Minnesota rulebook · checked October 2026

Watching Kids at Home in Minnesota: How Many Before You Need a License?

In Minnesota, you may watch up to None counted children before a license is required — and Minnesota counts your own children (age 10 or younger present) in that number. Care for one household's children, and care for relatives, sits outside the line entirely.

Run the free Minnesota check

The Minnesota line, in facts

Licensing agency: Minnesota Department of Human Services licensing — administered through your COUNTY agency (Minn. R. 9502.0335)

The line: In Minnesota, you may watch up to None counted children before a license is required — and Minnesota counts your own children (age 10 or younger present) in that number. Care for one household's children, and care for relatives, sits outside the line entirely.

Your own children: counted — Minnesota includes your own children (age 10 or younger present) in the numbers that decide your category.

The categories above the line

Category	Capacity	What it means
Family Day Care (licensed)	up to 10	Maximum 10 children at one time, no more than 6 of them under school age, with 1 adult. Licensed capacity includes ALL children of any caregiver present in the home, counted as children age 10 or younger present at one time.
Group Family Day Care (licensed)	up to 14	Maximum 14 children at one time; the 14-child size requires 2 adults (one-adult variants cap at 10 or 12 with tighter infant limits).

What comes with the license

Ratios: Family day care (Minn. R. 9502.0367): capacity 10, 1 adult, max 6 under school age, of those max 3 infants and toddlers combined and max 2 infants. Group: 10 with 1 adult (max 8 under school age, 3 infant/toddler, 2 infants), 12 with 1 adult (max 10 under school age, 2 infant/toddler, 1 infant), or 14 with 2 adults (max 10 under school age, 4 infant/toddler, 3 infants).
Training before you open:
Training to stay open:
State fees: No STATE application or license fee for family child care (Minn. Stat. §245A.10 subd. 1(b)). Your county may charge a background-study fee of up to $100 a year and a license fee of up to $50 (1-year) or $100 (2-year) — and counties may waive or reduce them.
Realistic timeline:

The local check you cannot skip

Minnesota licenses family child care LOCALLY: you apply to the county agency where you live, and county licensors do the licensing study and inspections for the state.

What catches people in Minnesota

Minnesota has no 'just a few kids' number at all: the line is FAMILIES. Two unrelated families — even one child each — require a license.
Care totaling less than 30 days in any 12-month period is also excluded — the occasional-care door is measured in days per year.
Registration exists only as a Child Care Assistance payment status (Legal Nonlicensed provider) — private exempt care never registers.

Rules checked October 2026 · Sources: Minn. Stat. § 245A.03 (licensure exclusions: related-only; single unrelated family; under 30 days a year); Minn. R. 9502.0325 (exclusions may not be combined), 9502.0335 (county application), 9502.0365–.0367 (capacity and ratios); Minn. Stat. § 245A.10 (fees). This page reads the published rules; it is not legal advice, and the Minnesota Department of Human Services licensing — administered through your COUNTY agency (Minn. R. 9502.0335) is the final word.

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