Home › State guides › Nevada

Home Daycare License Requirements in Nevada (2026)

Opening a home daycare in Nevada means getting a family child care home license from the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Division of Social Services (DSS). 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 Nevada

Two home-based (in-residence) license tiers. FAMILY HOME (NAC 432A.100): 'any facility in which the licensee regularly provides care without the presence of parents, for at least five and not more than six children.' GROUP HOME (NAC 432A.110): 'any facility in which the licensee regularly provides care for no less than seven and no more than twelve children' (DSS: requires at least one additional caregiver). Care for up to 4 children is UNLICENSED 'Friends, Family & Neighbor (FFN)' care — no CCL license is required until the 5th child, though FFN providers must still follow all applicable city, county and state laws (e.g., local business licensing).

How many children you can care for in Nevada

Family home: 6 children maximum. Group home: 12 children maximum. Children under 18 who reside in the home count toward the family-home '6 per caregiver' limit (NAC 432A.534(1)); the licensee's OWN child is counted against capacity only if the child is under 4 years of age (NAC 432A.534(4) for family homes; NAC 432A.536(3) for group homes). A family/group home may, with the written permission of the Administrator of the Division, care for up to 3 additional school-age children before/after normal school hours (each at least 6 years old or attending school a full day, and under 16), max 3 consecutive hours before and 3 consecutive hours after school (NAC 432A.538); resident children 11 or younger count toward those 3 additional children.

Adult-to-child ratios

FAMILY HOME (NAC 432A.534): one caregiver on duty at all times; not more than 6 children (<18 yrs) per caregiver; within that cap, care for NO MORE THAN 2 children under 1 year of age OR 4 children under 2 years of age at any given time (NAC 432A.534(2)(b)); a second caregiver is required whenever 4 or more of the children have special needs; an alternate caregiver must be provided for emergencies. GROUP HOME (NAC 432A.536): 'Less than 1 year of age — 1 caregiver for every 2 children; 1 year of age or older but less than 3 years of age — 1 caregiver for every 4 children; 3 years of age or older — 2 caregivers for every 6 children.' Three caregivers must be on duty whenever 8 or more children have special needs. (Center-style age-band ratios elsewhere in NAC 432A do NOT apply to family or group homes.)

Training you must complete before licensure

Before/at licensure: (1) complete the mandatory online Licensing Application Process (LAP) orientation training (accessed through the NEATS online licensing system at nvdpbh.aithent.com); (2) attend the required in-person New Facility Training & Backgrounds Training (offered monthly; attend within 30 days of application). Each caregiver/director must become an active member of The Nevada Registry within 120 days of commencing employment (NAC 432A.306) and complete the initial provider/caregiver courses of NAC 432A.323, registered through The Nevada Registry. Those courses (each 'or more' hours) are — WITHIN 90 DAYS of commencing employment: 1 hr prevention of shaken baby syndrome/abusive head trauma; 2+ hrs administration of medication (incl. prevention of/response to allergic reactions); 2+ hrs building/premises safety (incl. storage of biocontaminants/hazardous materials); 2+ hrs emergency preparedness/response; 1+ hr transporting-children training if the provider transports children; and 2+ hrs recognition and reporting of child abuse and neglect (within 90 days and every 5 years).

WITHIN 120 DAYS: 1+ hr CPR training; 3+ hrs child development or guidance and discipline specific to the ages served; 2+ hrs first aid; 2+ hrs recognition of signs/symptoms of illness (incl. bloodborne pathogens); 2+ hrs Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS); and 2+ hrs lifelong wellness/health & safety (childhood obesity, nutrition, physical activity). CPR certification itself must be obtained within 120 days (NAC 432A.322); first-aid and illness-recognition training must come from a qualified provider per NAC 432A.308. A TB test is required.

Ongoing (annual) training

Yes — Nevada sets a clean statewide number: 24 hours of continuing training each year. For an ordinary family/group home that does NOT provide care for ill children, each director and caregiver must complete 24 hours per year (NRS 432A.1775, applied through NAC 432A.326(1)(b)); within those 24 hours at least 12 must be age-specific care/education/safety and at least 2 must be lifelong wellness/health & safety, and no more than 3 hours may be CPR. A facility that DOES provide care for ill children must complete at least 24 hours/year as well (NAC 432A.326(1)(a)). First-aid or illness-recognition hours cannot be credited toward this requirement more than once every 36 months (NAC 432A.326(5)).

Background checks

Required BEFORE/at commencement and renewed every 5 years (NAC 432A.200(4); NRS 432A.170 / NRS 432A.175) for every employee, every household resident 18 or older (with narrow court-jurisdiction exceptions), and every volunteer 18 or older (other than a parent of a child who attends). Fingerprints must be submitted within 24 hours of hiring/presence and every 5 years thereafter. Fingerprint-based check covers local + national (FBI) criminal history, local/national child abuse & neglect registry, and local/national sex-offender-registry screening. Fingerprint cards and payment (money order) are mailed to the Nevada Department of Public Safety, Criminal History Repository (333 W. Nye Lane, Suite 100, Carson City, NV 89706; 775-684-6262); a signed Consent and Release Form is mandatory and a copy is sent to CCL for audit. Disqualifying offenses are listed on the CCL 'List of Disqualifying Crimes.'

The application, step by step

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

1. Confirm eligibility: secure a physical home location that can pass fire, health, building and zoning codes (incl. a fenced outdoor play area); ensure all household residents 18+ can clear the criminal/child-abuse/sex-offender background screening; and be ready to pay applicable fees.
2. Create a NEATS login (nvdpbh.aithent.com) and complete the mandatory online Licensing Application Process (LAP) orientation training.
3. Obtain a State of Nevada Business License through the Secretary of State SilverFlume portal.
4. Submit the initial child care facility application online and pay the application fee (family home for 5-6 children = $20; group home for 7-12 children = $60, per NAC 432A.200).
5. Within 30 days of application: attend a consultation with your assigned surveyor and the required New Facility Training & Backgrounds Training; apply with the State Fire Marshal and your local health authority to schedule inspections; check with your city/county for local permits/zoning; and upload the Facility Statement, Emergency Plan, Background (Consent and Release) forms, and Curriculum.
6. Complete fingerprint-based background checks for all providers/residents 18+/volunteers 18+ (Consent and Release form + fingerprint card and money order to Nevada DPS Criminal History Repository); send a copy of the Consent and Release to CCL.
7. Within 60 days: complete all required initial training courses through The Nevada Registry, set up the home for operation, upload remaining documentation, and schedule the initial facility inspection.
8. Within 90 days: obtain all State Fire Marshal, health, and city/county permits and pass inspections. CCL issues the license (standard timeframe is within 90 days; the application is withdrawn if the deadlines are not met).

What you must post on your walls

• The current child care license, conspicuously posted in a public place within the facility (NAC 432A.210)
• A current emergency telephone list (health agencies, fire/police, ambulance) posted adjacent to the telephone, plus the facility's emergency/disaster evacuation plan
• Facility Right to View Complaints Statement (notice that inspection reports/complaint records are available for review)

Enrollment forms for each child

• Child Care Facility Application (submitted through the NEATS online licensing system at nvdpbh.aithent.com)
• Background Check Consent and Release form (for each provider/resident 18+/volunteer 18+)
• Health Statement
• Facility Statement
• Emergency Plan / Phone Emergency List Form
• Listing of Employees/Residents
• Employee Training Form
• Child Record Form
• List of Disqualifying Crimes (reference)
• Facility Right to View Complaints Statement

What's specific about getting licensed in Nevada

Nevada's defining trap is that a 'family home' license does not mean 'any home daycare' — legally it begins at the 5th child (NAC 432A.100: 'at least five and not more than six children'). Caring for up to 4 children is unlicensed Friends/Family/Neighbor (FFN) care, so many providers don't realize the moment they accept child #5 for pay they are operating an unlicensed facility. The second surprise is jurisdictional: unlike California's county-run model, Nevada licenses every family/group home at the STATE level (DSS/CCL) — but the state license will not issue until you separately clear State Fire Marshal, local health, and city/county zoning/permit approvals, and that dependency, not the state paperwork, is what usually blows the 90-day clock. Finally, CCL was recently moved out of DPBH/DWSS into the Division of Social Services (dss.nv.gov), so most older 'Nevada child care licensing' links are dead — though the actual online application portal still lives on the legacy nvdpbh.aithent.com system.

How long it takes and what it costs in Nevada

Timeline: Roughly 90 days from application to license — the administrative target. Realistic path: LAP orientation + NEATS setup and SilverFlume business license (days), application submitted, New Facility/Backgrounds training and surveyor consultation within 30 days, background clearance and initial Nevada Registry training within ~60 days, and Fire Marshal/health/zoning inspections passed within 90 days. The application is withdrawn if the 90-day milestones are not met, so slow local inspections are the main risk to the timeline.

Cost: State application fee is low and set by NAC 432A.200: $20 for a family home (5-6 children) or $60 for a group home (7-12 children). Additional out-of-pocket costs: a Nevada State Business License via SilverFlume (annual — confirm current amount with the Secretary of State), fingerprinting/background processing paid by money order to the Nevada Dept. of Public Safety Criminal History Repository (amount set by DPS — confirm at 775-684-6262), CPR/first-aid certification course fees, a TB test, and local city/county zoning/permit fees which vary by jurisdiction. Confirm every non-$20/$60 figure with the respective agency.

Source: NAC Chapter 432A (Services and Facilities for Care of Children) — https://www.leg.state.nv.us/NAC/NAC-432A.html (verified text of §§432A.100, 432A.110, 432A.200, 432A.210, 432A.306, 432A.308, 432A.322, 432A.323, 432A.326, 432A.534, 432A.536, 432A.538); NRS Chapter 432A — https://www.leg.state.nv.us/NRS/NRS-432A.html (verified §§432A.170, 432A.175, 432A.1775); Nevada DSS Child Care Licensing — https://www.dss.nv.gov/programs/child-care-licensing-ccl/ccl-licensing-home/ ; Open & Operate — https://www.dss.nv.gov/programs/child-care-licensing-ccl/open-operate/ ; Child Care Facility Types — https://www.dss.nv.gov/programs/child-care-licensing-ccl/ccl-complaints/childcare-facilities/ ; CCL Forms — https://www.dss.nv.gov/programs/child-care-licensing-ccl/ccl-forms/

Verified 2026-08-10. General information, not legal advice and not a guarantee of licensure — confirm with your state’s licensing agency before applying.