H412 - Child Care Regulatory Reforms. (SL 2025-36)

Overview: Part III of S.L. 2025-36 (House Bill 412) does the following:

• Requires that until rules are adopted, the Office of State Fire Marshall, the Residential Code Council, Building Code Council, and State and local governments enforcing the North Carolina State Building Code treat a family care home as a Residential Group R-3 occupancy provided that the area of the dwelling used for the family child care home meets certain requirements for exit locations, fire extinguishers, safety plans, carbon monoxide detection, and smoke alarms.
• Requires that the Residential Code Council and Building Code Council create a family child care home occupancy classification within a dwelling and adopt rules amending the Code that are consistent with this Part.
• Amends the definition of child care facility in G.S. 110-86 and the mandatory standards for a child care license in G.S. 110-91 to conform to changes made in this Part.
• Requires the Division of Child Development and Early Education to establish the Licensed Childcare Licensure Workgroup to examine streamlining regulatory requirements for the physical structures of licensed child care facilities and report the findings and recommendations to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services, the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on General Government, and the Fiscal Research Division of the General Assembly no later than one year after the act became law.

This Part became effective July 1, 2025.