Maryland rulebook · checked October 2026
Watching Kids at Home in Maryland: How Many Before You Need a License?
In Maryland, there is no unlicensed tier for regular paid care of unrelated children: the first child on a regular schedule already needs the state's permit. The only question is which tier.
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The Maryland line, in facts
Licensing agency: Maryland State Department of Education — Office of Child Care (OCC), Licensing Branch (13 regional offices)
The line: In Maryland, there is no unlicensed tier for regular paid care of unrelated children: the first child on a regular schedule already needs the state's permit. The only question is which tier.
Your own children: counted — Maryland includes your own children (under 6) in the numbers that decide your category.
The categories above the line
| Category | Capacity | What it means |
|---|
| Family Child Care Home (registered) | up to 8 | Up to 8 children in total. Maryland REGISTERS family homes — it does not license them. Children who live in the home and are under 6 count toward the 8, and no more than 4 children may be under age 2 (more than 2 under 2 needs OCC approval and a second adult present). |
| Large Family Child Care Home (registered) | up to 12 | 9 to 12 children, capacity set by the regional office from your space, staffing, ages and local fire/zoning codes, under COMAR 13A.18. |
What comes with the license
- Ratios: Family home headline (Educ. §9.5-305): maximum 8 children at any time, maximum 4 under age 2, and at least 1 adult for every 2 children under age 2 — whenever more than 2 children under 2 are present, an additional adult must be in the room.
- Training before you open: First aid and CPR, plus a qualifying training pathway — the standard is at least 24 clock hours of approved training within the 2 years before applying, including 4 hours in each of the six core-of-knowledge areas (alternatives include a 90-hour course or a CDA) — plus emergency/disaster planning, health and safety, breastfeeding-support, ADA (3 hours) and medication-administration training (COMAR 13A.15.06.02).
- Training to stay open: 18 clock hours of approved training in the first year of registration, then 12 clock hours per 12-month period (at least 6 in core-of-knowledge areas).
- State fees: No state application or registration fee — Maryland OneStop lists child care registration at $0.00, and COMAR sets no fee. (Any site quoting a Maryland OCC form fee is not quoting a primary source.)
- Realistic timeline: No published end-to-end timeline. One regulatory clock: an application is void if, 6 months after a complete application, the documentation showing all requirements are met has not been received.
Your path in Maryland, step by step
- Complete an orientation to the family child care regulations, offered or approved by your regional OCC office.
- Finish the preservice training pathway and first aid/CPR.
- Submit the initial registration application to your regional OCC office (with Social Security number or ITIN).
- Submit medical evaluations (within the prior 12 months) for you and each resident of the home.
- Apply for federal and state criminal background checks for you, every resident 18 or older, your substitute, and any employees or volunteers 18 or older.
- Sign the notarized release forms for child/adult abuse and neglect record checks.
- File the remaining documentation — fire inspection, written landlord authorization if you rent, emergency/disaster plan, and additional-adult documentation if you will care for 3–4 children under 2.
- OCC reviews, inspects the home, and issues the certificate of registration for your approved capacity — display it; it does not transfer to another person or address.
What catches people in Maryland
- Registration, not a license: calling a Maryland family home 'licensed' is the wrong word — the certificate on the wall is a certificate of registration.
- There are 13 REGIONAL licensing offices, and the regional office sets your actual capacity from your space and local codes — the 8 and 12 are ceilings, not promises.
- The other exemption is narrow: a FRIEND of every child's parent, caring on an occasional basis under 20 hours a month, sits outside registration. A regular paying business never qualifies.
- Care in the CHILD's own home (a nanny arrangement) is outside this scheme entirely — family child care is care in a residence other than the child's own.
If you skip the line
Operating without a valid registration is a misdemeanor — up to $1,500 for a first violation and $2,500 for a second or later one. Civil citations run $250 / $500 / $1,000 per violation, each day a separate violation, capped at $5,000 per action (COMAR 13A.15.13.08–.09). Advertising an unregistered home is separately actionable.
Rules checked October 2026 · Sources: Md. Code, Education §§ 9.5-301, 9.5-304 (registration required; exemptions), 9.5-305 (group size; own children under 2 counted; 1:2 under-2 ratio); COMAR 13A.15.02.01 (exemptions, incl. friend care under 20 hours a month), 13A.15.04.03 (capacity; resident child under 6 counted), 13A.15.06.02 (training), 13A.15.13.08–.09 (penalties); COMAR 13A.18 (large family child care homes); Maryland OneStop (registration cost $0.00). This page reads the published rules; it is not legal advice, and the Maryland State Department of Education — Office of Child Care (OCC), Licensing Branch (13 regional offices) is the final word.
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