Regulations for licensing child care centers

Licensing regulations

The following rules and statutes guide licensing activities for licensed child care centers:

• Licensed Child Care Centers: Minnesota Rules, chapter 9503
• Children, Youth, and Families Licensing: Minnesota Statutes, chapter 142B
• Human Services Background Studies Act: Minnesota Statutes, chapter 245C
• Maltreatment of Minors Act: Minnesota Statutes, chapter 260E

Minnesota Statutes, Laws and Rules are published by the Office of the Revisor of Statutes. The website is updated after each legislative session, as updates or changes to requirements occur.

Note: With the move to DCYF, some state statutes that set standards for child care center licensing have been renumbered. Licensing standards previously found in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 245A are now located in chapter 142B. The licensing requirements remain the same, only the location has changed. This document provides the new statute number for each requirement.

Recent updates

• 2025 Implementation Plan for Legislative Changes
• Renumbered statutes
• Child Care Regulation Modernization Project

Help implementing legislative changes

When legislative updates impact DCYF-licensed programs, including licensed child care centers, DCYF creates implementation plans to provide detailed information regarding specific changes for licensed child care centers.

• DCYF/DHS licensing statute crosswalk
• 2025 Implementation Plan for Legislative Changes
• 2024 Implementation Plan for Legislative Changes
• 2023 Implementation Plan for Legislative Changes
• 2020 Implementation Plan for Legislative Changes
• 2019 Implementation Plan for Legislative Changes