How to Start a Home Daycare in Idaho

Most people who look into starting a home daycare in Idaho hit the same wall within the first hour: they find the IdahoSTARS website, the DHW provider page, a few city-specific PDFs, and a Brightwheel article that contradicts half of what the state says. The problem isn't a lack of information. The problem is that Idaho splits its licensing process across at least four separate agencies, and nobody hands you the sequence.

Here's that sequence, updated for the post-House Bill 243 landscape that took effect July 1, 2025.

Confirm Your Licensing Category First

Idaho law draws a hard line at seven counted children. If you care for unrelated children for pay and the counted total is six or fewer, state licensing is voluntary — you can operate legally without it. Once a non-exempt operation reaches seven counted children, you must hold a Group Daycare Facility license from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.

The count includes your own children under age six while they're present during operating hours. So if you have two toddlers of your own, your effective capacity for other people's kids drops by two before you hit any threshold.

Voluntary licensing still matters even below seven kids. You need a state license to accept ICCP subsidy payments, enroll in the USDA CACFP meal reimbursement program, or list yourself as a licensed provider on the IdahoSTARS directory. Many parents specifically filter for licensed care, so the credential has real marketing value even when it isn't legally required.

Step 1: Get Zoning Clearance Before Anything Else

This is the single most expensive mistake new providers make — paying for background checks, fingerprinting, and CPR classes before confirming that their local zoning code even allows a home business.

House Bill 243 stripped cities and counties of the power to enforce their own separate daycare licensing rules. But local governments kept full authority over zoning, building permits, and business registrations. Your city's planning department can still deny you a home occupation permit regardless of whether the state would approve your license.

What this looks like in practice depends on where you live:

• Boise: No building permit needed for up to 12 children. For 1–6 kids, submit a signed self-compliance form. For 7–12, apply for a Zoning Compliance Review. One off-street parking space per employee is required.
• Nampa: Home Occupation Registration is mandatory. If you want 7–12 children, you need a Conditional Use Permit ($234–$463) and a hearing before the Planning and Zoning Commission.
• Idaho Falls: Local licensing is fully repealed, but land-use compliance and fire safety review still apply.

Budget 10 to 60 days for this step. Get the approval in writing — IdahoSTARS will ask for it.

Step 2: Register in RISE and Start Background Checks

Once zoning is confirmed, create your account on the Registry of IdahoSTARS Eligibility (RISE). This portal manages your entire licensing lifecycle — documents, training records, inspections, renewals.

From RISE, you'll initiate background checks through the DHW Background Check Unit. Every person aged 13 or older who lives in your home must be cleared, not just you. That includes your spouse, your teenager, and any adult roommate.

The cost: $70 per person for the DHW enhanced background check, plus $25 for the Idaho State Police fingerprint fee, plus $10–$15 for the local fingerprint rolling fee. For a household with two adults and a 14-year-old, that's roughly $315–$330.

Background checks take 14 to 30 days. For minors aged 13–17, you'll also need to submit a notarized Authorization and Request for Search of Juvenile Justice Records.

Step 3: Complete CPR Training and Licensing Orientation

While background checks process, knock out your training requirements. Idaho mandates in-person, instructor-led pediatric CPR and first aid certification. Fully online courses are not accepted — the skills assessment portion must be hands-on. Hybrid courses (online study with an in-person skills check) qualify.

Expect to spend $50–$110 per person on an approved course through the American Red Cross, American Heart Association, or a regional Child Care Resource Center.

You'll also complete a 4-hour state-mandated child development licensing training available through RISE. This includes the PDS Online Orientation — a prerequisite to receiving the official state licensing application.

Step 4: Prepare Your Home and Pass Inspections

Two separate inspections are required: fire safety (through your local fire department or district) and a health and environmental inspection (through your regional Public Health District).

For fire safety, you'll need functional ABC-rated fire extinguishers on every level used for childcare, smoke detectors in all sleep and play areas, two unobstructed emergency exits per floor, and a posted written evacuation plan. Fire inspection fees range from $20 in Idaho Falls to $80 in Boise.

The health inspection covers refrigerator temperature compliance, locked chemical and medication storage, secured firearms, and well water testing if you're on a private well. The $100 state licensing fee is collected by your health district at this stage.

Idaho's seven Public Health Districts operate independently, so scheduling windows and payment systems vary by county. Central District Health serves Ada County (Boise/Meridian), Southwest District Health covers Canyon County (Nampa/Caldwell), and each has its own procedures.

Step 5: Submit Your Application

Once all clearances, inspections, and training certificates are uploaded in RISE, submit the formal State Daycare Licensing Application. The DHW is required to issue your license within 60 days of receiving a complete application packet.

Watch the clock: Idaho Code § 39-1104(4) imposes a strict six-month completion window. If you don't have everything submitted within six months of your initial application date, the application is legally abandoned, and you must restart the process and repay the associated background and inspection fees.

What the Full Timeline Looks Like

The total timeline depends on how these steps overlap. The biggest delays come from background check processing (14–30 days), inspection scheduling and completion (7–21 days), and CUP hearings if your city requires one (up to 60 days).

The Idaho Home Daycare License guide maps every step against a chronological timeline, with worksheets for tracking background check submissions, inspection scheduling, and the six-month application deadline. It covers all seven Public Health Districts, city-specific zoning rules for Boise, Nampa, Meridian, Idaho Falls, and Kuna, and the full post-HB 243 regulatory framework.

After You're Licensed

Your license doesn't mean you're done with the state. Annual requirements include a health and safety inspection, fire safety inspection, 4 hours of approved child development training (12 hours if you enroll as an ICCP provider), and maintaining current CPR/first aid certification.

Keep attendance logs on file for at least 12 months, and maintain immunization records, parent sign-in/out sheets, and fire drill documentation as required. The state can inspect at any time during operating hours.

Starting a home daycare in Idaho is genuinely achievable — the regulatory structure is designed around small family operations, and HB 243 simplified the landscape significantly. The challenge is getting the sequence right across multiple agencies so that no clearance expires while you're waiting on another one.

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