To run a California daycare license lookup, go to the Community Care Licensing Division’s Care Facility Search at ccld.dss.ca.gov/carefacilitysearch.1California Department of Social Services. Community Care Facility Search It’s the only state-maintained database with current regulatory information on every licensed child care center and family child care home in California, and it’s free. Third-party directories pull from the same source but can lag or leave out compliance details, so go straight to the state tool when a facility’s legal standing matters.2California Department of Social Services. Community Care Licensing
How to Run the Search
Open the Care Facility Search page and pick the program type from the dropdown: Child Care Center for facilities in commercial or institutional buildings, or Family Child Care Home for care provided in the caregiver’s own residence. You can then search by facility name, license number, address, city, or zip code.
A few things that save time. Searching by zip code pulls up every licensed facility in the area, which is useful when you’re comparing options in a neighborhood. Small family child care homes can be hard to find by name because the business name may not match what parents call it, or there may be no listed business name at all. If a name search returns nothing, try the license number or street address.
Family child care homes come in two sizes: Small (up to eight children) and Large (up to 14 children).3Department of Social Services. CCC Licensing Information The record you pull up shows the licensed capacity. If a provider tells you they care for more children than the database lists, that’s worth asking about.
Clicking into the record brings up a card with the license type, licensed capacity, current status, and links to inspection and complaint history.
What Each License Status Means
The status field tells you where the facility stands with the state right now.
- Licensed (Active). The facility has met all requirements and is authorized to operate. This is what you want to see. It doesn’t guarantee a clean history, so inspection reports still deserve a look.
- Probationary. The state found serious or repeated violations and imposed corrective conditions instead of pulling the license. The facility can keep operating, but under closer scrutiny, and it pays an added monitoring fee on top of its regular annual licensing fee. Treat this status as a prompt to ask direct questions before you enroll a child.4California Department of Social Services. Title 22 Regulations – Child Care Center General Licensing Requirements
- Suspended (Temporary Suspension Order). The CDSS director has halted operations immediately, without a hearing, because the facility poses a substantial threat to children’s physical health, mental health, or safety. A suspended facility cannot legally accept or care for children.5Justia Law. California Health and Safety Code 1596.885-1596.8895 – Article 4 Suspension and Revocation
- Revoked. The state has permanently terminated the license. Grounds include violations of licensing law, conduct harmful to children’s health or safety, criminal convictions of the licensee, and financial malfeasance.5Justia Law. California Health and Safety Code 1596.885-1596.8895 – Article 4 Suspension and Revocation
Reading Inspection Reports and Citations
The database holds five years of inspection history for each facility, including findings from unannounced site visits and any substantiated complaints, meaning complaints that were investigated and confirmed.6California Department of Social Services. Facility Search Welcome This is where the real picture of a facility shows up, because even an “Active” license can sit on top of a pattern of recurring problems.
California sorts violations into three tiers.
- Type A. A serious deficiency presenting an immediate or substantial threat to children’s physical health, mental health, or safety. Examples include missing criminal background clearances for staff, fire safety failures, unsafe water supply, and failure to meet care and supervision requirements. Even one Type A citation warrants a direct conversation with the provider.
- Type B. Not currently serious, but could become so if uncorrected. Incomplete paperwork or not enough clean dishes on hand for the next meal fall here.
- Type C. A minor technical violation with no immediate risk, such as records stored in the wrong location or undated food menus.
Look at the pattern over time rather than any single report. One Type B citation corrected promptly reads very differently from repeated Type A findings. For more context on a specific citation than the database shows, contact the local CCLD Regional Office listed on the facility’s record. Staff there can explain what’s behind a finding.
When a License Isn’t Required
Not every caregiver in California needs a license, so not every legitimate caregiver will appear in the CCLD database. A person who cares for their own children and the children of only one other family is legally exempt, and relatives caring for family members’ children are also exempt.7California Department of Social Services. Do I Need a License?
For those license-exempt caregivers, California runs the voluntary TrustLine Registry. Caregivers on TrustLine have submitted fingerprints to the California Department of Justice, cleared the California Criminal History System and the Child Abuse Central Index, and cleared FBI criminal history records.8California Department of Social Services. TrustLine Parents can check whether a specific caregiver is registered by calling (800) 822-8490. If you’re hiring a nanny or in-home babysitter who doesn’t need a license, TrustLine is the closest equivalent to a license lookup.
Reporting Unlicensed Care or Suspected Violations
If you find a facility operating without a license, or you believe a licensed provider is violating health and safety regulations, report it to the CDSS Centralized Complaint and Information Bureau:
- Phone: 1-844-538-8766 (1-844-LET-US-NO)
- Email: letusno@dss.ca.gov
- Online: complaints.ccld.dss.ca.gov9California Department of Social Services. File a Complaint
Include the facility name and address, the nature of the problem, and as much specific detail as you can. Complaints are treated confidentially.
Operating an unlicensed child care center in California carries a civil penalty of $200 per day, starting on the 16th day after the operator receives a Notice of Operation in Violation of Law without submitting a completed license application.10California Department of Social Services. Title 22 Regulations – Unlicensed Facility Penalties Paying the fine doesn’t authorize continued operation. Only a valid license does.
Why Verification Matters at Tax Time
Verification isn’t only about safety. To claim the federal Child and Dependent Care Credit for expenses paid to a dependent care center, the IRS requires the center to comply with all applicable state and local regulations, which in California means holding a valid CCLD license.11Internal Revenue Service. Publication 503, Child and Dependent Care Expenses The same compliance requirement applies if you use a Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account through your employer.
When you file Form 2441 to claim the credit, you must report the provider’s name, address, and taxpayer identification number. You can request that information using IRS Form W-10. If the provider refuses, you can still file by attaching a statement explaining that you requested the information and it wasn’t provided.12Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form 2441 If the provider turns out to be unlicensed or non-compliant, though, the expenses may not qualify. Running the license lookup before you enroll protects both the child and the tax benefit.