The table nobody publishes
How many kids can you watch without a license?
Verified September 5, 2026Every state draws its own line between babysitting and a regulated home daycare, and the lines disagree wildly: a fixed headcount in one state, a per-family rule in the next, no allowance at all in a third. This table quotes each state’s line as written. Open a state for the full ladder, who counts as related, and what changes the number.
| State | Without any license or registration | Verified |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | None: the first unrelated child requires a license | 2026-09-05 |
| Arkansas | 2026-09-05 | |
| Arizona | 2026-09-05 | |
| California | The children of one other family, plus your own | 2026-09-05 |
| Colorado | 2026-09-05 | |
| Connecticut | None in regular care of 3 to 12 hours a day; listed relatives and informal neighbor arrangements excluded | 2026-09-05 |
| District of Columbia | Up to 2 unrelated children on a regular basis | 2026-09-05 |
| Delaware | None for paid care; only own children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews and stepchildren are outside | 2026-09-05 |
| Florida | 2026-09-05 | |
| Georgia | 2026-09-05 | |
| Hawaii | 2026-09-05 | |
| Iowa | Up to 5 children at one time | 2026-09-05 |
| Idaho | 2026-09-05 | |
| Illinois | 2026-09-05 | |
| Indiana | 2026-09-05 | |
| Kansas | Up to 4 unrelated children at 35 hours a week or less each (agency policy CCL 008) | 2026-09-05 |
| Kentucky | Up to 3 unrelated children; certification is optional at that size | 2026-09-05 |
| Louisiana | Up to 6 children with one caregiver; registration only when public funds pay | 2026-09-05 |
| Massachusetts | No headcount: occasional care and neighbor or relative cooperatives are outside | 2026-09-05 |
| Maryland | Relatives of each child, or a friend under 20 hours a month | 2026-09-05 |
| Maine | Up to 3 other children, 4 if two are siblings, with at most 3 under two | 2026-09-05 |
| Michigan | 2026-09-05 | |
| Minnesota | 2026-09-05 | |
| Missouri | Up to 6 children, at most 3 under age two | 2026-09-05 |
| Mississippi | 2026-09-05 | |
| Montana | 2026-09-05 | |
| North Carolina | 2026-09-05 | |
| North Dakota | Up to 5 children through age 11, at most 3 under 24 months | 2026-09-05 |
| Nebraska | 2026-09-05 | |
| New Hampshire | 2026-09-05 | |
| New Jersey | 2026-09-05 | |
| New Mexico | 2026-09-05 | |
| Nevada | 2026-09-05 | |
| New York | 2026-09-05 | |
| Ohio | 2026-09-05 | |
| Oklahoma | Relatives, occasional arrangements, care in the child’s home | 2026-09-05 |
| Oregon | 2026-09-05 | |
| Pennsylvania | Up to 3 unrelated children | 2026-09-05 |
| Rhode Island | 2026-09-05 | |
| South Carolina | 2026-09-05 | |
| South Dakota | 2026-09-05 | |
| Tennessee | 2026-09-05 | |
| Texas | None inside regular paid care: a listing starts at 1 unrelated child | 2026-09-05 |
| Utah | 2026-09-05 | |
| Virginia | Up to 4 children, not counting your own or resident children | 2026-09-05 |
| Vermont | 2026-09-05 | |
| Washington | No headcount: relatives and occasional friend care are excluded | 2026-09-05 |
| Wisconsin | 2026-09-05 | |
| West Virginia | 2026-09-05 | |
| Wyoming | 2026-09-05 |
We verify states in waves against the current statutes and rules, two independent readers per state plus an adversarial check on every disagreement. The states above are the ones that have finished that process; the rest of the country is in the pipeline and lands here as each state clears it.
Go deeper
DaycareRules is an informational reference about home child care licensing rules in the United States. It reprints thresholds, capacity limits, ratios and citations from state statutes and regulations, together with the date each state was last verified. Nothing on this site is legal advice, and rules change. Confirm with your state licensing agency before acting on any number printed here.