Licensing a family child care home in North Carolina: the DCDEE process, step by step

When North Carolina requires a license

North Carolina’s licensing law turns on a simple head count. Child care means three or more children under 13 who do not live where the care is provided, cared for on a regular basis at least once a week for more than four hours but less than 24 hours a day, by someone other than their guardians or relatives by birth, marriage or adoption.⁠¹ A family child care home is that arrangement in “an operator occupied private dwelling” where, at any one time, more than two but fewer than 11 children receive care.⁠¹ The Division’s own rules add that the operator must live at the location of the home.⁠³

DCDEE puts the test as two questions: will you care for more than two children who are not related to you, and will they be with you for more than four hours a day? If both answers are yes, you need a license. Until you have one, you may legally care for no more than two unrelated children on that regular basis, and DCDEE warns that it is a Class I felony to willfully operate a family child care home without a license.⁠⁴⁠⁵

The statute excludes several arrangements from child care altogether. The two that matter most for home-based founders are care in the child’s own home when all the children are related to each other and no more than two additional children are present, and recreational programs that run for less than four consecutive months a year. Specialized instruction such as music lessons, dance or athletics is also outside the definition.⁠¹

If you plan to outgrow a family home, North Carolina also licenses a “center located in a residence,” a child care center in a home serving more than two but fewer than 15 children, which is licensed and staffed as a center rather than a home.⁠³ That route is covered in the child care center guide.

How many children you can take

G.S. 110-91(7)b gives a family child care home three alternative groups. Every group counts your own preschool-age children and excludes your own school-age children up to age 13.⁠²

Your license states the age range you are approved for. Raising or lowering capacity, changing the age range, adding shifts or removing a restriction all require written notice to DCDEE and a new license after the Division verifies compliance.⁠³ If you want to serve infants 12 months and younger, ITS-SIDS (safe sleep) training becomes a condition of the application itself, not something you add later.⁠³

Who can hold the license

Since January 1, 1998, a family child care home operator must be at least 21 years old with a high school diploma or its equivalent, and “any operator of a licensed family child care home shall be the person on-site providing child care.”⁠² That last clause means the license holder is the caregiver; this is not a license you can hold while hiring someone else to run the home day to day. The application may be signed by the individual responsible for the home or by an officer of an entity that will be responsible for it, and the form offers individual, corporate and government ownership types.⁠³⁠⁵

The application also asks:

• whether you or anyone listed on it has ever operated a child care facility anywhere in the US, including on military installations, and whether you hold a license for another location;⁠⁵
• for a sworn attestation of US citizenship, national status, permanent residency or work authorization;⁠⁵
• for your certification that you do not habitually use alcohol to excess or use illegal or impairing drugs.⁠⁵

DCDEE screens each application against the denial grounds in 10A NCAC 09 .2215 before going further.⁠³ Only one licensed family child care home may operate at any one address, and the license cannot be bought, sold or transferred.⁠³

Background checks for the whole household

You, any staff, and every household member aged 16 or older must obtain a criminal background check qualification letter from DCDEE before the license is issued, whether or not they will ever care for a child.⁠⁵⁠⁹ Applications go through the Automated Background Check Management System (ABCMS), followed by fingerprinting at a local law enforcement agency; the check covers state and federal fingerprint databases and the state Child Maltreatment Registry, among other sources.⁠⁹ Since legislation passed in July 2022, qualification letters are valid for five years, and the packet warns that a criminal record held by anyone in the household may lead to denial.⁠⁹⁠⁵

Getting the house ready

DCDEE licenses the entire premises, not just a playroom. At the initial assessment the consultant looks at “the entire child care home and adjacent property, including but not limited to natural areas, outbuildings, dwellings, vehicles, and other structures.”⁠⁵ After licensure, routine visits cover the caregiving space shown on your floor plan; the Division returns to the whole premises only for complaints, emergencies or evidence that children are in undesignated space.⁠³

Building rules in 10A NCAC 09 .1707

• All children must be kept on the ground level of exit discharge.⁠³
• The home must be free of lead poisoning hazards and asbestos hazards.⁠³
• Smoke detection: an electrically operated smoke detector with battery backup, or one electric and one battery detector side by side.⁠³
• At least one 5-pound 2-A:10-B:C fire extinguisher for every 2,500 square feet of floor area.⁠³
• Rooms used by children heated when the indoor temperature is below 65°F and ventilated when it is above 85°F; hot pipes and radiators within reach covered or insulated.⁠³
• Children may be cared for only in the caregiving area shown on the floor plan you submit. Changes to that space must reach DCDEE 30 days before children use it.⁠³

Water testing

North Carolina requires lead testing of home water before licensure. Under 10A NCAC 09 .1725, amended effective January 1, 2024, you collect samples from every outlet used for drinking or food preparation and submit them for lead analysis to the local health department or a lab certified by the State Laboratory of Public Health; new applicants test during the application process.⁠³ DCDEE directs applicants to register with the Clean Classrooms for Carolina Kids program for help with collecting and submitting samples, and to complete that program’s survey to find out what lead-paint and asbestos testing the house needs.⁠⁴ The packet asks for copies of both the water results and the lead-based paint/asbestos results.⁠⁵ If the home is on a private well, you also need a negative bacteriological analysis with the application, repeated every two years.⁠³

Items the consultant checks

DCDEE’s pre-licensing checklist turns the rules into a walk-through. Among the items:⁠⁶

• locked storage for all medications, cleaning supplies, fire-starting materials and tobacco; emergency medications may sit unlocked at least 5 feet high;
• firearms unloaded, with guns and ammunition in separate locked storage (a rule requirement under .1719);⁠³
• railings on indoor stairs with more than two steps, and those stairs made inaccessible to children 2 and younger;
• openings in steps, decks and handrails either under 3½ inches or over 9 inches;
• stationary outdoor equipment anchored and not installed over concrete or asphalt, plus a shaded outdoor area;
• a thermometer in each refrigerator (45°F or less), a sick area for mildly ill children, and a private breastfeeding space that is not a bathroom;
• vaccination records for every household pet.

If your home has a pool, the checklist calls for a pool inspection where applicable, and the rules ban aquatic activities in hot tubs, spas, portable wading pools and natural bodies of water. Any swimming requires a person with Red Cross lifeguard training or a DCDEE-approved equivalent.⁠⁶⁠³

Local approvals, landlords and HOAs

The state does not issue zoning approval. DCDEE tells applicants to contact the local zoning and planning office to find out whether the residence meets child care zoning requirements, and to provide copies of any sanitation, fire or building inspection the local ordinance requires.⁠⁴ The checklist leaves a line for each of those inspections “if required by your county,” plus a zoning letter.⁠⁶ If you rent or live in a homeowners association, you need written permission from the owner or HOA before DCDEE will work with you to set up the home.⁠⁴

Training before and after you open

Before licensure you need:

• the one-day DCDEE Family Child Care Home Pre-Licensing Workshop, completed within the last two years;⁠⁶⁠³
• First Aid and CPR completed within 12 months before applying;⁠³
• ITS-SIDS training within 12 months before applying, if you will care for infants 12 months and younger;⁠³
• a negative tuberculosis test or screening from the past 12 months and a completed health questionnaire stating you are emotionally and physically fit to care for children.⁠³

After you are licensed, 10A NCAC 09 .1703 adds a schedule of deadlines:⁠³

• Within 90 days: Recognizing and Responding to Suspicions of Child Maltreatment training.
• Within one year: health and safety training covering 11 topic areas (infectious disease and immunization, medication administration, food allergies, premises safety, emergency preparedness, hazardous materials, transportation, shaken baby syndrome and abusive head trauma, CPR and First Aid, child abuse reporting, and safe sleep), plus a written professional development plan.
• Within one year: the Emergency Preparedness and Response in Child Care training, followed by your written Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan (10A NCAC 09 .1714).
• Every year: update the health questionnaire and keep First Aid and CPR current; renew ITS-SIDS every three years.

From the second year, the hours of annual ongoing training depend on your education. First Aid and CPR do not count toward them.⁠³

Staff working fewer than 40 hours a week may prorate: 5 hours for 0-10 hours worked per week, 10 for 11-20, 15 for 21-30 and 20 for 31-40.⁠³

Helpers, substitutes and time away from the children

A family child care home is built around one operator, so North Carolina regulates every other adult who steps in. Under 10A NCAC 09 .1729:⁠³

• An additional caregiver or substitute who covers five hours or more a week during your planned absences must be 21, have a high school diploma or GED, and have First Aid/CPR, a TB result and a health questionnaire, a background check, ITS-SIDS if you serve infants, and the child maltreatment training.
• Someone covering less than five hours a week must be literate and meet the same list except the diploma and annual training.
• You must give every caregiver, including volunteers and unpaid helpers, 16 hours of orientation before they care for children, and both of you sign a statement that it was done.
• For unplanned absences such as a medical emergency, an emergency caregiver must be at least 18 and submit background check forms.

If you will run errands, attend classes or keep medical appointments during care hours, you need a written plan of care. Errands with enrolled children are limited to two hours a week; children may not go with you to classes or medical appointments, and anything beyond the two hours requires a qualified additional caregiver or substitute.⁠³

Supervision rules are specific too: you must be positioned to see and hear preschool children at all times. Napping children need not be in view, but there may be no closed door between them and you, and you must be on the same level of the house.⁠³ If you are licensed for overnight care, each child still there after midnight needs a bed, crib or cot with a waterproof mattress at least 4 inches thick, and you may sleep only if you and the children are on ground level and there is a smoke detector in each room where children sleep.⁠³

The licensing sequence

1. Register for the pre-licensing workshop

   Registration is online only and seats are limited. The workshop runs 9:30 a.m. to about 3:30 p.m., carries five hours of training credit and costs $75 per person, non-refundable (one free transfer within the quarter with three business days’ notice). The October-December 2026 schedule lists six statewide virtual sessions and in-person sessions in Morganton, Charlotte and Kenansville.⁠⁷ The workshop must come before you apply.⁠³⁠⁵

2. Clear local approvals and the household

   Get zoning confirmation and any locally required inspections, landlord or HOA permission in writing, and background check qualification letters for yourself and everyone 16 or older in the home.⁠⁴⁠⁵

3. Assemble the supporting documents

   The packet lists: qualification letters, TB results, water lead results, lead paint/asbestos results, workshop certificate, well water analysis if applicable, First Aid/CPR card, ITS-SIDS certificate if serving infants, health questionnaire, local ordinance documents (including zoning approval or a privilege license where applicable) and pet vaccinations. DCDEE also wants a floor plan marking the rooms used for child care.⁠⁵⁠⁴

4. Mail the Application - Facility Profile

   It must be completed in ink and signed; incomplete forms are returned. The packet’s mailing address is DCDEE, Regulatory Services Section/Team Support Unit, 2201 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699.⁠⁵

5. Pre-licensing consultation

   Once the application is complete, the lead child care consultant for your county schedules an announced visit to review the requirements, walk the indoor and outdoor areas, and hand over any additional forms.⁠⁵⁠⁴

6. Initial assessment

   When you have met every requirement, you call the consultant to request the initial assessment. If the home complies, DCDEE issues a temporary license valid for six months; if it does not, the consultant sets a period for you to come into compliance.⁠⁵⁠³

7. Rated license

   During the six-month temporary period DCDEE makes two visits and, if you are interested, starts the rated license application. At the end of the period you receive a one-star license if you meet the minimum standards, or a two- to five-star license if you also meet the voluntary standards.⁠⁵⁠³

Before the first child enrolls, you also need written operational policies covering 11 required items, including hours, ages served, admission and enrollment, parent fees and payment plan, meals and transportation, the cleaning schedule, abuse reporting procedures, your discipline policy, parent participation and nutrition. Parents must receive a copy on or before the child’s first day.⁠³ Your license, the Summary of the Child Care Law poster and emergency numbers must be posted, along with a safe sleep policy and poster if you care for infants.⁠⁶⁠³

Fees and penalties

The annual license fee is authorized by G.S. 110-90(1a) and is paid online only. Unpaid fees draw a 10% late fee plus interest, and nonpayment can lead to revocation of the license.⁠⁸ The fee page as of October 12, 2026 still describes the January-December 2025 billing year with a December 3, 2025 deadline. DCDEE has not published a 2026 amount or due date there, so ask your consultant or the Division’s license fee line (919-814-6487) what the first invoice will be and when it falls due. G.S. 110-90(1a) caps the fee for a facility of 12 or fewer children at $52, and neither the application packet nor the fee page lists a separate application fee for a family child care home.⁠⁸⁠⁵

For violations, DCDEE may set a compliance period or recommend administrative action and a civil penalty.⁠³ The statute caps civil penalties at $1,000 for each violation documented on any given date.⁠¹²

Keeping the license: visits, changes and stars

Section .1700 has no periodic renewal application. What it requires instead is ongoing compliance: at least one unannounced DCDEE visit every year, more when there is a complaint, the annual fee, background check letters refreshed every five years, and the training deadlines above.⁠³⁠⁹⁠⁸ Some changes require advance notice:

• Moving: notify DCDEE at least 30 calendar days before relocating and do not operate at the new address until it is licensed; a license is valid only for the address on it.⁠³
• Selling or handing over the home: the new operator must apply for a new license at least 30 days before the change.⁠³
• Capacity, age range, shifts or legal name: written notice and a reissued license.⁠³

Pathways to the Stars

North Carolina finished rewriting its star rating system in 2025. Under “Pathways to the Stars,” Section .3200 standards for two- through five-star licenses took effect July 1, 2025, with three pathways for showing quality. Since October 2025, consultants discuss the pathways during licensing visits and set an individual timeline for moving to the new rated license within 12 months. Environment rating assessments for homes switched to FCCERS-3 on February 1, 2025.⁠¹⁰ A new home starts at one star and becomes eligible for higher ratings after its first six months.⁠⁵

Child care subsidy

Stars matter for revenue in North Carolina. To serve families through the state’s Subsidized Child Care Assistance program, a provider must hold a rated license of three stars or higher. Enrollment runs through the county Department of Social Services or local purchasing agency: you get a Business NCID, have it linked to your provider record in NC FAST, enter your shifts and private-pay rates in the NC FAST Provider Portal, enroll in direct deposit and sign the Provider Agreement.⁠¹¹ A one-star home on its first rated license therefore cannot bill subsidy until it earns a higher rating.

Pending legislation

Senate Bill 1051 (2025-2026 Session) would make HOA covenants that prohibit or restrict licensed family child care homes void, bar landlords from prohibiting or penalizing the use in a lease, and require local governments to treat a licensed home as a residential use permitted by right wherever homes are allowed. It was filed April 30, 2026, passed first reading and was referred to the Senate Committee on Rules and Operations on May 4, 2026. On May 5, 2026 it was withdrawn from that committee and re-referred to Appropriations/Base Budget, with no later action recorded as of October 12, 2026.⁠¹³ Until a bill like this becomes law, the landlord, HOA and local zoning steps above still apply.⁠⁴

DCDEE moved its Raleigh offices on October 1, 2025 to 1915 Health Services Way; the mailing address remains 2201 Mail Service Center, and the main line is 919-814-6300 (toll-free 1-800-859-0829).⁠¹⁴⁠⁵

For other care businesses in North Carolina, see the guides to the adult care home license, family care home license, adult day care certification and home care agency license.

Sources

1. 1
   North Carolina General Assembly, G.S. 110-86, Definitions (Child Care Facilities Act) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
2. 2
   North Carolina General Assembly, G.S. 110-91, Mandatory standards for a license Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
3. 3
   North Carolina Office of Administrative Hearings, NC Administrative Code, 10A NCAC 09, Child Care Rules (Section .0100 definitions and Section .1700 family child care homes) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
4. 4
   NC DHHS, Division of Child Development and Early Education, Family Child Care Home Licensure: At a Glance (Rev. 7/2024) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
5. 5
   NC DHHS, Division of Child Development and Early Education, Family Child Care Home Application Packet (revised 11/2025) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
6. 6
   NC DHHS, Division of Child Development and Early Education, Pre-Licensing Checklist for Family Child Care Homes (January 2021) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
7. 7
   NC DHHS, Division of Child Development and Early Education, Family Child Care Home Pre-Licensing Workshops, October - December 2026 Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
8. 8
   NC DHHS, Division of Child Development and Early Education, Annual License Fee Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
9. 9
   NC DHHS, Division of Child Development and Early Education, Criminal Background Check Unit: Basic Information Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
10. 10
    NC DHHS, Division of Child Development and Early Education, Pathways to the Stars: QRIS Modernization Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
11. 11
    NC DHHS, Division of Child Development and Early Education, Care for Children Receiving Subsidy Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
12. 12
    North Carolina General Assembly, G.S. 110-103.1, Civil penalties Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
13. 13
    North Carolina General Assembly, Senate Bill 1051 (2025-2026 Session): bill history and first edition Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
14. 14
    NC DHHS, Division of Child Development and Early Education, Getting a License Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑

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