Valencia County directs publication of ordinance summary to align zoning with SB 96 (child care, multigenerational housing)

Valencia County commissioners on April 15 directed county staff to publish the title and general summary of an ordinance that would align the county code with state Senate Bill 96 (2026), altering local zoning rules for child care facilities and multigenerational housing.

County staff said SB 96 will make daycare and other child-care facilities an outright permitted use in residential zones rather than a use requiring a conditional-use permit. The bill also permits up to two kitchens in a single-family dwelling to facilitate immediate-family multigenerational living arrangements. The office of the county attorney and planning staff presented draft amendment language and explained the publication-and-notice process that precedes public hearing and final action.

“By this senate bill ... the law is now making it a permitted use,” a county legal staff member said, explaining that permitted uses do not require governing-authority conditional-use approval. Commissioner questions focused on whether neighbors would have a notice or public-comment opportunity under the new permitted-use regime; legal staff and planning staff said the statute shifts approvals away from conditional-use review, though a business-home-occupation registration or similar registration process may apply.

The commission’s motion to direct publication of the ordinance title and summary passed on a voice vote. Staff noted the statute does not go into effect until July 1, and publication and the two-week notice period will precede any formal public hearing where the ordinance could be adopted or amended.

The county will now publish the ordinance summary and schedule a public hearing at a subsequent commission meeting, allowing residents to comment in the formal hearing process before final action.