Rules by state
Summer camp license requirements by state
Whether day and overnight camps need a state license, permit or registration in every state and DC, and which agency is responsible. Checked October 2026 against official sources.
18
states where day and overnight camps need a camp license or permit
20
states where only some camp types need one
13
jurisdictions with no statewide camp license or permit
- "Day and overnight camps" means the state has a camp-specific license, permit, certificate or registration that covers both. In some of these states, local health departments issue the permits under state rules, and some are sanitation permits that don't cover staffing or supervision.
- "Some camp types only" means a camp requirement covers only some camps, often only overnight camps. Day camps there may need a childcare license instead, unless they qualify for an exemption.
- "No statewide camp license" means no statewide requirement is written for camps. Camps can still need a childcare license or local permits, plus food, pool and fire approvals.
- General information, not legal advice. Confirm with the agency for your camp type before each season.
State by state
The details for each state
Alabama
Day camps and resident (overnight) camps need an annual camp permit from the county health officer under Alabama's camp sanitation rules (Ala. Admin. Code ch. 420-3-21); seasonal camps apply within 60 days before opening, and the camp is inspected before the permit is issued and at least once during operation. These rules cover sanitation (water, sewage, food service, buildings, swimming areas), not staffing or supervision. A camp that cares for children in a way that meets the day care center definition may also fall under DHR child care licensing.
Alaska
Alaska has no separate youth camp license that we could find. A day camp that regularly cares for five or more children needs a child care license unless it meets the camp exemption in 7 AAC 57.015(a)(11): accredited by the American Camp Association or a similar approved body, serving children 5 and older, running more than five weeks a year and only during school breaks, and doing fingerprint background checks (or meeting the state's barrier-crime rules). We found no state license requirement for overnight camps.
Arizona
Overnight 'children's camps' (food and lodging for minors, open five or more days a year) need an annual ADHS children's camp license, applied for by May 1, with inspections focused on water, sewage, food service and layout (A.R.S. §36-3901 to 36-3916). Day camps are not children's camps; they need a child care facility license unless they qualify for the day camp exemption in A.R.S. §36-884(9): accredited by an ADHS-approved national day camp accreditor, open fewer than 10 weeks a year, serving only children 5 and older, posting a 'not licensed' notice, and requiring fingerprint clearance cards for all staff.
Arkansas
Summer day camps for school-age children are out-of-school-time programs and need an OEC child care license, which includes specific day camp rules, unless the camp runs no more than three weeks a year, stays under 5 hours a day and 10 hours a week, or is a drop-in recreational program. We found no separate state license for overnight (resident) camps in the Arkansas Department of Health's rules.
California
Organized camps (as defined in Health and Safety Code §18897) must send written notice to the local health officer at least 30 days before operating each year and meet Title 17 standards, including a camp director at least 25 years old with two seasons of camp supervisory experience, at least 1 counselor (18+ or a high school graduate) per 10 campers under 16, and a full-time health supervisor (17 CCR §30700-30753). Day programs that care for children may need a CDSS child care license unless they fit an exemption such as the public recreation or Scouts/Boys and Girls Clubs-type recreation exemptions.
Colorado
Colorado licenses camps as child care. Children's resident (overnight) camps that run three or more consecutive 24-hour days for five or more children need a CDEC resident camp license (8 CCR 1402-1 §2.400), with counselor ratios of 1:6 for ages 5-7, 1:8 for ages 8-10, 1:10 for ages 11-13 and 1:12 for ages 14 and up. Day camps (at least 4 hours a day, mainly in one season or school breaks, ages 5-18) are licensed as school-age child care centers (§2.500), and seasonal outdoor adventure day camps fall under the resident camp rules.
Connecticut
Both day camps and resident (overnight) camps need an annual youth camp license from OEC, applied for at least 30 days before opening (CGS §19a-421). The law covers camps serving 5 or more children aged 3 to 15 for 3 or more days a week during school vacations or weekends, or any program advertised as a camp. Exempt: classroom-based summer instruction with no risky activities, public and approved private school summer programs, licensed child care centers, Boys & Girls Club drop-in programs for ages 6 and up, and day camps run by a municipal agency (CGS §19a-420).
Delaware
Day, residential and other youth camps for 6 or more campers under 18 need an annual permit from the Division of Public Health (16 DE Admin. Code 4467), which also sets counselor-to-camper ratios. A camp for school-age children must also get either license-exempt approval or a youth camp license from OCCL. A license (14 DE Admin. Code 938) is required to receive Purchase of Care funding, and both routes require the DPH permit (14 Del.C. §3003A, amended August 17, 2026 by SB 293). A camp that serves children younger than kindergarten does not qualify for the camp exemption and falls under child care center licensing.
District of Columbia
We found no separate DC youth camp license. OSSE's child care rules exempt facilities that provide only summer camp to school-age children (5-A DCMR §101.5). A camp that serves children below school age does not fit that exemption and may need a Child Development Facility license from OSSE.
Florida
Florida does not license summer camps; state law forbids DCF from licensing summer day camps and summer 24-hour camps (s. 409.175(6)(l), F.S.), and they are excluded from child care licensing (s. 402.302(2)). Camps for children 5 and older must still put all personnel through Level 2 background screening, and DCF can shut down a camp that refuses. DCF acts on complaints only and does not inspect camps or require staff training. A summer program for children under 5 is not a 'summer camp' under the statute and may need a child care license.
Georgia
Georgia has no youth camp license. Day camps and school-break programs for children 5 and older that run no more than 12 hours a day are exempt from child care licensing (Category 7, 591-1-1-.46(1)(c)7). They must complete DECAL's online self-assessment and keep a DECAL KOALA account, and camps that take Childcare and Parent Services (CAPS) subsidies must apply for the exemption, meet background check rules and get annual DECAL monitoring visits. A day program serving children under 5 does not fit this exemption and may need a child care license.
Hawaii
We found no separate Hawaii youth camp license. DHS rules count summer care for elementary school-age children as child care, so a summer day program may need a DHS child care license unless it fits an HRS §346-152 exemption. Exemptions include DOE and county summer programs, programs run by incorporated multiservice or community organizations, sports or skill-only programs, and programs of no more than two consecutive weeks in a three-month period.
Idaho
Idaho has no youth camp license. Overnight children's camps where no child stays 9 or more consecutive weeks a year are exempt from children's residential care licensing (Idaho Code §39-1206), and day camps that run less than 12 weeks a year or no more than once a week are exempt from daycare licensing (Idaho Code §39-1103). A day program for 7 or more children that runs longer may need a daycare license.
Illinois
IDPH licenses youth camps under the Youth Camp Act (210 ILCS 100): any day or resident camp serving 5 or more children under 18 away from their parents for 3 or more consecutive days, or 5 or more days a year. Apply at least 45 days before opening; licenses expire December 31 and are renewed yearly after inspection of water, sewage, sanitation, food service, and swimming facilities.
Indiana
IDOH regulates youth camps under 410 IAC 6-7.2, which covers places giving more than 72 continuous hours of outdoor group living to 10 or more children under 18 without a parent (in practice, overnight camps); IDOH inspects these camps and must approve plans before a camp is built or altered. Day camps are not covered by that rule; a day camp may need an FSSA child care license if it meets the child care center definition and no exemption applies.
Iowa
Iowa has no state youth camp license; the Iowa Code has no youth camp chapter. Nationally accredited camps are excluded from child care licensing, but a non-accredited day camp serving 7 or more children may need a child care center license unless another exclusion applies, such as a city recreation program for school children or a summer-only program with only a nominal fee (Iowa Code §237A.1).
Kansas
We found no separate Kansas youth camp license, but day camps for school-age children are licensed as school-age programs, with specific rules for outdoor summer camps and mobile summer programs (K.A.R. 28-4-586), when children attend 12 or more hours a week for more than 2 weeks. Summer instructional camps run by a nonprofit, school, or nonpublic school are exempt (K.S.A. 75-7707). How overnight (resident) camps are regulated was not confirmed.
Kentucky
A Cabinet youth camp permit is required to operate a day, primitive, or residential camp for 5 or more children (902 KAR 10:040); permits are issued after inspection, expire December 31, and day camps file an extra day-camp application. Instructional studios, vacation Bible schools, and youth troop trips under 72 hours are not youth camps. Summer camps permitted as youth camps that serve school-age children are exempt from child care licensing (922 KAR 2:090, Section 3).
Louisiana
Camps (programs serving only children 5 and older that run only when school is out) are exempt from child care licensing. Separately, the state Sanitary Code requires a permit from the state health officer to operate a campsite, and the definition covers youth camps and day camps; this permit covers sanitation, water, toilets and sleeping areas, not staffing or program rules (LAC 51:XVI.101, 501). A program that also serves children under 5 does not fit the camp exemption.
Maine
Youth camps, including day camps, residential camps and trip and travel camps, need an annual license from Maine CDC's Health Inspection Program if they run 5 or more consecutive days and are operated for direct or indirect compensation (22 M.R.S. §§2491, 2495; 10-144 CMR Ch. 208). Programs run by municipal or school employees or volunteers mostly on municipal or school property are not youth camps under the law. A licensed youth camp does not also need a child care license; day camps may not charge hourly rates for child care.
Maryland
Day, residential, travel and trip camps must get a youth camp certificate (or letter of compliance) from MDH before operating (COMAR 10.16.06.07). A youth camp serves 7 or more unrelated campers aged 3.5 to under 18 with mainly recreational or outdoor activities; a day camp runs at least 7 days within a 3-week period. Not covered: licensed child care, before- and after-school programs, programs that enroll children under 3.5, sports-league competitions, specialized instruction of 2 hours or less a day, and (subject to local standards) programs run by county or municipal recreation departments.
Massachusetts
Recreational camps for children (day, residential, sports, travel or trip camps serving 5 or more children, operating any time from June 1 to September 30 or fewer than 15 business days at other times) must be licensed each year by the local board of health under DPH rules; any program that advertises itself as a camp must be licensed (105 CMR 430.020, 430.050). Not covered unless advertised as a camp: single-purpose classes or clinics run by municipal recreation departments, drop-in programs, and classroom-based instruction without high-risk activities. EEC-licensed child care programs running a summer camp in their licensed space are exempt from the camp rules (105 CMR 430.010).
Michigan
Children's camps (day, residential, troop and travel camps) need a state license under 1973 PA 116 when they serve more than 4 children apart from their parents for 5 or more days in a 14-day period in a natural environment; a day camp runs more than 4 but less than 24 hours a day. Michigan treats 'natural environment' as at least 51 percent of activities outdoors; a program that calls itself a day camp but does not meet the definition may need a child care center license instead.
Minnesota
The Department of Health licenses youth camps, defined as camps that provide both food and lodging (overnight) for 10 or more people for 5 or more days a year; its rules cover the site, sanitation, food, water, health care and first aid (Minn. Stat. §§144.71-144.74; Minn. R. 4630.2300-4630.4700). Day camps without lodging are not youth camps under that law; they need a DCYF child care license unless they fit a licensing exclusion (for example park and recreation programs, sports or art programs, nonprofit youth development programs, or programs running fewer than 30 days a year).
Mississippi
Overnight youth camps need an MSDH youth camp license under the Mississippi Youth Camp Safety and Health Law (Miss. Code Ann. Title 75, Ch. 74). This applies to camps on a permanent site running four or more consecutive 24-hour periods for 20 or more children aged 6 to 18. Athletic camps and hunting or fishing camps are excluded. Day camps are generally covered by child care licensing, which has specific summer day camp rules (Rule 1.22), unless an exemption applies, such as running three weeks or less a year.
Missouri
We found no Missouri state license for youth camps. Summer and day camps run in good faith mainly for recreation are exempt from child care licensing (RSMo 210.211.1(4)). A 'day camp' runs between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. when local schools are not in session, and a 'summer camp' runs May to September (RSMo 210.201). Both serve children 5 and older in kindergarten or above and can't share space with care for younger children. A camp that receives state or federal child care funds can't use the exemption.
Montana
Montana licenses 'youth camps' under Title 50, Ch. 52, MCA and ARM 37.111 subchapter 12. A youth camp is land with buildings, tents or other structures used as living quarters for 10 or more people, mainly for minors' education or recreation. The license covers sanitation (water, sewage, solid waste and food service), not staffing or programming, and applications go through the local environmental health office. Day programs without living quarters don't appear to be covered. Programs for school-age children may choose to be licensed as school-age care.
Nebraska
Recreation camps need an annual DHHS permit to operate under 178 NAC 1, Rules and Regulations Relating to Recreation Camps. The rules mainly cover the campsite, buildings, water, plumbing, sewage, food, swimming pools, safety, first aid and health records. Recreation camps are exempt from child care licensing. A summer-only program for school-age children is also exempt from child care licensing.
Nevada
We found no Nevada state license or permit specifically for youth day or overnight camps. 'Outdoor youth programs' are a separately licensed category under NAC 432A.630-.780, but those rules focus on clients' treatment plans and psychological oversight, not general recreation camps. A day camp serving school-age children 10 or more hours a week may count as an Out of School Time program under child care licensing, so check with DSS.
New Hampshire
Youth recreation camps, both residence camps and seasonal or year-round day camps, need a DHHS license (RSA 170-E:56; He-C 4003). This covers programs running at least 10 days a license year for 10 or more youth a day. Programs licensed as child care, or exempt from child care licensing under RSA 170-E:3, I, don't need a camp license. 'Youth skill camps' (a set curriculum over 3 or more consecutive days) are not licensed but must run criminal background checks on anyone who may be alone with children.
New Jersey
Private day camps and resident (overnight) camps need an annual youth camp certificate of approval from the Department of Health under the Youth Camp Safety Act (N.J.S.A. 26:12-1 et seq.) and N.J.A.C. 8:25. A youth camp serves five or more children under 18 for two or more days in the same week; a day program with only a minimal recreational part and no high-risk activity is not a camp. Municipally run camps are not required to be licensed, and a licensed youth camp does not also need a DCF child care license.
New Mexico
We found no New Mexico youth camp license. Summer camps, wilderness camps and recreation-only programs run by recognized organizations (churches, schools, scouts) are exempt from ECECD child care licensing as long as they are not in a private residence (8.9.4.9(G) NMAC). A day program for school-age children that does not fit that exemption may need an ECECD out-of-school-time license.
New York
Summer day camps, traveling summer day camps and overnight camps need a permit from the local health department and are inspected twice a year. A summer day camp, for this rule, serves children under 16 between June 1 and September 15 with organized activities, at least one of which is a non-passive recreational activity with significant risk of injury (10 NYCRR 7-2.2). Programs that do not meet the camp definition are not permitted as camps; summer programs may instead be run by OCFS-licensed child care programs.
North Carolina
North Carolina has no general youth camp license covering staffing or program safety. Summer camps that serve food or provide overnight lodging for pay need a sanitation permit and inspections from the local health department (15A NCAC 18A .1000; resident camps under .3600). Summer day camps running less than four consecutive months are exempt from DCDEE child care licensing unless they want to serve subsidized children, in which case they must be licensed as summer day camps (school-age children only).
North Dakota
North Dakota has no youth camp licensing law that we could find. Summer resident or day camps are excluded from child care licensing as long as they serve no children under 6 for more than two weeks (N.D.C.C. 50-11.1-02(6)(g)); a camp that serves younger children longer than that may need a child care license.
Ohio
Child day camps must register with DCY every year (by March 14) and pay a fee unless they meet an exemption in ORC 5104.21; camps that want to serve publicly funded children must also be accredited by the American Camp Association (or another DCY-approved body) and become DCY 'approved' day camps. Resident (overnight) camps need an annual permit from the local board of health and inspections under OAC Chapter 3701-25.
Oklahoma
OKDHS licenses 'day camps' (run during school breaks, up to 12 hours a day, for children 5 and up who have attended kindergarten, outdoors at least half the day) unless the camp is exempt under 10 O.S. §403, for example accredited or national-nonprofit-affiliated camps, camps running under 10 weeks a year or under 8 hours a day in summer, and single-activity camps; summer resident (overnight) camps are exempt from child care licensing. A new law, HB 1675 (effective Nov. 1, 2026), requires all youth camps (day and overnight), camp facilities and outdoor programs to complete a severe-weather hazard assessment and emergency action plan by Jan. 1, 2027, file them with the county emergency management director, keep two weather-alert methods (one that doesn't rely on cell service), train staff every year, and give parents written notice of site hazards.
Oregon
Operating an 'organizational camp' requires a yearly license from the Oregon Health Authority or a delegated county health department; licenses expire Dec. 31 (OAR 333-030-0020). State law defines organizational camps to include youth, scout, summer, day, nature, survival and athletic camps, including those run by religious, school or community groups (ORS 446.310), and the rules cover sanitation, water, food service and camp health care. Separately, a school-age day program may need to be recorded with DELC or, if it works as child care, certified.
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania has no state program license for youth camps. An 'organized camp' (an outdoor group-living program run for 5 or more consecutive days) and campgrounds need a yearly sanitation permit covering water, sewage and toilets from the Department of Health or local health department (28 Pa. Code §§19.1, 19.11). School-age day camps (kindergarten and up) running fewer than 90 consecutive days are usually exempt from child care certification, but that exemption doesn't cover preschool-age children; camp employees and volunteers still need child abuse clearances.
Rhode Island
RIDOH's recreational facility rules define youth camps as day or residential camps with 10 or more campers and set sanitation standards for them (water, sewage, toilets, handwashing, showers for residential camps); a RIDOH license is required to operate a recreational facility (216-RICR-50-10-3). These are environmental health rules, not a program or staffing license; no separate RI youth camp program license was found.
South Carolina
South Carolina has no youth camp license: the former state health regulation for camps (Reg. 61-39) was repealed in 2016. Summer resident (overnight) camps are exempt from child care licensing, and school vacation day camps are exempt only if they run in sessions under 3 weeks and don't let children enroll in back-to-back sessions totaling more than 3 weeks; other day camps fall under DSS child care licensing (S.C. Code §63-13-20(4)(e)–(f)).
South Dakota
No South Dakota youth camp licensing law was found. The Department of Health licenses campgrounds for the traveling public (ARSD 44:02:14), which is not a camp program license. A summer program that regularly cares for and supervises children may need a DSS child care license; DSS says school-age programs need a license even when they run full days during school breaks.
Tennessee
An organized camp needs a Department of Health permit before it opens (T.C.A. §68-110-103; Rule 1200-01-05). The permit covers health and sanitation, such as facilities, water, and sewage, rather than program staffing. The rules cover camps with outdoor group living or sleeping quarters and define a day camp as an organized camp program. Separately, a camp that meets the legal definition of child care is exempt from a TDHS license only if it runs in summer (under 90 days a year) or during school breaks, serves school-age children, registers with TDHS, and has written approval to operate (T.C.A. §71-3-503(b)(9)).
Texas
Day camps, resident camps, and travel camps that meet the state's youth camp definition need a DSHS youth camp license before operating (Health and Safety Code Chapter 141; 25 TAC Chapter 265, Subchapter B). A program counts as a youth camp only if it serves at least 5 minors away from their parents for 4 or more consecutive days, 4 or more hours a day, only during school vacations, for no more than 120 days a year, and offers at least two outdoor specialized activities such as swimming, archery, or horseback riding (25 TAC §265.11). A program that misses any of these criteria is not a youth camp but may need a child care license from HHSC. The Legislature rewrote the camp safety law in 2025 (HB 1 and SB 1), and DSHS adopted new rules in early 2026.
Utah
We found no state youth camp license in Utah. Camps used for temporary overnight stays must meet the state Recreation Camp Sanitation rule (R392-300), which covers water, sewer, and facilities and is enforced by the local health department. That rule does not set staffing or program standards. A day camp or other summer program that cares for 5 or more children age 5 and up, 3 or more days a week for 30 or more days a year, may need an out-of-school-time child care license unless it qualifies for an exemption, such as a summer camp on federal land under a federal permit or a nonprofit program run under a city or county agreement (R381-70-3; Utah Code §26B-2-405).
Vermont
Residential (overnight) children's camps that run 5 or more consecutive days and supervise children around the clock need an annual Department of Health license (18 V.S.A. §4351; Licensed Children's Camps Rule, effective 1/1/2018). The license covers sanitation, facilities, and health. We found no state license for day camps. A day camp that provides child care may need a DCF child care license unless it qualifies as an exempt recreation program, for example one that runs no more than 13 consecutive weeks for children who have finished kindergarten.
Virginia
Overnight summer camps that host 12 or more unrelated minors overnight for any part of more than 2 consecutive days must have a VDH permit and are inspected each year by the local health department. The permit covers water, sewage, grounds, pools, and food (Code of Virginia §§35.1-1, 35.1-18; 12VAC5-440). Day camps are child day programs and need a VDOE child day center license unless they qualify for an exemption, for example a local-government recreation program or a program that runs no more than 20 days a year (Code of Virginia §22.1-289.030). VDH says its summer camp regulations are being updated.
Washington
Washington has no youth camp license. Seasonal camps (3 months or less a year, mainly recreational or educational) are excluded from DCYF child care licensing (RCW 43.216.010(2)(g)). Group camps that provide food and lodging must register each year with the local health officer at least 30 days before opening and meet State Board of Health sanitation and site rules (WAC 246-376-010 and -020). Those rules were last updated in 1997.
West Virginia
West Virginia has no youth camp license. Organized camps (places that give children or adults an outdoor group-living experience or have sleeping quarters) need an operating permit from the local health officer under the General Sanitation rule, with plan review for new or remodeled facilities and an inspection before the permit is issued (64 CSR 18 §§64-18-2, 64-18-3). Summer recreation camps with sessions of 30 days or less are exempt from child care licensing (W. Va. Code §49-2-113(e)(3)), and day camps run by county parks and recreation commissions or municipalities can be exempt if they meet the §49-2-113(e)(8) conditions.
Wisconsin
Overnight camps (recreational and educational camps with overnight living quarters and planned group programs) need an annual license from DATCP or its agent local health department, whether free or fee-based (Wis. Stat. 97.67; ATCP 78.03, 78.07). Day camps caring for 4 or more children under 7 need a DCF day camp license under DCF 252, which covers seasonal, outdoor-oriented programs for children 3 and older. Day camps run by a county, city, village, town, school district or library mainly for recreation are exempt by statute, as are seasonal programs of 10 days or less in any 3-month period (DCF 252.03).
Wyoming
Wyoming has no youth camp licensing law in its statutes. Summer camps run by nonprofit organizations are exempt from DFS child care licensing (W.S. 14-4-102(b)(viii)), but a for-profit day camp caring for more than two unrelated children may need a DFS child care license unless another exemption applies, such as the after-school and summer program exemption for children of compulsory school age (14-4-102(b)(x)). 'Ranches for children', including summer-only ranches, are listed as child caring facilities that need DFS certification (W.S. 14-4-101(a)(vi)(J)).
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Other rules by state
FAQ
Common questions
Do day camps need a license?
In 18 states, both day and overnight camps need a camp license or permit. In others, a day camp may need a childcare license unless it qualifies for an exemption. Check your state below.
Where is there no statewide summer camp license?
Alaska, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota and Wyoming. Camps there can still need a childcare license, local health permits or background checks.
Who issues camp licenses?
Usually the state health department or the childcare licensing agency. In some states, local health departments issue permits under state rules. Each state below names its agency.