Where is a child care center allowed in Garden Grove?

Find your lot's zone on the city zoning map, then read its row. Every status below was read from the Garden Grove Municipal Code use tables (read October 2026). Base zones only. General information, not legal advice — check with the city before you apply.

Zones where a child care center can go

Garden Grove's code calls this use “Child Day Care Center”. Each row links to the use table it comes from. A zone marked “see note” has a condition in the code, for example upper floors only or a larger lot.

Zone	Status	Code
R-1 Single-Family Residential	Needs a conditional use permit	§ 9.08.020
R-2 Limited Multiple Residential	Needs a conditional use permit	§ 9.12.020
R-3 Multiple-Family Residential	Needs a conditional use permit	§ 9.12.020
C-1 Neighborhood Commercial	Needs a conditional use permit	§ 9.16.020
C-2 Community Commercial	Needs a conditional use permit	§ 9.16.020
GGMU-1 Garden Grove Boulevard Mixed Use 1	Needs a conditional use permit	Chapter 9.18 — MIXED USE REGULATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS
GGMU-2 Garden Grove Boulevard Mixed Use 2	Needs a conditional use permit	Chapter 9.18 — MIXED USE REGULATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS
GGMU-3 Garden Grove Boulevard Mixed Use 3	Needs a conditional use permit	Chapter 9.18 — MIXED USE REGULATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS
CC-1 Civic Center East	Needs a conditional use permit	Chapter 9.18 — MIXED USE REGULATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS
CC-3 Civic Center Core	Needs a conditional use permit	Chapter 9.18 — MIXED USE REGULATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS
NMU Neighborhood Mixed Use	Needs a conditional use permit	Chapter 9.18 — MIXED USE REGULATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS

Zones where it is not allowed

O-P, C-3, M-1, M-P, O-S, AR.

What else applies

S5 has a second row "Day Care Center" (GGMU C, CC-1 C, CC-2 C, CC-3 C, CC-OS [-], NMU C, AR [-]) that disagrees with "Child Day Care Center" (GGMU C, CC-1 C, CC-2 [-], CC-3 C, CC-OS C, NMU C, AR [-]) in CC-2 and CC-OS, so those two zones are left out. "Day Care Facility, Adult" is a different use. Family day care homes are P in R-1, R-2, R-3 (state law).
State law: A licensed family child care home in a house is a residential use under state law (Health and Safety Code § 1597.45); this page covers child care centers only.
Not covered here: PUD (planned unit development) zones and specific plans (Chapter 9.28: each specific plan has its own use list); Overlay zones (Emergency Shelter Overlay Zone) and any other zone whose use table is not in the packet; R-1 use table covers R-1 only; commercial/industrial table has no residential rows. Overlay zones and specific plans can also change the answer.

Other uses in Garden Grove

Who this affects

HomeownersBuyersReal estate agentsSmall developers

Frequently asked questions

Can I have a child care center in the R-1 zone in Garden Grove?

Only with a conditional use permit. Garden Grove's use table lists it that way in R-1 (Single-Family Residential) (§ 9.08.020).

Can I have a child care center in the O-P zone in Garden Grove?

No. Garden Grove's use table does not allow it in O-P (Office-Professional) (§ 9.16.020).

General information, not legal advice.