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Home Daycare License Requirements in Idaho (2026)

Opening a home daycare in Idaho means getting a family child care home license from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (IDHW), Child Care Licensing. Here is exactly what that takes in 2026 — your capacity limit and ratios, the training and background checks, the application steps, and the postings and enrollment forms you need — sourced to the state’s own rules and dated.

Who needs a license — home types in Idaho

Idaho tiers by HEAD COUNT, and every tier definition is statutory, in Idaho Code §39-1102 (“Definitions. As used in this chapter:”), read verbatim from the Idaho Legislature on 2026-08-25. The operative definitions, quoted exactly: • §39-1102(2): “‘Child’ means a person less than thirteen (13) years of age.” So the count runs to the 13th birthday; a 13-year-old in the house is not a “child” for capacity but IS a person who needs a background check (§39-1105(1)). • §39-1102(3): “‘Daycare’ means care and supervision provided for compensation during part of a twenty-four (24) hour day, for a child or children NOT RELATED BY BLOOD, MARRIAGE OR LEGAL GUARDIANSHIP to the person or persons providing the care, in a place other than the child’s or children’s own home or homes.” Three tests sit inside this one sentence and all must be met before anything else applies: compensation; part of a 24-hour day; and unrelated children in someone else’s home. • §39-1102(8): “‘Family daycare home’ means a home, place, or facility providing daycare for six (6) or fewer children.” • §39-1102(9): “‘Group daycare facility’ means a home, place, or facility providing daycare for seven (7) to twelve (12) children.” — this is the home-based licensed tier. • §39-1102(4): “‘Daycare center’ means a place or facility providing daycare for compensation for thirteen (13) or more children.” • §39-1102(5): “‘Daycare facility’ means a place or facility providing daycare services for compensation to seven (7) or more children not related to the provider.” — “daycare facility” is the UMBRELLA term the licensing chapter uses; it is the thing that must be licensed. A “group daycare facility” and a “daycare center” are both “daycare facilities.” A “family daycare home” is NOT.

Summarised from the state’s own rules. Every figure above is quoted from the regulation cited on this page.

How many children you can care for in Idaho

HOME-BASED LICENSED TIER: 7 to 12 children. §39-1102(9): “‘Group daycare facility’ means a home, place, or facility providing daycare for seven (7) to twelve (12) children.” Below that, §39-1102(8): “‘Family daycare home’ means a home, place, or facility providing daycare for six (6) or fewer children” — no state LICENCE, but see the 4-child background-check duty below. At 13+, §39-1102(4), you are a “daycare center,” which is a different fee and, in most Idaho cities, a different zoning instrument. THE COUNTING QUESTION — WHICH CHILDREN COUNT? This is where Idaho is genuinely unsettled and where a wrong answer is expensive. Two provisions pull in opposite directions and you must give a client both. (A) FOR THE LICENSURE THRESHOLD, related children are excluded by definition. §39-1102(5) counts “seven (7) or more children NOT RELATED TO THE PROVIDER,” and §39-1102(3) defines “daycare” itself as care “for a child or children NOT RELATED BY BLOOD, MARRIAGE OR LEGAL GUARDIANSHIP to the person or persons providing the care.” §39-1103(5) removes “care for children of a family within the second degree of relationship” from the chapter altogether.

Summarised from the state’s own rules. Every figure above is quoted from the regulation cited on this page.

Adult-to-child ratios

IDAHO DOES NOT USE AGE-BAND RATIOS. It uses a POINT BUDGET, set in statute, not in rule. IDAPA 16.06.03 contains no ratio section at all — I read the whole chapter (sections 000, 001, 009, 121, 123, 150, 200, 201, 360–363, 380, 381, 400, 420) on 2026-08-25 and there is none.

The ratio lives entirely in Idaho Code §39-1109(4), as rewritten by 2025 ch. 185 and 2025 ch. 186. Verbatim: §39-1109(4)(a): “The maximum allowable child:staff ratio shall be a maximum of TWELVE (12) POINTS PER STAFF MEMBER using the following point system: (i) Each child in attendance under the age of twenty-four (24) months shall equal TWO (2) POINTS. (ii) Each child in attendance from twenty-four (24) months to under thirty-six (36) months of age shall equal ONE AND THIRTY-THREE HUNDREDTHS (1.33) POINTS. (iii) Each child in attendance from thirty-six (36) months to under five (5) years of age shall equal NINE HUNDRED TWENTY-THREE THOUSANDTHS (0.923) OF A POINT. (iv) Each child in attendance from five (5) years to under thirteen (13) years of age shall equal FORTY-EIGHT HUNDREDTHS (0.48) OF A POINT.” §39-1109(4)(b): “Each child in attendance shall be counted by the department for purposes of calculating maximum allowable points, counting the number of children in attendance and for determining compliance with child:staff ratios.” §39-1109(4)(c): “Daycare facilities may operate with child:staff ratios MORE STRINGENT than those specified in paragraph (a) of this subsection.” (More stringent is allowed; more permissive is not.) THE ARITHMETIC, PER STAFF MEMBER (12 ÷ points, rounded DOWN to whole children): • Under 24 months: 12 ÷ 2 = 6 infants. • 24 to under 36 months: 12 ÷ 1.33 = 9.02 → 9 toddlers. • 36 months to under 5 years: 12 ÷ 0.923 = 13.0 → 13 preschoolers (but a home-based group daycare facility is capped at 12 by §39-1102(9), so the licence tier binds first). • 5 to under 13 years: 12 ÷ 0.48 = 25 school-agers (again, capped at 12 in a home).

Summarised from the state’s own rules. Every figure above is quoted from the regulation cited on this page.

Training you must complete before licensure

IDAHO SETS NO PRE-SERVICE CLOCK-HOUR REQUIREMENT FOR STATE LICENSURE. There is no orientation-hour number, no ECE credential requirement, no director qualification, and no health-and-safety curriculum in Title 39 Chapter 11 or in IDAPA 16.06.03. I read both in full on 2026-08-25. What Idaho requires BEFORE the licence issues is narrower and concrete: 1. AGE. §39-1104(1): “A person who wishes to operate a daycare facility shall be a minimum of eighteen (18) years of age.” IDAPA 16.06.03.121: “Any individual applying for licensure as a daycare facility must be at least eighteen (18) years old.” 2. IN-PERSON PEDIATRIC CERTIFICATION, SUBMITTED WITH THE APPLICATION. IDHW states it as a flat rule: “Certifications in pediatric rescue breathing, infant-child CPR, and first aid treatment must be submitted with your license application. Certification needs to be completed through a course offered by a certified instructor. ONLINE COURSES ARE NOT ACCEPTED” (healthandwelfare.idaho.gov, Becoming a Child Care Provider, page last updated 5-27-2026). IdahoSTARS: “All providers, owners, and staff who provide direct care to children must have current certification in pediatric rescue breathing (CPR) and pediatric first aid from a certified instructor.”

Summarised from the state’s own rules. Every figure above is quoted from the regulation cited on this page.

Ongoing (annual) training

FOUR (4) HOURS EVERY 12 MONTHS for state licensing — TWELVE (12) HOURS if you take subsidy. Both numbers are real and they apply to the same person simultaneously; the subsidy figure swallows the licensing figure but has different content rules. THE LICENSING NUMBER. Idaho Code §39-1119 (“Training requirements”), as amended by 2025 ch. 186, sec. 7, in full: “The owner or operator of a daycare CENTER shall ensure that each employee receives four (4) hours of ongoing training in child development areas related to daycare every twelve (12) months after the employee’s hire date. Each staff member counting toward the child:staff ratio shall have current certification in pediatric rescue breathing and pediatric first aid from a certified instructor. The owner or operator is responsible for maintaining documentation of each staff member’s training.” §39-1102(19) defines the currency: “‘Training’ means continuing education in child development areas relating to child care.” A DRAFTING WRINKLE YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT AND NOT PANIC OVER: the amended statute says “daycare CENTER,” which §39-1102(4) defines as 13+ children — read hyper-literally, the 4-hour duty would not reach a 7–12-child group daycare facility.

Summarised from the state’s own rules. Every figure above is quoted from the regulation cited on this page.

Background checks

REQUIRED, FINGERPRINT-BASED, ‘ENHANCED’, AND CLEARED BEFORE YOU MAY OPERATE. Four instruments stack: Idaho Code §39-1105, Idaho Code Title 56 Chapter 27, IDAPA 16.06.03.009, and IDAPA 16.05.06. WHO. §39-1105(1), as amended by 2026 ch. 220, sec. 7: “All owners, operators, and employees of a daycare facility who have direct contact with children AND ALL OTHER INDIVIDUALS THIRTEEN (13) YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER who have unsupervised direct contact with children OR ARE REGULARLY ON THE PREMISES of a daycare facility shall complete and pass a criminal history and background check in conformance with chapter 27, title 56, Idaho Code, AT LEAST EVERY FIVE (5) YEARS.” IDAPA 16.06.03.009.02 restates it as an application requirement: each owner, operator or applicant “must submit evidence that the following individuals successfully completed and received a clearance for a Department ENHANCED background check, at least every five (5) years, under Sections 39-1105 and 39-1113, Idaho Code: a. Owners, operators, and staff; b. All other individuals thirteen (13) years old or older who have unsupervised direct contact with children; or c.

Summarised from the state’s own rules. Every figure above is quoted from the regulation cited on this page.

The application, step by step

Work through these in order — the prep packet turns them into a checklist you can tick off:

1. STEP 0 — Work out which of Idaho’s THREE thresholds you cross, because they are 4, 7 and 13, not just 'six or seven'. Under 4 unrelated children for compensation: nothing at state level. FOUR or more in a family daycare home: no licence, but a cleared criminal history check is MANDATORY — Idaho Code §39-1114(1), 'Any person providing daycare for four (4) or more children in a family daycare home shall not be required to be licensed, but shall comply with the requirements of section 39-1105, Idaho Code, for a criminal history check,' and operating without it is a misdemeanor under §39-1115(3) (curable if you apply within 20 days of an initial citation). SEVEN or more children not related to…
2. STEP 1 — Go to your CITY or COUNTY planning and zoning office BEFORE you spend anything. IDHW's own instruction: 'Contact your city or county planning and zoning office to see if there are requirements that may prohibit your ability to comply with local ordinances and complete the licensing process.' Since 1 July 2025 cities can no longer LICENSE child care (House Bill 243, 2025 ch. 185, repealing §39-1108 'local option'; City of Boise: 'the city will no longer be allowed to license childcare workers or facilities starting 7/1/25'), but they absolutely still control ZONING, building and electrical permits and fire code, and the state application demands proof of local compliance — IDAPA…
3. STEP 2 — Start the fingerprint background checks EARLY for yourself and for every person the rule captures, because you cannot be licensed or provide services until they clear. Apply on the IDHW Background Check Unit site (healthandwelfare.idaho.gov/bcu). Who: owners, operators and staff, plus 'all other individuals thirteen (13) years old or older who have unsupervised direct contact with children' and 'all other individuals thirteen (13) years old or older who are in the household or regularly on the premises' (IDAPA 16.06.03.009.02). You need an ENHANCED clearance (IDAPA 16.05.06.126.10, 'Licensed Day Care'), which searches child protection registries in every state you lived in during…
4. STEP 3 — Take IN-PERSON pediatric certification. IDHW: 'Certifications in pediatric rescue breathing, infant-child CPR, and first aid treatment must be submitted with your license application. Certification needs to be completed through a course offered by a certified instructor. Online courses are not accepted.' Get it for every adult who will count toward the child:staff ratio, not just yourself — §39-1119: 'Each staff member counting toward the child:staff ratio shall have current certification in pediatric rescue breathing and pediatric first aid from a certified instructor.' If you will transport children, everyone who accompanies transport needs it too (Central District Health child…
5. STEP 4 — Book the FIRE INSPECTION with your local fire department or fire district and get the certificate. §39-1104(2)(a) requires 'a certificate of a fire inspection of the proposed center, conducted by a fire department or fire district official, establishing compliance with the standards specified in section 39-1109, Idaho Code.' IDAPA 16.06.03.360.01–.02: 'Inspections. Must be completed by the local fire official or designee' and 'Daycare Fire Inspection Fees. Are payable to the local fire department or fire district official' — this fee is separate from and additional to your $100 licence fee (Boise Fire currently charges $80). Pre-check the big three before they arrive: two exits at…
6. STEP 5 — Assemble the paper. IDAPA 16.06.03.121 lists what the application must contain: '01. Completed Licensing Application. 02. Licensing Fee … 03. Inspection Reports' proving building code (IDAPA 24.39.30), electrical code (IDAPA 24.39.10), fire code (§41-253, Idaho Code) and local planning and zoning compliance; '04. Proof of Insurance. The applicant must provide proof of current FIRE AND LIABILITY insurance coverage for the daycare facility'; '05. Background Clearance'; '06. Statement to Comply' — you must 'thoroughly read and review these rules' and certify 'that they will not harm, shake, or abuse children, and that children in their care will not experience maltreatment under 45…
7. STEP 6 — Submit to IdahoSTARS, which is the intake gate: 'IdahoSTARS processes all state licensing applications for child care (daycare)'; IDHW: 'Customer support specialists with IdahoSTARS collect the documentation and assist the applicant through the state licensing process.' Apply at idahostars.org/Child-Care-Providers/Child-Care-Licensing, or call 800-926-2588 / 2-1-1, or email customersupport@idahostars.org (322 E Front St, Ste 200, Boise, ID 83702; 8 a.m.–6 p.m. MT Mon–Fri). Consider applying for the Idaho Child Care Program (ICCP) subsidy at the same time — IdahoSTARS: 'Licensing and ICCP share many of the same requirements. You can apply for ICCP at the same time you apply for…
8. STEP 7 — Pay the fee to your PUBLIC HEALTH DISTRICT, not to IDHW. 'Upon receipt of your application by IdahoSTARS, a referral will be made to your local public health district for the collection of the licensing fee. Your health district will then contact you with information on how to make your fee payment.' The amount for a home-based 7–12 group facility is $100 for the whole two-year licence (§39-1107(1); IDHW fee table). Background check fees are on top, 'at actual cost' (§39-1107(1)), and 'No other fees shall be charged for each license period.'
9. STEP 8 — Pass the HEALTH AND SAFETY INSPECTION, which the Department orders only after the file is complete and paid: IDAPA 16.06.03.121.09, 'The Department will order a health and safety inspection of the daycare facility once the application for licensure is complete and the licensing fee has been paid.' §39-1104(2)(b) requires 'a health and safety inspection of the proposed facility conducted by a qualified inspector as designated by the department, establishing compliance with the standards specified in sections 39-1109 and 39-1110, Idaho Code.' Your health district contacts you.
10. STEP 9 — Write the plans and put the records in place before the inspector arrives, because several are documentary rather than physical. A FIRE SAFETY AND EVACUATION PLAN covering evacuation procedures and accounting for staff and children, assembly point, exit locations, evacuation routes, and locations of fire alarms and extinguishers, 'reviewed or updated ANNUALLY and available in the facility'; drills 'at least two (2) times each year' with all staff and children participating (IDAPA 363). A DISASTER AND EMERGENCY PLAN covering 'evacuation, relocation, shelter-in-place, lock-down, communication and reunification with families, continuity of operations, and accommodation of infants and…
11. STEP 10 — Receive and POST the licence, then run the two-year clock. §39-1106(1): 'Upon receipt of the completed application, inspection certificates and the criminal history, the department shall, upon a finding of compliance with the standards set forth in this chapter, issue a basic daycare license to the applicant WITHIN SIXTY (60) DAYS. The license shall be valid for TWO (2) YEARS, unless suspended or revoked, and BE POSTED IN A CONSPICUOUS PLACE at the daycare facility.' IDAPA 123 adds that the Department 'will initiate action on each completed application within thirty (30) days after receipt.' If refused, 'An applicant whose application has been denied may not reapply until after…
12. STEP 11 — Understand what continues after the licence issues. Health inspections are ANNUAL AND UNANNOUNCED: IDAPA 380, 'Health inspections must be conducted annually by a qualified inspector designated by the Department and will be unannounced.' Reinspection can happen any time and is free: §39-1104(3), 'The department may cause any daycare facility to be reinspected during the term of a license … No charge for any reinspection after the initial inspection in any license period shall be made to the daycare facility.' You must let them in: IDAPA 420.01, 'The owner, operator, or staff of a daycare facility must allow the Department access to the premises and records for reinspection at any…

What you must post on your walls

• THE LICENCE ITSELF, conspicuously. Idaho Code §39-1106(1): the basic daycare license 'shall be valid for two (2) years, unless suspended or revoked, and be POSTED IN A CONSPICUOUS PLACE at the daycare facility.'
• IDHW CONTACT INFORMATION AND THE STATEWIDE DAYCARE COMPLAINT NUMBER. IDAPA 16.06.03.420.02: 'Posting Information. A daycare must post the Department's contact information and the statewide number to file daycare complaints.' The statewide route IDHW publishes is the Idaho CareLine: 'Dial 2-1-1 or 800-926-2588', email careline@dhw.idaho.gov, fax 208-334-5531 (healthandwelfare.idaho.gov … /file-child-care-complaint). The rule does not prescribe wording or a poster; post both the Department contact and the 2-1-1 / 800-926-2588 complaint line where parents will see them.
• EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS BY THE TELEPHONE. IDAPA 16.06.03.381.01.b: 'Emergency phone numbers to include 911, an adult emergency substitute operator, and the address and phone number of the facility must be POSTED BY THE TELEPHONE or in a location that is easily and always visible.' Note the requirement to name a named adult emergency substitute operator, and to post your own street address — the point is that a panicking substitute or a 911 caller can read it off the wall. 381.01 also requires 'An operable telephone or cell phone must always be available in the facility' and 'The telephone number used must be made available to parents and guardians.'
• THE FIRE SAFETY AND EVACUATION PLAN, kept available in the facility. IDAPA 16.06.03.363 requires an approved plan containing evacuation procedures and accounting for staff and children, the evacuation plan and assembly point, locations of facility exits, evacuation routes, location of fire alarms and location of fire extinguishers; 363.07: 'Annual Review. Fire safety and evacuation plans must be reviewed or updated annually and AVAILABLE IN THE FACILITY for reference and review.' Drills at least twice a year with all staff and children participating (363.08).
• EXIT SIGNS — only at 50+ occupant load. IDAPA 16.06.03.361.03: 'Exit Signs. Must be installed at required exit doorways and wherever else necessary to clearly indicate the direction of egress' (within Subsection 361.02, 'Facilities with an Occupancy Load of Fifty or More'). A 7–12-child home will not normally reach this.
• FOR UNLICENSED FAMILY DAYCARE HOMES OF 4–6 CHILDREN — documents available on the premises rather than posted. Idaho Code §39-1114(2): 'The fire inspection certificate and the criminal history check shall be AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION ON THE PREMISES.' Central District Health adds for licensed homes: 'Documentation of this clearance must be on-site and provided to the inspector during the initial and annual inspection.'
• IMMUNIZATION EXEMPTION LANGUAGE IN PARENT COMMUNICATIONS (a disclosure duty rather than a wall posting, but enforced the same way). Idaho Code §39-1118(3): 'Licensed daycare facilities shall DESCRIBE THE EXEMPTIONS provided in subsection (2) of this section and shall PROVIDE A CITATION TO THIS CODE SECTION in any communication to parents or guardians regarding immunization.' The exemptions are a physician's certificate that immunization 'would endanger the life or health of the child,' or a parent's signed statement 'stating their objections on religious or other grounds.'
• NOT A POSTING, BUT KEPT ON SITE AND PRODUCED ON DEMAND: staff records and child records for the previous twelve months (IDAPA 16.06.03.200 and .201), including daily sign-in/out with parent or guardian signature; and animal vaccination records, which 'will be made available to the Department upon request' (IDAPA 381.05). IDAPA 420.01 requires you to 'allow the Department access to the premises and records for reinspection at any time during the licensing period.'

Enrollment forms for each child

• Child Care Licensing Application — IDHW. Published by IDHW as 'Daycare licensing application'; the document's own title in the IDHW public document repository is 'Child Care Licensing Application', filed under \For Providers\Child Care\Forms & Applications\ (publicdocuments.dhw.idaho.gov, DocView id=1567, entry last modified 10/23/2020, read via document metadata 2026-08-25). Required by IDAPA 16.06.03.121.01 ('Completed Licensing Application') and §39-1104(1) ('shall submit an application on the forms provided by the department'). Submitted through IdahoSTARS, which 'processes all state licensing applications'.
• Request Search Juvenile Records Form — IDHW. Linked from IDHW as 'Authorization and request for search of juvenile justice records' (publicdocuments.dhw.idaho.gov, DocView id=1569, entry last modified 12/28/2023). Needed for every individual aged 13–17 who is staff, a household member, or regularly on the premises. Required by §39-1105(2) and IDAPA 16.06.03.009.05, which also makes the applicant responsible for requesting the records, paying for them, and submitting them to the Department, for EACH jurisdiction the minor has lived in since turning 13.
• Idaho State Police name-based criminal background check form ('NameCheck') — Idaho State Police, hosted at isp.idaho.gov (linked from IDHW's child care resources page as 'Idaho State Police name-based criminal background check form', file NameCheck6.22.2017.pdf). This is NOT a substitute for the fingerprint check; it is the additional state-only check an employer must run when relying on a TRANSFERRED clearance — IDAPA 16.05.06.195.02.c, 'The agency completes a state-only background check of the individual through the Idaho State Police Bureau of Criminal Identification, and no disqualifying crimes are found,' initiated within 30 calendar days; IDHW: 'the new employer must also ensure that…
• Fire Safety Inspection Checklist — IDHW. Linked from IDHW as 'Fire safety inspection for state daycare licensing' (publicdocuments.dhw.idaho.gov, DocView id=1564; document title 'Fire Safety Inspection Checklist'; entry last modified 6/2/2026). Completed by the local fire official or designee (IDAPA 16.06.03.360.01) and submitted with the application; §39-1104(2)(a) requires 'a certificate of a fire inspection … conducted by a fire department or fire district official'.
• Department fingerprint-based background check application — submitted ONLINE on the IDHW website, not on paper: IDAPA 16.05.06.120, 'Individuals who are subject to a background check must submit their application on the Department website' (healthandwelfare.idaho.gov/bcu). Ten rolled fingerprints follow, either at a Department fingerprinting location or by mail on a federal FD-258 Applicant fingerprint card (IDAPA 16.05.06.140).
• Proof of current FIRE AND LIABILITY insurance — not an IDHW form but a mandatory attachment: IDAPA 16.06.03.121.04, 'Proof of Insurance. The applicant must provide proof of current fire and liability insurance coverage for the daycare facility'; IDHW, 'Proof of liability and fire insurance … must be submitted with the license application.'
• Local compliance documentation — building code (IDAPA 24.39.30), electrical code (IDAPA 24.39.10), fire code (§41-253, Idaho Code) and planning and zoning proof, per IDAPA 16.06.03.121.03. In Boise this is the 'Signature Sheet - Home Occupation Child Daycare 1-6' for 1–6 children, or an approved Zoning Compliance Review application for 7–12 children, plus the city's 'CHILD DAYCARE Planning and Building Local Compliance Form'. Every city differs; ask yours.
• Statement to Comply and Statement Disclosing Revocation or Disciplinary Actions — components of the application under IDAPA 16.06.03.121.06 and .121.07. The first requires you to certify you have 'thoroughly read and review[ed] these rules' and 'that they will not harm, shake, or abuse children, and that children in their care will not experience maltreatment under 45 CFR 98.41'. The second requires 'A written statement that discloses any revocation or other disciplinary action taken or in the process of being taken against the applicant as a daycare provider in any jurisdiction, or a statement from the applicant stating they have never been involved in any such action.'
• Child Care Record Requirements — IDHW guidance document (publicdocuments.dhw.idaho.gov, DocView id=1565, title 'Child Care Record Requirements', entry last modified 1/7/2026), linked by IDHW as the 'complete list of record requirements'. Not a form you file, but the checklist against which IDAPA 16.06.03.200 (staff records) and .201 (child records) are inspected.
• Criminal History Compliance Facts and Guidelines — IDHW guidance document linked from the IDHW licensing page (publicdocuments.dhw.idaho.gov, DocView id=1563). NOTE: the repository served no document title for this entry on 2026-08-25 (see verify_flag); the title given here is the link text used by IDHW.
• IF YOU TAKE SUBSIDY: the ICCP Child Care Provider Agreement — IDAPA 16.06.12.804.01, 'All providers must sign and comply with a provider agreement,' renewed annually, at which point you must 'produce documentation' of each staff member's 12 hours of training (IDAPA 16.06.12.803.03). Also on IDHW's commonly-requested list: the 'Monthly dependent care form'.

What's specific about getting licensed in Idaho

Idaho is one of the few states where a genuine home daycare can need NO state license at all: IDHW only licenses a 'daycare facility' of 7 or more UNRELATED children (confirmed by IDHW), so a provider caring for 6 or fewer is statutorily exempt from state licensing and answers only to city/county rules. The path forks entirely on head-count — ≤6 unrelated kids = local city/county family-home licensing (Boise, Meridian, etc. run their own); 7-12 = a state 'Basic Daycare License' as a Group Daycare Facility; 13+ = a daycare center. Idaho also counts only children NOT related to you within the second degree, so your own kids and grandkids never count against the limit. And instead of age-band ratios, Idaho runs a point budget per staff member (about 12 points, so a single adult may legally supervise roughly six infants). The trap most providers miss: assuming 'home daycare = state license,' then either wrongly skipping the mandatory local city license or wrongly applying to the state when they're actually exempt.

How long it takes and what it costs in Idaho

Timeline: Plan roughly 1-3 months. The long poles are the in-person CPR/first-aid course and the criminal-history clearance (state + FBI results can take a few weeks). Once your application, inspections, and background checks are complete, IDHW reviews and, on a finding of compliance, issues the Basic Daycare License. Add extra lead time if you are ≤6 children and must instead obtain a city/county family-home license first.

Cost: State licensing fee for a home-based Group Daycare Facility (7-12 children) is $100, collected by your local public health district (confirmed by IDHW; centers are $250 for 13-25 and $325 for 26+). Add: fingerprint/criminal background-check fees via Idaho State Police + FBI (varies — confirm with ISP); an in-person pediatric CPR/first-aid course (commonly ~$70-100 — varies by provider); a fire safety inspection; and any liability insurance. If you instead fall under a city/county family daycare home license (≤6 children), that local fee varies — confirm with your city.

Source: Sources officielles consultées pour Idaho :

https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/Title39/T39CH11/

https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/Title39/T39CH11/SECT39-1101/

https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/Title56/T56CH27/

https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2025/legislation/H0243/

https://legislature.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/sessioninfo/2025/legislation/H0243E1.pdf

https://legislature.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/sessioninfo/2025/legislation/H0243SOP.pdf

https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2026/legislation/H0758/

https://legislature.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/sessioninfo/2026/legislation/H0758SOP.pdf

Verified 2026-08-25. General information, not legal advice and not a guarantee of licensure — confirm with your state’s licensing agency before applying.