Reviewed November 2026 Utah Admin. Code R381-100-10(1), effective May 2025 · view rule Utah Admin. Code R381-100-10(1) Utah Admin. Code R430-90-10, effective May 2025 · view rule Utah Admin. Code R430-90-10
Utah child care is licensed by Child Care Licensing in the Office of Licensing, part of the Department of Health and Human Services' Division of Licensing and Background Checks, under the Child Care Licensing Act (Utah Code §§ 26B-2-401 to -407). Centers follow Utah Admin. Code R381-100, with ratios from 1:4 for infants to 1:20 for children 5 and older. Home providers need a license (R430-90) once they care for 9 or more unrelated children; up to 8 may be cared for under an optional residential certificate (R430-50). The center rule was last amended July 7, 2026, adding a video surveillance section, and the state posts each program's inspection citations online for 36 months.
Licensing agency: Utah Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Division of Licensing and Background Checks, Office of Licensing, Child Care Licensing · public license lookup
Inspection findings public? Yes, the state publishes licensing inspection results.
License types
- Child care center (5 or more unrelated children, outside the provider's home) — Utah Admin. Code R381-100
- Licensed family child care (in the provider's home, 9 or more unrelated children, up to 16 with two caregivers) — Utah Admin. Code R430-90
- Residential certificate child care (in the provider's home, 8 or fewer children; optional) — Utah Admin. Code R430-50
- Commercial preschool program (children 2–5, under 4 hours a day, no meals) — Utah Admin. Code R381-40
- Hourly child care center (no child on a regular schedule) — Utah Admin. Code R381-60
- Out-of-school-time program (children 5 and older) — Utah Admin. Code R381-70
- License-exempt programs (registration, posted notice and background checks) — Utah Admin. Code R430-8
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Recent changes (2024–2026)
Every Utah child care rule was repealed and reenacted effective May 8, 2025, after the Department of Health and Human Services moved enforcement into one licensing-wide rule, R380-600. Since then the rules have changed only in narrow amendments. The Utah State Bulletin notices describe what each filing changed; we use the rule's 2026 effective date only for the sections those notices list.
New: rules for centers that use video cameras
Effective July 7, 2026, a center that has any working video surveillance camera system must tell parents in writing (in the registration or annual registration paperwork) and post clear signs where the public can see them. It must also have a written policy that says whether footage is kept and for how long, how footage is deleted, how requests for footage are handled, and how parents will be told about changes. Cameras are not required; the section applies only to centers that have them.
Immunization records updated for school-age children
To meet a condition of Utah's 2025–2027 federal Child Care and Development Fund plan, the state rewrote the immunization-record rules so they cover school-age children too. Before admitting any child, including the provider's or an employee's own child, the program must get a record of current immunizations, a medical schedule to catch up, a legal exemption, or a 90-day exemption for a foster child or a child experiencing homelessness. Effective June 5, 2026 for out-of-school-time programs, residential certificate and licensed family homes, and July 7, 2026 for centers.
Center kitchens may be exempt from food-establishment rules
H.B. 379 (2026 General Session, effective May 6, 2026) tells DHHS to write rules, with child care provider associations, that exempt a licensed center's kitchen from the general food service establishment rules when it cooks only for the children and staff and is not open to the public. Exemptions must be based on the volume and type of food, how it is prepared and stored, not on how many children are served. The rules may not require commercial-grade appliances, a floor sink, a three-compartment sink (if no raw meat, fish or poultry is prepared and a two-compartment sink is sanitized), a separate handwashing sink, or a certified food safety manager when every food handler has a permit. Until DHHS adopts those rules, follow your local health department and R381-100-4(2).
Licensing division section renumbered
H.B. 472 (2026 General Session, Laws of Utah 2026, chapter 153, effective May 6, 2026) moved the statute that creates the Division of Licensing and Background Checks to § 26B-2-901. It makes the division the department's licensing and background screening authority for child care, with an Office of Licensing and an Office of Background Processing. Nothing changes for providers day to day.
Bill to raise the unregulated home limit did not pass
S.B. 214, Home-based Child Care Solutions, would have created a registration category and start-up grants for home providers and raised the number of children allowed without a certificate or license. It passed the Senate but was not passed by the House before the session ended in March 2026. The limits in Utah Code § 26B-2-405 still apply: no more than 8 qualifying children (other people's children plus the provider's own under age 4), no more than 2 of them under age 3, and no more than 10 children in total, including the provider's own.
All child care rules reenacted (May 2025)
Effective May 8, 2025, Utah repealed and reenacted R381-40, R381-60, R381-70, R381-100, R430-50 and R430-90, and amended R430-8 and R380-600. Licensing, inspection, penalty and appeal procedures now sit in R380-600, and each rule points to the penalties in Utah Code Title 26B, Chapter 2, Part 7 (added by S.B. 229 in 2024). The background check sections were rewritten to match the department's other licensing programs: they list what can make someone ineligible, say when pending charges count, and bar reapplying for two years after a denial. R380-600 also lets the state weigh a provider's 36-month compliance history and doubles a repeat civil money penalty.
Home certificate made optional for 8 or fewer children (2024)
H.B. 153, Child Care Revisions (2024 General Session, signed March 14, 2024), changed the home-care thresholds now in the statute (current text effective May 1, 2024): a home provider needs a license for 9 or more qualifying children, a residential certificate is optional for 8 or fewer, an unregulated home provider may care for no more than 2 children under age 3, and unregulated home providers must still register for background checks. The 2025 rule reenactment wrote these changes into R430-50 and R430-8.
Updated enforcement guidance
The Office of Licensing revised its published guidance on how it chooses between technical assistance, warnings, citations, civil money penalties and license action (revised August 2026). It is guidance, not a rule, but it lists the fines licensors use; see the inspections section below.
Who needs a license, and what kind
Utah's Child Care Licensing Act is Utah Code Title 26B, Chapter 2, Part 4 (§§ 26B-2-401 to -407), renumbered from the old Title 26, Chapter 39 in 2023 after the Department of Health and the Department of Human Services merged into the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Child Care Licensing (CCL), in DHHS's Office of Licensing (OL) within the Division of Licensing and Background Checks, enforces the rules in Titles R381 and R430 and the general licensing rule R380-600 (R381-100-2(6)). The Child Care Provider Licensing Committee writes the center rules with the department's concurrence (§ 26B-2-402(2)). In October 2026 the division counted 450 licensed centers (capacity 44,028), 872 licensed family homes (12,533) and 89 residential certificate homes (633).
When a center needs a license
A child care center license is required for care of five or more unrelated children, for pay, for less than 24 hours a day, outside the provider's or the child's home, without the parent present, on an ongoing basis for four or more weeks a year. Utah will not license care that is only for related children or only sporadic. Programs that run under four hours a day for children 2 to 5 without meals are licensed as commercial preschools (R381-40), drop-in programs with no regular schedule as hourly centers (R381-60), and programs for children 5 and older as out-of-school-time programs (R381-70, three or more days a week and 30 or more days a year).
Home child care: certificate or license
Care in the provider's home for 9 or more unrelated children, four or more hours a day on a regular schedule, needs a licensed family child care license (R430-90). A provider caring for 8 or fewer qualifying children (up to 10 including the provider's own) may choose a residential certificate (R430-50), which brings an initial and annual inspection and 10 hours of training a year. Anyone caring for more than 10 children under 13 in their home, related or not, must be licensed (R430-90-3(5)). A family provider may hold licenses for no more than two facilities.
Care that does not need a license or certificate
No license or certificate is needed for care by a parent, grandparent, sibling, aunt or uncle; home care under four hours a day or sporadic; center-based care of four or fewer children; home care of eight or fewer (no more than 2 under age 3, and no more than 10 children in total); federal programs; and some school, university, municipal 501(c)(3) and parent-on-site programs. Those school, university, nonprofit and parent-on-site programs must apply every year for verification of exempt status and post the state's exempt notice near the entrance with OL's complaint contact, and substantiated complaints against them are posted online. Unregulated home providers who care for more than two days a week and four or more hours a day must register with OL for background checks.
Applying, renewing and posting the license
No fees, agreements or care before OL approves the license. An application includes background checks for each covered individual, policies, contact information for owners and directors, and proof of fire and business license compliance or exemption. Licenses run one year (ending the last day of the month they were issued); a provider in good standing for two straight license periods may apply for a two-year license at twice the annual fee (R380-600 excludes residential programs from two-year licenses; ask OL whether that includes family homes). Submit renewals at least 30 days before expiration; after 30 days past expiration you must apply as new. Licenses are not transferable and must be posted where the public can see them.
Fire and kitchen checks; provider duties
If the local fire authority says no fire inspection is needed, OL checks the basics itself: readable address numbers, unlocked and marked exits, no storage in mechanical rooms, working smoke detectors and a charged extinguisher on every level. If the health department says no kitchen inspection is needed, OL checks food storage, refrigerator temperature (41°F or below), thermometers and cooks' food handler permits. The licensee must be at least 21, cleared by a background check, complete OL's new provider training, post the license and OL's Parent Guide, and either carry liability insurance or tell parents in writing that it does not.
Staff-to-child ratios
Center ratios and group sizes are in Table 1 of R381-100-10. Only caregivers, registered high school or college child care interns, and volunteers 16 or older count; guests never count. Family homes use a different system based on the total number of children and the number under age 2.
Center ratios by age
Infants 0–11 months: 1 caregiver to 4 children. Younger toddlers 12–17 months: 1:4. Older toddlers 18–23 months: 1:5. Two-year-olds: 1:8. Three-year-olds: 1:12. Four-year-olds: 1:15. Five and older (school-age): 1:20. At least two caregivers must be present whenever the only group on the premises has more than eight children or more than two infants or toddlers. The provider's and employees' own children aged 4 and older count toward ratio when their parent is not working there.
SafePass tip: SafePass shows a live count for each room: children checked in against staff clocked in, with an alert to directors when a room goes over ratio. Set each room's ratio to Utah's number. SafePass's built-in defaults are not Utah's: its toddler default (1:6) is looser than Utah's 1:4 for 12–17 months and 1:5 for 18–23 months, so the default would not flag a toddler room Utah considers over ratio. Its infant (1:4) and two-year-old (1:8) defaults match; its preschool (1:10) and school-age (1:15) defaults are stricter than Utah's 1:12, 1:15 and 1:20. SafePass does not check group size or Utah's mixed-age rules for you.
Mixed-age groups and nap time
In a mixed group without infants or toddlers, the ratio is set by the oldest child's age minus one child, and the group size by the oldest child's age minus two. Infants may be mixed with toddlers only in groups of 8 or fewer, with no more than 3 children under 2 per caregiver, and two caregivers if more than two children under 18 months are present in a group larger than four. Older toddlers mixed with two-year-olds need one caregiver for up to 7 children and two for 8 to 14. At nap time the ratio may double only if every child is at least 18 months old and resting, and the caregiver can reach another on-site caregiver without leaving the children.
Licensed family home ratios
One caregiver for up to 8 children and two caregivers for 9 to 16. With children under 2: at least one caregiver for every three children under 2, no caregiver with more than two children under 18 months, and two caregivers if more than three children under 2 are present with more than six children in care. Tables 1 and 2 cap the total children in the home at 12 with one caregiver and 24 with two, counting the caregivers' own children aged 4 to 12 (their own children under 4 count in the care limit). Caregivers and volunteers aged 16 or 17 may count in ratio. Up to three extra school-age children are allowed after school (R430-90-9(4)).
SafePass tip: SafePass Kiosk check-ins give a running count of who is in care right now, by child and age. Add your own children as enrolled children if you want them in the count. SafePass does not apply Utah's under-2 limits or the home tables for you.
Residential certificate ratios
One caregiver for up to 8 children, with the same under-2 limits as licensed family homes: one caregiver for every three children under 2, no more than two under 18 months per caregiver, and a second caregiver if more than three children under 2 are present with more than six in care.
Out-of-school-time, preschool and hourly programs
Out-of-school-time programs: 1 staff to 20 children, groups of up to 40, and two staff when more than eight children are on site. Commercial preschools: 2-year-olds 1:8, 3-year-olds 1:12, 4-year-olds 1:15, 5-year-olds 1:20, with mixed-age tables. Hourly centers: one caregiver per 4 children if all are under 2, with a mixed-age table up to 2 caregivers for 24 children, and children under 2 kept in a separate area.
Group size and space
Maximum group sizes for centers are in R381-100-10 Table 1. Utah law lets a center built and licensed continuously since before January 1, 2004 skip group-size limits if it keeps ratios and square footage (Utah Code § 26B-2-402(9); R381-100-10(10)).
Center maximum group sizes
Infants 0–11 months: 8. 12–17 months: 8. 18–23 months: 10. Twos: 16. Threes: 24. Fours: 30. Five and older: 40. In a mixed group, any single-age group that reaches its maximum must be separated.
Indoor and outdoor space
At least 35 square feet of indoor space per child, including the provider's and employees' own children. Furniture and equipment children use count as space (state law requires it, § 26B-2-402(8)); bathrooms, closets, hallways, kitchens, lobbies and offices do not. Outdoors: at least 40 square feet per child using the area at one time. Centers must fence the outdoor area at least 4 feet high and make it big enough for a third of capacity or at least 1,600 square feet. Family homes need the 4-foot fence if they are on or within half a mile of a street of 25 mph or more or more than two lanes, and must fence off nearby drop-offs, water, barbed wire, machinery and livestock.
Staff qualifications
Utah sets minimum ages and director credentials, but no college requirement for caregivers. Every covered individual must be cleared by the Office of Background Processing (OBP) before working with children.
Center director and director designee
A director must be at least 21 and hold one of: a current national credential such as a CDA or Certified Childcare Professional; a National Administrator Credential with 60 hours of approved training; any bachelor's degree with 60 hours of child development coursework or equivalent training; 12 college credit hours of child development; or an associate degree in early childhood or a related field. The director must be on site at least 20 hours a week, take OL's new director training within 60 working days, and have a designee (at least 18, with current first aid and CPR) to act when absent. The director or designee must be present during business hours.
SafePass tip: SafePass staff profiles store certifications and documents with expiration dates, so credential documents are in one place for the licensor.
Caregivers, other staff and visitors
Caregivers must be at least 16, complete OL's 2½-hour preservice training before working with children, and review the health assessments (allergies, food sensitivities, needs) of their assigned children. Drivers, cooks and clerks also take preservice training and a background check. No one under 16 may care for children. A 16- or 17-year-old may be alone with a group only while the director or designee is on site, for no more than two consecutive hours, and never as a volunteer. Guests and interns wear a nametag and are never alone with children; therapists and officials show identification.
SafePass tip: SafePass staff time clock records give you dated hours for each person, which helps with the six-week record of times worked.
Home providers
Licensed family and residential certificate providers must be at least 18, cleared by a background check and complete OL's new provider training. A licensed family provider or designee must be home whenever children are in care; a designee left alone with children needs the new provider training and current first aid and pediatric CPR. A residential certificate provider must be present at least half the hours open each week, with a covered adult 18 or older there otherwise.
Background checks
Background checks are run by the Office of Background Processing (OBP) in the Division of Licensing and Background Checks under Utah Code § 26B-2-406. Adults are fingerprinted for state and FBI checks; household members 12 to 17 get a name-based check including juvenile court records.
Before anyone starts
Before a new covered individual is involved with child care, look them up in the licensing provider portal and associate them with your facility. If they are not already eligible, they submit an online application and fingerprints (age 16 and older), you authorize and pay for the check, and they may not work until OBP finds them eligible. Household members 12–17 need a name check and adults in the home a fingerprint check; a resident child who turns 12 must apply within ten working days. A new check is needed after 180 days away from child care, after living outside Utah, or on turning 18 if never fingerprinted. Remove departed staff from your roster within five days.
SafePass tip: SafePass stores each staff member's background check date and flags checks more than five years old on the Compliance page. Utah does not use a five-year cycle: eligibility is tracked continuously in the state's provider portal, and the triggers that matter are 180 days away, living out of state and turning 18, which SafePass does not track.
Who is not eligible, and reporting arrests
OBP may find someone ineligible for a pending felony charge, any felony conviction, a supported finding in the Licensing Information System within 15 years, a false statement, refusing the check, being on a sex offender registry, or any conviction (regardless of severity) for listed offenses such as child pornography, DUI with a child in the car, sexual offenses, or any crime against a person. A nonviolent drug offense 10 or more years old does not disqualify. Providers and individuals must tell OBP within 48 hours of any arrest, warrant, charge, conviction or supported finding. A denied person may reapply after two years and may request a hearing within 15 calendar days of an OBP decision.
Training hours
Utah requires OL's 2½-hour preservice training before anyone works with children and annual training that covers set topics. Hours are counted from the facility's license date.
Center training
Directors, designees and caregivers each complete 20 hours of child care training a year (prorated monthly for mid-year hires). The 2½-hour preservice course covers medication, safety, child development, special needs, emergency plans, first aid and CPR, transportation, infectious disease, food allergies, shaken baby syndrome, safe sleep, child abuse reporting and homelessness, and annual training must cover those topics and the rule's sections 7 through 24. Training records show the date, presenter, length and topic. At least one person with current pediatric first aid and CPR (with hands-on testing) must be at the facility, on every outing and in every vehicle with children.
SafePass tip: SafePass tracks each staff certification's expiration date. Staff get a reminder 30 days out, and directors are alerted when one expires.
Home training
Licensed family providers and caregivers need 20 hours a year, at least half of it interactive, with the record noting which sessions were interactive. Residential certificate providers and caregivers need 10 hours a year (the statute requires the 10 hours to include current CPR and first aid, § 26B-2-404(2)(c)). Both take the 2½-hour preservice course, and someone with pediatric first aid and CPR must be present whenever children are in care.
SafePass tip: SafePass keeps dated training records in each staff profile.
Health and safety
Supervision, discipline and illness rules are nearly identical in the center and home rules.
Active supervision
Caregivers must stay in the room with children under 5 (school-agers must be within hearing and close enough to step in), focus on the children rather than personal interests, interact in person with each child at least every 15 minutes, and always know how many children they have. In homes, a caregiver must be outside whenever a child under 5 is outside and inside whenever a child is inside; school-agers may play outside within hearing in an area fenced at least 4 feet high. Parents must be allowed access to their child and the areas used for their care.
SafePass tip: SafePass shows staff a live list of children checked in to each room, so a caregiver can confirm names and headcount at a glance.
Illness and disease notices
A center may not accept a child who is ill with an infectious disease. A child who becomes ill is separated and supervised until a parent or emergency contact picks them up. Report an infectious disease or an unusual or serious illness to the local health department the same day, and post a dated notice for parents (without names) for at least five business days.
SafePass tip: SafePass parent messaging and announcements can reach every family at once; keep posting the paper notice at the center as the rule requires.
Handwashing, cleaning and diapering
Post handwashing steps at every sink; staff wash on arrival, after toileting or diapering, before food and after body fluids, and children are taught and helped to wash. Toys are sanitized weekly and after mouthing, bathrooms daily and potty chairs after each use. Diapers are checked every two hours and when a child wakes, changed at a railed diapering station used for nothing else, and the surface is sanitized after every change. Soiled clothes go home in a labeled leakproof bag. Home rules (R430-90-23) also require diaper checks every two hours and on waking, never on the floor or a food surface, with the surface sanitized after each change.
SafePass tip: SafePass daily logs record diaper changes with the time and type, and parents see them in the app.
Facility, furniture and hazards
Utah's rules cover furniture tip-over directly: every area children can reach must be free of any heavy or unstable object a child could pull down, including furniture, an unsecured television and a standing ladder (R381-100-13(16); R430-90-13(16)). Utah also requires lead testing of pre-1978 buildings with failing paint.
Hazards children must not reach
Out of reach: poisonous plants; sharp objects; choking hazards for children under 3; cords, ropes and chains long enough to go around a neck; plastic bags, latex gloves and balloons for children under 5; standing water 2 inches deep; labeled chemicals; lighters, matches and hot substances; space heaters, wood stoves and fireplaces in use; uncovered outlets for children under 5. Hot water may not exceed 120°F; high chairs need T-straps; wheeled infant walkers are not allowed. Furniture, televisions and ladders that a child could pull over must be secured or kept out of children's areas. No smoking or vaping inside, in vehicles, or within 25 feet of entrances or children's outdoor areas.
Firearms and weapons
Unless stored and used as state or federal law allows, every firearm must be locked in a cabinet or area with a key, combination or fingerprint lock, unloaded and stored separately from ammunition. BB, airsoft and paintball guns, slingshots, arrows and mace must be out of children's reach. Alcohol, illegal substances and sexually explicit material are not allowed on the premises or in vehicles while children are in care. OL's guidance lists an accessible, unlocked firearm as an extreme-risk violation with an immediate $500 civil money penalty.
Building safety
Test pre-1978 buildings and play structures with failing paint for lead and call the health department within five working days if lead is found. Glass within 36 inches of the floor must be safety glass or guarded. Keep indoor temperatures between 65 and 82°F and a working phone at the facility, on outings and in vehicles. Decks and balconies 5 feet or higher and open stairwells 5 feet or deeper need a barrier at least 3 feet high. Pools must be covered with a safety cover or locked behind a 4-foot fence; homes must lock hot tubs.
Play equipment
Stationary equipment must be stable or anchored and never on concrete, asphalt, dirt or bare floor. Platforms for infants and toddlers may be no higher than 3 feet. Use zones are 3 feet (infant/toddler, play surface over 18 inches) or 6 feet (preschool over 20 inches, school-age over 30 inches), with cushioning depths for sand, gravel, wood and rubber set by Tables 2 and 3. Guardrails are required on higher platforms, gaps over 3½ inches are not allowed, and trampolines may not be accessible.
Emergency preparedness
Centers and licensed family homes drill on the same schedule; residential certificate homes drill half as often.
Written emergency plan
Write and follow a plan covering evacuation, relocation, shelter in place, lockdown, family communication and reunification, continuity of operations, and children with disabilities, chronic medical conditions, and infants and toddlers, with instructions for allergic reactions. The plan must be available to parents, staff and OL. Post the street address and emergency numbers (fire, police, poison control) by every phone, and keep first aid supplies.
SafePass tip: SafePass's checked-in list shows who is in care right now, and parent messaging can reach every family at once during a relocation or reunification.
Fire and disaster drills
Centers and licensed family homes: a full-evacuation fire drill at least every quarter and a drill for another disaster (earthquake, flood, power or water outage, tornado) at least every six months, on varying days and times, documented with date, time, supervisor, number of children, problems found and evacuation time, and kept 12 months. Residential certificate homes: a fire drill every six months and a disaster drill every 12 months.
SafePass tip: SafePass does not keep drill logs; record drills separately (OL publishes a drill log template).
Injury reports and critical incidents
Give parents a written report the same day for every incident, accident or injury, signed by the caregivers, the director or designee and the person picking up. For a serious injury, call the parent immediately (and emergency services first if life-threatening). Any injury that gets medical attention, a life-threatening injury, or a death must be reported to OL within one business day; R380-600 also requires reporting abuse or neglect allegations to Child Protective Services and law enforcement within 24 hours and notifying parents within 24 hours. Keep six weeks of incident reports. Licensed family homes may instead call OL the next business day and send the accident form within five business days.
SafePass tip: SafePass incident reports record what happened, the action taken and first aid, notify the parent, and capture the parent's e-signature. Ask your licensor whether an e-signature meets the signature rule, and file the critical incident report with OL yourself.
Medication
Utah does not require a doctor's order for medication; a parent's signed permission form is enough.
Giving medication
Lock medication or store it at least 48 inches up (36 inches if refrigerated, in a leakproof container if liquid); homes must keep all medication out of children's reach. Parent-supplied medicine stays in its original or pharmacy container labeled with the child's full name. Before any dose, get a signed parent form with the medication, how to give it, the condition, dose, and times and dates. If the provider supplies an over-the-counter medicine, get parent consent for each dose (written, or verbal if documented and signed by the parent at pickup). Record the date, time, dose, any error or reaction, and initials right away; tell the parent immediately about an error or reaction; keep six weeks of records.
SafePass tip: SafePass collects the parent's signed medication request electronically. Staff approve it, then log each dose with time, amount and staff name, and the parent gets a notification. Record errors and reactions in the notes, and ask your licensor whether the electronic log meets the record rule.
Immunizations and health records
The same admission and immunization rules appear in every Utah child care rule (R381-100-6, R430-90-6, R430-50-6, R381-70-6); the 2026 amendments extended the immunization standard to school-age children.
Admission forms and immunization records
Before a child starts, a parent completes an admission and health assessment form (contacts, authorized pickups, emergency releases, allergies, food sensitivities, chronic conditions, medications) and reviews and signs it at least once a year. Before admission, including your own or employees' children, get a current immunization record, a catch-up schedule, a legal exemption, or a 90-day exemption for a foster child or a child experiencing homelessness, and keep it on site. Submit the annual immunization report to the Utah Statewide Immunization Information System by the department's deadline.
SafePass tip: SafePass lets parents upload vaccine records. Staff verify them, and the dashboard lists overdue and due-soon doses, with an exemption field. SafePass does not file Utah's annual immunization report for you.
Nutrition and feeding
Food a provider serves must meet USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) nutrition standards whether or not the program takes part in CACFP.
Meals and snacks
Offer children 2 and older a meal or snack at least every three hours in programs of three or more hours. If you supply food, follow local health department rules and the CACFP meal pattern, OL's standard menus or a dietitian-approved menu (dated, within five years); post the week's menu; and, if not in good standing with CACFP, keep six weeks of records of what was served. The person serving food must know each child's allergies. Food from home is labeled and only for that child.
SafePass tip: SafePass weekly menus and meal logs show parents what was served and how much their child ate.
Infant feeding
Label baby food, formula and breast milk from home with the child's name and the date and time prepared or opened, refrigerate it, and throw it out within 24 hours. Throw out formula and milk after a feeding or within two hours of starting. Stay within arm's reach of an infant who can't hold a bottle, never prop bottles, and test warmed bottles. Cut food to ¼ inch for infants and ½ inch for toddlers. Let infants and toddlers eat on their own schedule.
Safe sleep and naps
Infant safe sleep rules are in R381-100-24 for centers and R430-90-24 and R430-50-24 for homes.
Infant safe sleep
Infants sleep on their backs (unless a health care provider documents otherwise) in equipment made for sleep: a crib, bassinet, porta-crib or playpen, never a mat, cot, pillow, bouncer, swing or car seat. Nothing soft goes in with a sleeping infant: no soft toys or loose blankets. Cribs need a tight-fitting mattress, slats no more than 2⅜ inches apart, the required rail height, no cords, and proof they were made after June 28, 2011 or certified. Sleeping equipment never blocks an exit; in centers it is also set 2 feet apart, and nap time may not be scheduled for more than two hours a day.
SafePass tip: SafePass nap logs record when each child went down and woke up, and parents see them.
Watching sleeping children
Centers may use cameras or mirrors for napping children only if the nap room is next to an occupied room, the door stays open with no gate, and children who wake are moved out. Never cover sleeping equipment so the child can't be seen. In licensed family and residential certificate homes, a caregiver must look at each sleeping infant at least every 15 minutes or put infants to sleep within sight and hearing.
SafePass tip: SafePass does not run timed 15-minute sleep checks, so keep that record separately.
Infant and toddler care and daily records
Interact with each awake infant and toddler at least every 15 minutes, give infants under 6 months supervised tummy time, respond promptly to distress, and never confine an awake infant or toddler in a swing, high chair, crib or playpen for more than 30 minutes. Centers must record each infant's feedings and sleep, and each infant's and toddler's diaper changes, within an hour, and keep six weeks of those records. Utah's home rules do not require these logs.
SafePass tip: SafePass daily logs record meals, naps and diaper changes with times, and parents see them in the app. Log within the hour, and ask your licensor whether the electronic record meets the rule.
Discipline and guidance
The same guidance rules apply to centers and homes (R381-100-12, R430-90-12, R430-50-12).
Positive guidance; what is prohibited
Tell children, parents and everyone who works with the children the program's behavior expectations and how misbehavior will be handled. Guide behavior with positive reinforcement, redirection and clear limits. Gentle, passive restraint is allowed only to keep a child from hurting themselves or others or destroying property. Prohibited: anything that causes pain (hitting, spanking, shaking, biting, pinching), corporal punishment, emotional mistreatment, confining a child in a closet, locked room or box, forcing or withholding food, rest or toileting, binding or tying, and shouting at children. Anyone who suspects abuse or neglect must immediately report it to Child Protective Services or law enforcement (Utah Code § 80-2-602).
SafePass tip: SafePass messaging gives you a dated record of what you told parents about a behavior incident.
Records
Most Utah records must be kept on site for six weeks for the licensor; drill records for 12 months.
What to keep on site
Keep on site for OL: each child's admission and health assessment (updated yearly) and immunization record; for each staff member, the start date, current first aid and CPR, training records, and a six-week record of hours worked; six weeks of attendance (sign-in and sign-out), incident reports, medication forms, food served (if not in CACFP) and infant/toddler logs; and 12 months of drill records. Children's information is confidential and released only with written parent permission, except to OL. Change of phone or contact information goes to parents and OL within 48 hours.
SafePass tip: SafePass keeps records with dates and times, and it exports attendance reports as PDF for a licensor. Registration packets collect guardians, emergency contacts, authorized pickups, physician and allergy information, with a parent signature.
Sign-in, sign-out and pickup
Utah's rule expressly allows an electronic code as the identifier for sign-in and sign-out.
Signing children in and out
Each child is signed in and out with the date and arrival and departure times, by a person using an identifier such as a signature, initials or an electronic code. Only a parent or someone the parent authorized in writing may sign a child out, with photo ID if the provider doesn't know them. In an emergency, accept a parent's verbal authorization if you can confirm who is giving it and who is picking up. Children may sign themselves in or out only with written parent permission. Keep six weeks of attendance records.
SafePass tip: SafePass Kiosk records each check-in and check-out with a timestamp and who dropped off or picked up, and it exports attendance reports as PDF. Utah's rule accepts an electronic code as the identifier, but confirm with your licensor that the Kiosk record meets it. At check-out, SafePass shows staff the child's guardians and authorized pickups, with photos.
Transportation and outings
Transportation and offsite activity rules are the same in centers and homes.
Vehicles and drivers
Get a signed parent transportation permission form for each child. Vehicles must be enclosed, registered, clean, safe and carry first aid supplies, with properly installed age- and size-appropriate restraints. Drivers must be at least 18 with a valid license for the vehicle, carry each child's emergency information, keep the inside between 60 and 85°F, lock the doors, keep children seated, and never leave a child alone in the vehicle. Ratios apply when walking or using public transit. Carry transport liability insurance or tell parents in writing that you don't.
SafePass tip: SafePass does not keep transportation logs or vehicle checks; keep those separately.
Offsite activities and swimming
For each outing, get written parent consent, keep ratios, bring first aid supplies and each child's emergency information and releases, and give each child the center's name and phone number, but never display a child's name on a nametag or shirt. Swimming needs parent permission, a caregiver at the pool, swim diapers, and a certified lifeguard for pools deeper than four feet; lifeguards don't count in ratio.
Inspections and enforcement
Inspection and enforcement procedures for all OL-licensed programs are in R380-600, and the penalty statute is Utah Code Title 26B, Chapter 2, Part 7. OL also publishes non-binding guidance on its inspection process (revised June 2026) and on corrective actions and fines (revised August 2026).
Inspections
OL may make announced and unannounced inspections and must be given immediate, full access to the building, staff, records and children. Providers must correct noncompliance by the dates in the written inspection report, which OL serves once management approves it, and may be required to follow a plan of correction. OL's inspection-process guidance adds that licensors use a standard checklist, review findings with the provider at the end, and make an unannounced follow-up visit after most noncompliance. OL investigates complaints, but R380-600-7(14) excludes anonymous child care complaints and complaints about events more than six months old.
Penalties and license actions
OL may issue warnings, citations, civil money penalties (CMPs) and plans of correction; increase monitoring; place conditions on, suspend or revoke a license; restrict admissions; or order immediate closure when conditions are a clear and present danger. It weighs the provider's previous 36 months of compliance. A repeat of the same violation within 36 months doubles the CMP, up to $10,000. A provider placed on conditions, suspended or revoked must post the notice on site and on its website and tell every family within five days; an owner whose license is revoked cannot be licensed by OL for five years.
How OL decides on fines
OL rates each violation as low, moderate, high or extreme risk. A first low-risk violation usually gets a warning, which stays off the public record; a moderate violation or a repeat gets a citation, shown online for 36 months, and further repeats bring CMPs: $100 per rule for low risk, $150 for moderate and $200 for high (ratio and supervision fines are per child or per instance). Immediate fines: $500 when a child leaves or is left outside or in a vehicle unsupervised, when someone who failed a background check is present, for falsified documents, or for an accessible unlocked firearm; $1,500 when a child suffers serious harm; $10,000 when a violation involves a death. CMPs are due within 30 days.
Inspection results are public
OL posts every citation from every inspection and every substantiated complaint finding on the division website for at least 36 months; any official action against a provider is a public record. Families can look up a program's history through the division's Find a Facility search.
Citations, variances and appeals
Utah does not publish a statewide count of citations by rule. What it does publish without provider names is facility counts and a monthly serious injuries and deaths report, both on the division's Reports page.
Disputing an OL action
A provider or applicant may request an administrative hearing under the Utah Administrative Procedures Act within 15 calendar days of being told in writing of an OL action, or within 5 calendar days for a notice of emergency agency action. Requesting a hearing automatically starts an internal dispute resolution. A person found ineligible by OBP may request a hearing within 15 calendar days of the decision, and may challenge criminal record information with the Department of Public Safety.
Variances
The division or OL director may approve a written variance from a rule if it is not likely to put children's health and safety at risk or open the door to abuse or fraud. Request it on OL's form at least 30 days before you need it, don't depart from the rule until it is signed, follow its conditions, and request renewal 30 days before it expires.
Frequently asked questions
Who licenses child care in Utah?
Child Care Licensing in the Office of Licensing, part of the Utah Department of Health and Human Services' Division of Licensing and Background Checks (Utah Code § 26B-2-901). It enforces the Child Care Licensing Act (Utah Code §§ 26B-2-401 to -407) and the rules in Utah Admin. Code Titles R381 and R430 and Rule R380-600. Background checks are handled by the division's Office of Background Processing.
How many children can I watch in my home without a license in Utah?
Up to 8 qualifying children (other people's children under 13, plus your own children under 4), with no more than 2 under age 3, and never more than 10 children under 13 in total including all of your own (Utah Code §§ 26B-2-401(10), -405(1)). You don't need a certificate at that size, but if you care for children more than two days a week and four or more hours a day you must register with the Office of Licensing for background checks (R430-8-5). A residential certificate is optional for 8 or fewer; at 9 or more unrelated children you need a licensed family child care license (R430-90-3). Care of related children only (grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings) is exempt.
What are the staff-to-child ratios for Utah child care centers?
Infants 0–11 months 1:4 (group of 8); 12–17 months 1:4 (8); 18–23 months 1:5 (10); twos 1:8 (16); threes 1:12 (24); fours 1:15 (30); five and older 1:20 (40) (Utah Admin. Code R381-100-10, Table 1). Mixed groups use the oldest child's ratio minus one child, with special limits when infants and toddlers are mixed.
How many children can a licensed family child care home have in Utah?
One caregiver may care for up to 8 children and two caregivers for up to 16, with no more than 3 children under 2 per caregiver and no more than 2 under 18 months (R430-90-10). Counting the caregivers' own children aged 4 to 12, no more than 12 children may be in the home with one caregiver or 24 with two. Up to three more school-age children are allowed after school.
How many training hours do Utah child care workers need?
Center directors, designees and caregivers need 20 hours a year (R381-100-7), as do licensed family providers and caregivers, at least half of it interactive (R430-90-7). Residential certificate providers need 10 hours a year (R430-50-7; Utah Code § 26B-2-404). Everyone takes the Office of Licensing's 2½-hour preservice training before working with children.
How often are fire drills required in Utah child care?
Centers and licensed family homes: a fire drill every quarter and a drill for another disaster at least every six months, with 12 months of records (R381-100-14; R430-90-14). Residential certificate homes: a fire drill every six months and a disaster drill every 12 months (R430-50-14).
Does a Utah daycare need a doctor's note to give my child Tylenol?
No. Utah requires a parent's signed medication permission form with the medication, dose, times and condition (R381-100-17; R430-90-17). If the program supplies an over-the-counter medicine itself, it needs your consent for each dose, in writing or by phone if you sign the record at pickup. Medicine must be in its original labeled container.
Does a Utah daycare have to tell parents if it uses cameras?
Yes, for centers. Since July 7, 2026, a center with any working video surveillance system must tell parents in writing, post signs, and have a written policy on whether and how long footage is kept, how it is deleted and how requests for footage are handled (R381-100-25). Utah's home rules do not have this section.
Can I see a Utah daycare's inspection reports and violations?
Yes. The Office of Licensing posts every inspection citation and every substantiated complaint finding on the division website for at least 36 months (R380-600-7(11), -8(4)). Look the program up in Find a Facility on dlbc.utah.gov. A first low-risk violation usually gets a warning that is not shown publicly.
Sources
- Utah Admin. Code R381-100, Child Care Centers (Office of Administrative Rules, current rule, effective 07/07/2026) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- Utah Admin. Code R430-90, Licensed Family Child Care (effective 06/05/2026) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- Utah Admin. Code R430-50, Residential Certificate Child Care (effective 06/05/2026) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- Utah Admin. Code R430-8, Exemptions From Child Care Licensing (effective 05/08/2025) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- Utah Admin. Code R381-40, Commercial Preschool Programs (effective 05/08/2025) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- Utah Admin. Code R381-60, Hourly Child Care Centers (effective 05/08/2025) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- Utah Admin. Code R381-70, Out-of-School-Time Child Care Programs (effective 06/05/2026) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- Utah Admin. Code R380-600, Licensing General Provisions-Enforcement (effective 05/08/2025) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- Utah Code Title 26B, Chapter 2, Part 4, Child Care Licensing (§§ 26B-2-401 to -407) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- Utah Code § 26B-2-405, Exclusions from part (effective 5/1/2024) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- Utah Code § 26B-2-901, Division of Licensing and Background Checks (effective 5/6/2026, Laws of Utah 2026, ch. 153) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- Utah Code § 26B-7-417, Special requirements for child care food preparation kitchens (effective 5/6/2026) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- H.B. 379, Child Care Provider Food Preparation Amendments (2026 General Session, enrolled copy) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- H.B. 472, Division of Licensing and Background Checks Amendments (2026 General Session, enrolled copy) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- S.B. 214, Home-based Childcare Solutions (2026 General Session, introduced; not passed) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- H.B. 153, Child Care Revisions (2024 General Session) bill status (Governor signed 3/14/2024) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- Utah State Bulletin, May 15, 2026 (R381-100 notice of substantive change, Filing ID 57955: immunization records and video surveillance) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- Utah State Bulletin, April 15, 2026 (R381-70, R430-50 and R430-90 immunization amendments) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- Utah State Bulletin, June 1, 2025 (notices of effective date, 5/8/2025, for the reenacted child care rules and R380-600) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- Utah State Bulletin, April 1, 2025 (changes in proposed rules: background checks, R380-600) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- Utah State Bulletin, November 15, 2024 (proposed repeal and reenactment of the child care rules; HB 153 and SB 229 of 2024) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- DLBC, Child care rules and license types (accessed November 8, 2026)
- DLBC, Office of Licensing inspection process (guidance, revised June 2026) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- DLBC, Office of Licensing guidelines for corrective actions and civil money penalties (guidance, revised August 2026) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- DLBC, Total Facilities and Capacity Report (child care, 2024–2026; last updated November 2026) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- DLBC, Reports (regulated programs, sanctions, serious injuries and deaths, facilities and capacity) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- DLBC, Find a Facility (public inspection and citation lookup) (accessed November 8, 2026)
Educational information, not legal advice. Rules change and inspectors apply them to your specific program. Always confirm requirements with your state child care licensing agency: Utah Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Division of Licensing and Background Checks, Office of Licensing, Child Care Licensing. How we handle your information: privacy policy.