaning and sanitizing schedules, diapering protocols) are a frequent citation area, and a written protocol helps you during inspections.
How do you report a Michigan daycare you suspect is operating without a license?
Anyone can file a complaint with BCHS. You don't have to be a parent currently using the facility. A neighbor, a former employee, or a competing licensed provider can all report.
File online at michigan.gov/lara or by phone at 866-685-0006. You can report anonymously, though leaving contact information speeds up the investigation if inspectors need to follow up.
BCHS has to investigate complaints of unlicensed operation. The investigation usually means an unannounced site visit within 5 business days when the complaint alleges active care of children. If confirmed, BCHS issues a cease-and-desist, and if care continues, refers the matter to the Attorney General's office.
For licensed providers, unfounded competitor complaints do happen. If you get an investigation notice and think the complaint is retaliatory, you have the right to file a written response. Document your compliance status thoroughly around any investigation. Licensing consultants generally push providers to keep rolling compliance logs, precisely because an investigation can land without warning.
Licensed providers should also know BCHS keeps complaint records for unsubstantiated complaints separate from the license file. Those unsubstantiated complaints should never appear in the public lookup.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Michigan daycare license lookup free to use?
Yes. The LARA Child Care License Search at lara.michigan.gov is free, needs no account, and is open to anyone. You can search by facility name, license number, city, county, or ZIP. It's the authoritative public record for every Family Child Care Home, Group Child Care Home, and Child Care Center licensed by the Bureau of Community and Health Systems.
How often does Michigan update the daycare license database?
LARA updates it in near-real-time as licensing actions get processed. New licenses, renewals, expirations, corrective actions, and revocations post to the public record once BCHS staff enters and approves the action. There's no published batch schedule. If you see a gap between an action you know happened and what shows online, call BCHS at 866-685-0006 to confirm the current status.
Can I look up whether a Michigan daycare has had complaints filed against it?
Only substantiated complaints, or ones that led to formal corrective actions, appear in the public search. Unsubstantiated complaints stay off the public record under Michigan law. For the full inspection history, including findings from annual visits, file a FOIA request with LARA. The form is at lara.michigan.gov, and the agency has 5 business days to respond to the request.
What happens if a Michigan daycare's license is expired?
A lapsed license means the provider cannot legally care for non-related children until it's reinstated. Parents should confirm reinstatement before a child returns. Providers should stop operating immediately and contact BCHS to start reinstatement. Continuing to operate on a lapsed license violates MCL 722.115 and can bring fines up to $500 per day plus more serious enforcement.
How long does it take to get a new Michigan daycare license?
Plan on 60 to 90 days from application to issuance if nothing needs correcting. Background check processing, covering both Michigan State Police and FBI fingerprint checks, is usually the longest step. The pre-licensing inspection has to pass before the license issues. Providers who show up at application with complete documentation move faster. BCHS does not guarantee a set turnaround.
What is the cost to get a Michigan family daycare license?
Michigan's fees are low next to most states. On the current LARA schedule, a Family Child Care Home initial license costs $25 and a Group Child Care Home costs $50. Child Care Centers pay $75 plus $1 per licensed capacity above 25. Renewal fees sit in the same range. The fees haven't moved much in years and are published at lara.michigan.gov.
Does a licensed Michigan daycare show up automatically in the LARA database?
Yes. Every license BCHS issues gets entered into the database as part of the workflow. There's no separate registration step. If a provider says they're newly licensed but don't appear yet, the license may not be finalized in the system. Ask for the physical license document and verify the number with BCHS by phone before placing a child.
How do I look up a daycare license in New York (nys daycare license lookup)?
Use the New York Office of Children and Family Services Child Care Finder at ocfs.ny.gov. New York's system shows inspection history with specific regulation citations, substantiated complaints, and capacity by age group. New York uses a "Registered" category for family day care homes and a "Licensed" category for centers, which run under different oversight. Confirm which category you're viewing before comparing results.
Can a Michigan daycare operate legally without a license?
Only in narrow cases. Michigan allows unlicensed care when a relative of the child provides it, or when only one non-related child is in care at a time. Care for two or more non-related children needs a Family Child Care Home license. Providers claiming an exemption that doesn't apply face fines under MCL 722.115. Unsure? Call BCHS, describe the arrangement, and they'll tell you what applies.
What do corrective actions on a Michigan daycare license mean for parents?
A corrective action is a formal order telling the provider to fix a specific violation by a specific date. One corrective action isn't automatically a reason to walk, especially if it closed and resolved. A pattern of repeat actions in the same area, like supervision or background checks, means more. Ask the provider what happened and how they fixed it. Their answer matters as much as the record.
What child-to-staff ratios must a licensed Michigan daycare maintain?
Ratios depend on license type and age group. Family Child Care Homes cap at 6 children total with no more than 2 under age 2. Group Child Care Homes allow up to 12 children and require 2 adults when 7 or more are present. Center ratios by age sit in Michigan Administrative Code R 400.8161 through R 400.8179, running from 1:4 for infants to 1:20 for school-age children depending on group size.
Does Michigan share daycare licensing data with the federal government?
Yes. States taking Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) money, which Michigan does, have to keep licensing databases that meet federal standards set in the 2014 Child Care and Development Block Grant reauthorization. CCDF rules require states to publish accessible information on licensed providers, including inspection results and violations. Michigan's LARA database satisfies that. CCDF data also feeds national child care market reports from HHS.
Can I verify a Michigan daycare license if I only have the provider's name and city?
Yes. The LARA search takes name and city as separate fields. If a name search returns several results, filter by city or county. If the exact name doesn't appear, try a partial name. Two common snags: the license may sit under the operator's personal name rather than a business name, or the address on file may be in a neighboring city. Still stuck? Call BCHS with the physical address.
Sources
- Michigan LARA, Child Care Licensing (Bureau of Community and Health Systems): Michigan's LARA Child Care License Search is the official public database for all licensed Family Child Care Homes, Group Child Care Homes, and Child Care Centers, accessible free at lara.michigan.gov under BCHS.
- Michigan Administrative Code, Child Care Organizations Rules R 400.8101-R 400.8179: Michigan Administrative Code sets three license categories (Family Home, Group Home, Center), capacity limits, child-to-staff ratios by age, 35 sq ft per child indoor space standard, and 16-hour annual training requirement for Family Child Care Home providers.
- Child Care Aware of America, State Child Care Licensing Contacts: Child Care Aware of America maintains an annually updated state-by-state directory of child care licensing agencies with direct portal links.
- Michigan Legislature, Child Care Organizations Act MCL 722.111-722.128: MCL 722.115 establishes civil fines up to $500 per day for operating a child care facility without a license, and MCL 722.115c lists disqualifying criminal offenses for background checks including fingerprint-based FBI checks for all household adults in licensed homes.
- Michigan LARA, Child Care License Fee Schedule: Michigan's Family Child Care Home initial license fee is $25, Group Child Care Home is $50, and Child Care Centers pay $75 plus $1 per licensed capacity above 25, among the lowest licensing fees in the country.
- HHS Office of Child Care, Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Program: CCDF block grant rules require states to maintain publicly accessible licensing databases meeting federal standards and restrict subsidy payments to licensed providers or legally exempt relatives; Michigan's CDC subsidy program is funded primarily through CCDF.
- Michigan DHHS, Child Development and Care (CDC) Program: Michigan's CDC subsidy program, administered by MDHHS, shares licensing status data with LARA so that a lapsed or revoked license automatically triggers a hold on subsidy payments to the provider.
- Child Care Aware of America, 2023 Demanding Change: Repairing Our Child Care System: Average annual cost of center-based infant care in Michigan is approximately $14,000, below the national median of approximately $15,600 per Child Care Aware of America's 2023 report.
- HHS Office of Child Care, 2014 Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Reauthorization: The 2014 CCDBG reauthorization set minimum federal standards for state background check systems including mandatory FBI fingerprint-based checks as a condition of receiving CCDF funding.