Texas Daycare License Requirements: Permits, Training, and What HHSC Expects

Getting a daycare license in Texas is not a single form or a single agency. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) Child Care Regulation (CCR) division issues three different permit types for home-based child care, and each one carries different age requirements, capacity limits, training obligations, and inspection schedules. Picking the wrong category — or skipping a prerequisite — means delays, wasted fees, or a rejected application.

The Three Home Daycare Permit Types

HHSC regulates home-based child care under Chapter 42 of the Texas Human Resources Code. The three categories differ primarily in how many unrelated children you can serve:

Listed Family Home — Up to 3 unrelated children. The provider must be at least 18 years old. No education requirement beyond that. The application fee is $20, and inspections happen only if HHSC receives a complaint. This is the lightest regulatory tier, governed by 26 TAC Chapter 742.

Registered Child Care Home — Up to 6 unrelated children during school hours, plus up to 6 additional school-age children after school, with a hard cap of 12 children total (including your own). The provider must be at least 21 and hold a high school diploma or GED. The application fee is $35, and HHSC conducts unannounced inspections every one to two years. Governed by 26 TAC Chapter 747.

Licensed Child Care Home — 7 to 12 children total. Same age and education baseline as Registered, but the primary caregiver must also hold Child Day Care Director credentials. The application fee is $35, the initial permit fee is $35, and the annual renewal is $35 plus $1 per child of capacity. HHSC conducts at least one unannounced monitoring inspection per year. Also governed by Chapter 747.

All three categories count your own biological or adopted children under 14 who are present during operating hours toward the total capacity limit.

Training Requirements

For Registered and Licensed homes, HHSC mandates 24 clock hours of pre-service training covering child development, health and safety, and abuse prevention. This training follows an 8/16 split: at least 8 hours must be completed before you can be counted in child-to-caregiver ratios, and the remaining 16 hours must be finished within 90 days.

Before you can even submit an application, you need to complete the mandatory HHSC Child Care Home Orientation — an online course or in-person session at a regional CCR office. This orientation is a prerequisite for the application, not a substitute for the 24 hours of pre-service training.

You also need current pediatric CPR and first aid certifications. At least one caregiver certified in pediatric first aid and CPR must be present at all times children are in care.

Annual training requirements vary: Licensed home primary caregivers and directors must complete 30 clock hours per year, while Registered home caregivers need 24 annual hours.

Background Checks

Every regulated home daycare in Texas requires background checks processed through the HHSC Centralized Background Check Unit (CBCU). The checks apply to the primary caregiver, all employees and volunteers, and every household member aged 14 or older.

The screening layers include a Texas DPS name-based criminal history check, a search of the DFPS Child Abuse Central Registry, a National Sex Offender Registry check, and a fingerprint-based FBI criminal history check. Fingerprints must be captured through IdentoGO, the official DPS vendor.

If anyone who needs screening has lived outside Texas during the past five years, out-of-state criminal, sex offender, and child abuse registry checks from each state of prior residence are also required.

Costs break down as roughly $2 per person for the HHSC administrative fee, plus $45 to $60 per person for the IdentoGO fingerprinting appointment. For a household with a spouse and one teenager over 14, you are looking at three separate screenings before your application can move forward.

Insurance

Registered and Licensed homes must carry a minimum of $300,000 in liability insurance per occurrence. Standard homeowner's insurance does not cover commercial child care activities — you need a commercial general liability policy that explicitly includes professional liability and child abuse and molestation coverage.

If you cannot obtain coverage due to financial hardship or insurer unavailability, HHSC provides a written parental notification form. Filing this form allows you to operate without the insurance, but every enrolled parent must be informed in writing that the coverage does not exist.

Physical Space and Safety Standards

For Registered and Licensed homes, your home must meet Chapter 747 Minimum Standards before an inspector will sign off. The major checkpoints:

• Indoor space: at least 30 square feet of usable play space per child, excluding kitchens, bathrooms, hallways, and storage
• Outdoor fencing: a secure fence at least 4 feet high with self-closing and self-latching gates around any outdoor play area
• Safe sleep: infants under 12 months must sleep on firm, flat mattresses in compliant cribs spaced at least 3 feet apart, with no blankets, pillows, bumper pads, or toys
• Chemical storage: all cleaning supplies, medications, and hazardous materials must be in locked cabinets
• Childproofing: safety covers on all electrical outlets, removal of physical hazards

The Application and Inspection Process

Once training, background checks, and home preparation are underway, the application goes through the HHSC online provider portal. Registered homes submit Form 2919, Form 2760 (Controlling Person Designation), and Form 2971 (Background Check). Licensed homes submit Form 2910 (Application for a License), Form 2948 (Plan of Operation), Form 2911 (Governing Body/Director Designation), and Form 2760.

After the paperwork is accepted and background checks clear, an HHSC CCR licensing analyst schedules a pre-licensing inspection for Registered and Licensed homes. The analyst walks through the home to verify physical compliance, reviews required on-site records (child enrollment forms, training certificates, immunization documentation, emergency preparedness plans), and checks safety equipment.

If deficiencies are found, you get a window to correct them and submit proof. Once you pass, HHSC issues an Initial Permit. For Licensed homes, this permit is valid for 12 months — a probationary period before a full two-year license is granted.

One More Layer: Local Permits

HHSC requires applicants to obtain any required local zoning clearances, fire marshal approvals, and health permits before the state permit is issued. These vary by city and county. Senate Bill 599 (effective May 2025) prevents cities from imposing health and safety standards that exceed HHSC minimums, but cities still control land-use permits and occupancy classifications.

The full sequence — from orientation through your first enrolled child — typically takes three to six months. If you want the entire process mapped out with capacity planning worksheets and inspection prep checklists, the Texas Home Daycare License Guide walks through every step in the order HHSC expects.

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