Daycare Licensing in Maine: Violations, Inspections & License Lookup
How child care licensing works in Maine: who regulates it, the rules providers answer to, how often they are inspected, and the exact steps to look up a daycare's violations and verify its license. Sourced from DHHS, Office of Child and Family Services.
Last verified 2026-08-03
How do I look up daycare violations in Maine?
- Open the Maine DHHS Child Care Licensing search on gateway.maine.gov.
- Search by provider name, town, or license number.
- Select the provider to open its licensing details.
- Review the license status and any licensing or enforcement actions.
- Open the linked inspection reports and corrective action plans. Reports posted online go back to January 1, 2014.
- If a report you need predates the online record, contact the Children's Licensing and Investigation Unit at 207-287-5020 or file a DHHS Freedom of Access Act request.
State portal: Maine child care search
How do I verify a Mainedaycare's license?
- Open the Maine DHHS Child Care Licensing search on gateway.maine.gov.
- Search by provider name, town, or license number.
- Open the provider record and confirm the license status and license number.
- Check the program type, capacity, and license validity dates against what the provider told you.
State portal: Maine license search
Who regulates daycares in Maine?
Child care licensing in Maine is administered by the DHHS, Office of Child and Family Services, under 10-148 C.M.R. Ch. 32. It licenses providers, inspects them, and records the violations found.
How often are Maine daycares inspected?
Maine's Office of Child and Family Services inspects licensed child care facilities at least once a year after initial licensure. Inspections also happen at application, when a program changes capacity or services, and to investigate complaints or suspected abuse or neglect. Visits can be announced or unannounced, and the Department can inspect more often at its discretion.
Maine rates violations by severity. Worst first:
- Serious violation
- Other
What our Mainedata covers, and what it doesn't
We track Maine's licensed providers from the state's public records: license number, status, and capacity. For a provider's full inspection and violation history, follow the steps above at the state's own source.
| Maine child care data | On record |
|---|---|
| Licensed providers tracked | 1,401 |
| Independently scorable (Confidence Index) | Not yet scorable |
| Inspection history on this site | Roster only, use state source |
Maine daycare licensing: common questions
- How do I look up daycare violations in Maine?
- Use the Maine DHHS Child Care Licensing search on gateway.maine.gov. Search by provider name, town, or license number, then open the provider record. You can view the license status, enforcement actions, inspection reports, and corrective action plans, with reports posted online back to January 1, 2014.
- How often does Maine inspect licensed daycares?
- Maine inspects licensed child care facilities at least once a year after initial licensure. Additional inspections happen at application, when a program changes capacity or services, and to investigate complaints or suspected abuse or neglect. Visits may be announced or unannounced.
- What do Maine's violation levels mean?
- Maine's licensing rule flags the most serious findings separately from routine ones. A serious violation is a finding tied to conditions that have caused or are likely to cause serious injury, sometimes described as immediate jeopardy, while other violations are less severe rule breaches. Providers and the Department agree on a plan of action and timelines to correct any violation that cannot be fixed during the visit.
- How do I verify a Maine daycare's license?
- Search the provider on the Maine DHHS Child Care Licensing site at gateway.maine.gov. Open the record and confirm the license status, license number, program type, capacity, and license validity dates. The database is maintained by the Office of Child and Family Services.
This page republishes the public licensing record and labels every absent field plainly. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.