Ohio family child care home license: Type A and Type B homes

Type B or Type A: the decision that shapes everything else

Ohio sorts home child care by how many children are present at one time. A Type B family child care home is “a permanent residence of the provider in which care is provided for one to seven children at one time and in which no more than three children are under two years of age at one time.”⁠¹ A Type A home is the permanent residence of the administrator where care is provided for eight to fourteen children at one time, or four to fourteen if four or more are under age two.⁠¹ Both must be your own home: the rules define the provider as the person responsible for daily operation, who is also the owner, with the home as the “permanent residence,” and every Type A administrator must live there.⁠²²

The law treats the two tiers differently. Ohio Revised Code 5104.02 says no one may operate “a child care center or type A family child care home without a license.”⁠² The same section makes DCY responsible for licensing Type B homes, but the mandatory-license sentence does not name them.⁠² Two other statutes refer to a “type B family child care home that is not licensed by the director,” which confirms that unlicensed Type B homes exist in Ohio law.⁠¹⁷⁠¹⁸ What a Type B license buys you is access to state money: publicly funded child care may be provided only by licensed centers, Type A homes, licensed Type B homes and a short list of other approved providers.⁠¹⁶

The statutes and DCY’s provider pages do not say in so many words that a private-pay Type B home with one to seven children may operate without a license. Before you take your first paying child, ask DCY or your county job and family services agency whether your situation needs a license.

Sources: ORC 5104.01 and 5104.054;⁠¹⁠¹⁷ OAC 5180:2-13-02, -04 and -18.⁠⁴⁠⁵⁠¹⁰

Once you need more than 14 children, or want to operate outside your residence, you need a child care center license, which is a separate license type. Only one family child care license is issued per address, and never to an address already licensed as a center.⁠⁴

A point of confusion: DCY’s Become a Provider page describes a Type A home as caring for “4-12 children if four children are under two years of age,” while the statute says four to fourteen.⁠¹⁴⁠¹ The licensing rule settles the practical question: each child care staff member may have no more than three children under two, so four or more infants and young toddlers means a second caregiver.⁠¹⁰

Who counts toward your capacity

Ohio counts your own children. Every child under six who is present counts, “including those related to the provider, the provider’s own children and residents of the family child care home.”⁠¹⁰ Unrelated children aged 6 through 14 count. Related children aged 6 up to 15 count when their care is paid, privately or publicly. Teenagers aged 15 through 17 count if they are authorized to you for publicly funded care, and foster children count as related to the provider.⁠¹⁰ A child whose parent is present and caring for them does not count, unless that parent is you, a resident, an employee or a staff member.⁠¹⁰

The cap applies during all operating hours, including routine trips and field trips.⁠¹⁰ You must keep dated attendance records with each child’s name, birth date, group, weekly schedule and arrival and departure times to the minute, and keep them at the home for one year. Ohio’s automated child care system for subsidy billing does not satisfy this requirement.⁠¹⁰

What you need before you apply

Age, education and residence. You must be at least 18, live in the home, and, for any Type B provider licensed after April 1, 2003, have completed high school.⁠⁶ You may not hold other employment during your operating hours, and you must be on site at least 75 percent of the hours you are open each week (the county agency can grant a short-term exemption).⁠⁶

Child care experience or education. Appendix B to rule 5180:2-13-07 accepts any one of: 30 clock hours of documented early childhood training; two years of college (60 semester or 90 quarter hours) including two child development courses; a current CDA credential; a two-year vocational child care program approved by the state board of education; a pre-kindergarten associate certificate; a recognized Montessori early childhood credential; designation as career pathways level one; or at least 12 months’ experience caring for children 12 or younger, and “parenthood may be used to meet this requirement.”⁠⁶

Health training. Before licensure you need current first aid and CPR certification appropriate to the ages in care, communicable disease management training, and child abuse and neglect recognition and prevention training.⁠⁸ CPR delivered by video or online only does not count; it needs an in-person component.⁠⁸

Prelicensing training and the rules course. You must create an Ohio Professional Registry (OPR) profile and complete DCY’s family child care prelicensing training within the five years before you apply.⁠⁴ DCY lists the new course as “DCY Family Child Care Pre-Licensing” (ST#10163194), available since July 6, 2026; completion appears in your OPR profile automatically.⁠¹⁴ Providers and Type A administrators named on a license on or after July 1, 2026 must also finish a DCY rules review course within one year, and again every five years.⁠⁶

Immunizations. Within 30 days of opening, you need written evidence of MMR and Tdap immunization, or a signed exemption for reasons of conscience or a medical exemption signed by a physician, PA or APRN.⁠⁶

Liability coverage or a parent statement. You must either carry liability insurance of at least $100,000 per occurrence and $300,000 aggregate, or give every parent DCY 01933, the “Liability Insurance Statement for Family Child Care Providers,” and keep the signed copies.⁠⁶ If you rent and buy insurance, the landlord can require to be added as an additional insured, at the landlord’s cost.⁠⁶

Background checks for you and every adult in the house

Ohio checks BCI and FBI fingerprint records, the national and state sex offender registries, and the statewide child welfare system (SACWIS).⁠⁷ The check covers you, every adult (18 and over) living in the home, and every employee and child care staff member, including substitutes and high school students.⁠⁷ For anyone who lived in another state in the previous five years, DCY also contacts those states for records.⁠⁷

You start the process in two parts: fingerprints submitted electronically with results sent to DCY, and a background check request in the OPR. If only one part is done and the other is not submitted within 45 days, the process ends and must be restarted.⁠⁷ Checks repeat every five years. A household member who turns 18, or an adult who moves in, must be checked within 10 business days.⁠⁷

A person is ineligible to own, reside in or work in a licensed home for a disqualifying offense under ORC 109.572(A)(5) (unless the rehabilitation standards in the rule’s appendix are met), for being on a sex offender registry, or for being named in SACWIS as the perpetrator of a substantiated child abuse or neglect finding in the previous ten years, or having had a child removed from the home in that period by a court determination of abuse or neglect that the person caused.⁠⁷ An ineligible resident must stop living in the home immediately when DCY’s notice (DCY 01176) arrives.⁠⁷ For a family business, that household rule is often the deciding factor.

Making the house fit the rules

Space. You need at least 35 square feet of usable indoor floor space per child present, not counting bathrooms, hallways or storage rooms, and an on-site outdoor area of at least 60 square feet per child using it at one time.⁠⁹ The outdoor area must be enclosed by a continuous fence with working gates, a natural barrier, or both, and any body of water must be fenced off separately; the house door alone is not a barrier.⁠⁹ Since July 1, 2026, a home without on-site outdoor space may use a safe off-site play area instead.⁠⁹

Type A building, fire and zoning. A Type A home must be inspected by the local building department at application, and again before using any newly added space or after major structural, plumbing, electrical or HVAC work.⁠⁵ It also needs a fire inspection and written approval from the state fire marshal or local fire safety inspector at application and at least once every twelve months after that, plus a fire approval before caring for infants or non-ambulatory children anywhere but the first floor.⁠⁵ You must document that local zoning does not prohibit the home.⁠⁵

Type B fire safety. A licensed Type B home has no building department inspection; instead the county agency approves the space, and no care may happen above the second floor.⁠⁵ You need a UL or FM smoke alarm in the basement and on each level, a 1A:10BC fire extinguisher in the kitchen, covered electrical junction boxes, and the exit features in the rule’s appendix. Unvented fuel-fired heaters may not run during care.⁠⁵ Type B homes also need UL-listed carbon monoxide detectors in the basement and on each level where care is given.⁠²¹

Zoning for Type B. State law makes any Type B home, “whether licensed or not licensed,” a residential use that is permitted in every zoning district allowing homes, and bars local governments from requiring a conditional use permit.⁠¹⁷

Household safety rules that trip up new providers. Weapons and ammunition must be locked, out of sight and inaccessible. General-use trampolines, ball pits and bounce houses are prohibited. No smoking or vaping is allowed in the home or vehicles while children are in care, and if anyone smokes there at other times you must tell every parent in writing.⁠²¹

Applying through OCLQS, step by step

1. Create your OPR profile

   This is Ohio’s workforce registry, where your training and background check request are recorded.⁠¹³

2. Complete the prelicensing training

   in the OPR, within five years of applying.⁠⁴⁠¹³

3. Submit the application and $25 fee

   in the Ohio statewide licensing system, which DCY still calls the Ohio Child Licensing and Quality System (OCLQS).⁠⁴⁠¹³ The application is filed when it is received and payment clears. It is deleted after 120 days if the fee is never paid, and deleted with the fee forfeited if your home is not ready to be licensed within 12 months.⁠⁴

4. Request your background check

   in the OPR and get fingerprinted.⁠¹³

5. Upload the supporting documents

   Every applicant provides verification that background checks were requested, proof of high school education, and a detailed, labeled site plan with an indoor floor plan and an outdoor play-space diagram. Type A applicants add building inspection documentation, fire inspection documentation, written zoning approval, and articles of incorporation if applicable.⁠⁴ DCY’s checklist also lists the written parent and employee policies, an Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan, and the DCY 01174 Adjudicated a Delinquent Child Statement; for Type A homes it adds proof that a business entity is registered, if applicable.⁠¹³

6. County review

   The county agency must begin reviewing your documents within 10 business days and recommend approval or denial to DCY within 90 days of a completed application.⁠⁴

7. Prelicensing inspection

   A county job and family services licensing specialist inspects the home within 10 business days after the application is complete and all documents are approved. You submit corrective action plans for anything cited.⁠⁴⁠¹³

8. Provisional license

   It is issued once background check eligibility and trainings are verified and the county recommends approval; DCY notifies you by email. Unless you ask for less, the license capacity is set at the maximum the home allows.⁠¹³⁠⁴

For policy questions DCY lists its Child Care Policy Help Desk at 1-877-302-2347, option 4, and OCLQS technical support at 844-234-5437, option 6.⁠¹³⁠¹⁴

Your written policies are reviewed, not merely filed. Appendix C to rule 5180:2-13-07 requires a parent and employee handbook covering hours and closings, ratios, payment and fees, enrollment, a written security plan limiting access to the home, care of unimmunized children, arrival and release of children, supervision, child guidance, suspension and expulsion, ADA compliance, food, illness, emergencies, medication, transportation, swimming, infant care, evening and overnight care, a social media policy, and substitute coverage.⁠⁶ Parents also receive the state’s Family Child Care Parent Information sheet (Appendix D).⁠⁶

Hiring help

An assistant counts toward ratio only as a child care staff member. Staff must be at least 16, provide high school verification, and finish DCY’s family child care staff orientation within 30 days of starting; an adult staff member may help meet ratios before then but may not be left alone with children until it is done.⁠²⁰ Since July 1, 2026, high school juniors and seniors enrolled in an early childhood career-technical, CDA or college-credit program may work as staff, but they may not be left alone with children, drive, or give medication.⁠²⁰ Staff need CPR, first aid, communicable disease and child abuse training before being left alone with children, and within 90 days of hire.⁠⁸ No new hire may work near children until DCY’s preliminary background approval arrives.⁠⁷

The provisional year and inspections after that

A new license is provisional for at least 12 months.⁠¹² The county inspects at least once before the provisional license is issued and at least twice during the provisional period.⁠¹¹ To convert to a continuous license you must comply with the rules and have children enrolled and attending for whom you are paid; if you have served no children, the provisional period continues for up to 12 more months, and the county must inspect with children present before recommending a continuous license.⁠¹²

After that the license does not expire. It ends if you move without an approved change-of-location amendment, if a Type A home’s ownership changes, or if you surrender it or it is revoked.⁠⁴ You are inspected at least once in each half of the state fiscal year, with at least one unannounced visit.⁠¹¹

Violations now carry points: 3 for each moderate-risk and 6 for each serious-risk non-compliance, and accumulated points can trigger licensing or Step Up To Quality action.⁠¹¹ For a serious-risk finding you must notify every enrolled family within 15 business days. You may request a review of any finding within 10 business days of the inspection report.⁠¹¹ If DCY revokes a license or denies an application, it will not consider a new one from the same owner for five years.⁠³

Ongoing duties include six clock hours of professional development each fiscal year (July through June), skipped in the first partial year if you were licensed between January and June.⁠⁸ You must also report household changes within 10 business days.⁠⁶ A move requires a request at least 30 days before your last day at the old address, another $25 fee, and a new inspection, plus new building, fire and zoning documents for Type A homes.⁠⁴ A Type A home that is sold needs a brand-new application and fee.⁠⁴

Getting paid with publicly funded child care

To serve families on Ohio’s child care subsidy you must hold a Type A or licensed Type B license and sign a DCY provider agreement; payments arrive by electronic funds transfer.⁠¹⁶⁠¹³ Ohio’s Step Up To Quality rating system is optional for family child care homes: the statute lets Type A and licensed Type B homes provide publicly funded care without a rating.⁠¹⁶ Rated programs receive a higher payment rate tied to their rating.⁠¹³ State law also directs DCY to pay based on a child’s enrollment rather than attendance no later than July 9, 2028.⁠¹⁹ As a licensed Type B owner you are an independent contractor, not a state employee.⁠³

If you run an unlicensed Type B home and want federal Child and Adult Care Food Program funds, state law requires you to request a fire marshal inspection first.⁠¹⁸

What changed on July 1, 2026

DCY’s five-year review of the family child care rules took effect July 1, 2026.⁠¹⁵ The main changes for new applicants:

• The plan of operation is no longer submitted; a labeled site plan is required instead.⁠¹⁵
• New providers and Type A administrators must complete a DCY rules review course.⁠¹⁵
• High school students aged 16 and up may work as staff, with limits. The staff medical statement requirement was removed.⁠¹⁵
• Violations are scored at 3 and 6 points.⁠¹⁵ DCY may close a license when no children have been enrolled and attending for 24 months and the provider refuses to close it voluntarily.⁠¹⁵
• Written policies must now include a security plan, a social media policy and a policy on emergency medical devices.⁠¹⁵
• The rules clarify that general-use trampolines are prohibited; small therapy trampolines up to 48 inches are allowed under direct supervision.⁠¹⁵
• OCLQS is now called the Ohio statewide licensing system in the rules, and change deadlines in the OPR were extended from five to 10 business days.⁠¹⁵

The rules were renumbered from 5101:2-13 to 5180:2-13 on January 2, 2025, as a result of House Bill 33 of the 135th General Assembly.⁠¹⁵ Some rules not included in the 2026 review, such as the provisional license and training rules, still cite the old 5101 numbers and ODJFS forms.⁠¹²⁠⁸

Sources

1. 1
   Ohio Legislative Service Commission, Ohio Revised Code 5104.01, Definitions (effective September 30, 2025) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
2. 2
   Ohio Legislative Service Commission, Ohio Revised Code 5104.02, License required; exemptions (effective April 9, 2025) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
3. 3
   Ohio Legislative Service Commission, Ohio Revised Code 5104.03, License application; inspection; revocation (effective January 1, 2025) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
4. 4
   Ohio Legislative Service Commission, Ohio Adm. Code 5180:2-13-02, Application and amendments for a family child care provider license (effective July 1, 2026) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
5. 5
   Ohio Legislative Service Commission, Ohio Adm. Code 5180:2-13-04, Building department inspection and fire inspection (effective October 29, 2021) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
6. 6
   Ohio Legislative Service Commission, Ohio Adm. Code 5180:2-13-07, Provider responsibilities, requirements and qualifications (effective July 1, 2026), with Appendices B and C Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
7. 7
   Ohio Legislative Service Commission, Ohio Adm. Code 5180:2-13-09, Background check requirements (effective July 1, 2026) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
8. 8
   Ohio Legislative Service Commission, Ohio Adm. Code 5180:2-13-10, Training and professional development requirements (effective October 29, 2021) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
9. 9
   Ohio Legislative Service Commission, Ohio Adm. Code 5180:2-13-11, Indoor and outdoor space requirements (effective July 1, 2026) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
10. 10
    Ohio Legislative Service Commission, Ohio Adm. Code 5180:2-13-18, Group size and ratios (effective July 1, 2026) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
11. 11
    Ohio Legislative Service Commission, Ohio Adm. Code 5180:2-13-03, Compliance inspection and complaint investigation (effective July 1, 2026) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
12. 12
    Ohio Legislative Service Commission, Ohio Adm. Code 5180:2-13-06, Procedures for a provider operating under a provisional license (effective October 29, 2021) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
13. 13
    Ohio Department of Children and Youth, DCY 01310, Family Child Care Home Licensing: Getting Started (rev. 6/2026) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
14. 14
    Ohio Department of Children and Youth, Become a Provider Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
15. 15
    Ohio Department of Children and Youth, Transmittal Letter No. 49, Five-Year Review of Family Child Care Rules (June 18, 2026) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
16. 16
    Ohio Legislative Service Commission, Ohio Revised Code 5104.31, Eligible providers of publicly funded child care (effective January 1, 2025) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
17. 17
    Ohio Legislative Service Commission, Ohio Revised Code 5104.054, Type B home as residential use (effective January 1, 2025) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
18. 18
    Ohio Legislative Service Commission, Ohio Revised Code 5104.053, Fire inspection of unlicensed Type B home for food program (effective January 1, 2025) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
19. 19
    Ohio Legislative Service Commission, Ohio Revised Code 5104.32, Publicly funded child care contracts (effective March 20, 2026) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
20. 20
    Ohio Legislative Service Commission, Ohio Adm. Code 5180:2-13-08, Employees and child care staff members (effective July 1, 2026) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
21. 21
    Ohio Legislative Service Commission, Ohio Adm. Code Chapter 5180:2-13, Licensing Family Child Care Homes (rules 12 and 13: safe and sanitary environment) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
22. 22
    Ohio Legislative Service Commission, Ohio Adm. Code 5180:2-13-01, Definitions for licensed family child care (effective July 1, 2026) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑

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