How to start a summer day camp.
State camp rules, health and safety, and staff for a day camp. Each fact links to its official source.
Facts checked on official pages, November 4, 2026.
Starting a day camp, step by step
Check your state’s camp rules
Some states license day camps and some do not. Open your state’s page before anything else.
Find your site
Look for shade, drinking water, bathrooms and room to play. Ask your city about local permits.
Write your health and safety plan
Plan for water, heat and first aid. Children who swim need close and constant watching.
Source: Preventing DrowningHire your staff
Check the hours young staff may work. Federal law limits work hours for 14- and 15-year-olds.
Source: Fact Sheet #43: Child Labor Provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) for Nonagricultural OccupationsCheck everyone who works with campers
Follow your state’s background check rules. The national sex offender website searches every state’s public registry.
Source: Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public WebsiteTrain your team
Cover supervision, water, heat, first aid and pickup before campers arrive.
Open registration
Share your dates, hours and forms with families. Collect each camper’s medical form before the first day.
What each state asks of camps
We read these states’ own pages. Open a state for its rules, ratios and sources.
| State | Day camps | Overnight camps |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | State permit | State permit |
| Arizona | Depends on the program | State license |
| Arkansas | Depends on the program | Depends on the program |
| California | Depends on the program | State camp rules |
| Colorado | State license | State license |
| Connecticut | State license | State license |
| Delaware | State permit | State permit |
| Florida | No state license | State permit |
| Georgia | Depends on the program | Depends on the program |
| Idaho | Depends on the program | Depends on the program |
| Illinois | State license | State license |
| Indiana | Depends on the program | State camp rules |
| Kentucky | State permit | State permit |
| Louisiana | State permit | State permit |
| Maine | State license | State license |
| Maryland | State certificate | State certificate |
| Massachusetts | State license | State license |
| Michigan | State license | State license |
| Mississippi | Depends on the program | State license |
| Missouri | Depends on the program | Depends on the program |
| Montana | Depends on the program | State license |
| Nebraska | Depends on the program | No state license |
| Nevada | Depends on the program | State license |
| New Hampshire | State license | State license |
| New Jersey | State certificate | State certificate |
| New York | State permit | State permit |
| North Dakota | Depends on the program | Depends on the program |
| Ohio | State registration | State permit |
| Oregon | State license | State license |
| South Carolina | Depends on the program | Depends on the program |
| South Dakota | Depends on the program | Depends on the program |
| Tennessee | State permit | State permit |
| Texas | State license | State license |
| Vermont | Depends on the program | State license |
| Virginia | Depends on the program | State permit |
| Washington | Depends on the program | State registration |
| West Virginia | Depends on the program | State permit |
| Wisconsin | Depends on the program | State license |
Each state’s page lists its official sources and the day they were read.
A state not listed here may still have rules. Ask its health department and its child care licensing office.
Health and safety
- For children ages 5 to 14, drowning is the second leading cause of accidental injury death.Source: Drowning Facts
- Children who had swim lessons still need close and constant watching in and around water.Source: Preventing Drowning
- Adults should watch children closely even when lifeguards are on duty.Source: Preventing Drowning
- Children should wear life jackets for all activities in and around natural water.Source: Preventing Drowning
- Young children rely on others to keep them cool and drinking water on hot days.Source: Infants and Children and Heat
- Never leave a child in a parked car, even with the windows open.Source: Infants and Children and Heat
- Before you leave a van or car, check that every child is out.Source: Infants and Children and Heat
Staff ages and hours
Federal youth work rules, from the U.S. Department of Labor. Your state may set stricter ones.
- Workers who are 14 or 15 may work only outside school hours, for limited hours.Source: Fact Sheet #43: Child Labor Provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) for Nonagricultural Occupations
- In a week with no school, they may work up to 40 hours.Source: Fact Sheet #43: Child Labor Provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) for Nonagricultural Occupations
- From June 1 through Labor Day, they may work as late as 9 p.m.Source: Fact Sheet #43: Child Labor Provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) for Nonagricultural Occupations
- Lifeguards at lakes, rivers or beaches must be at least 16.Source: Fact Sheet #43: Child Labor Provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) for Nonagricultural Occupations
- When federal and state youth work laws differ, the stricter one applies.Source: Fact Sheet #43: Child Labor Provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) for Nonagricultural Occupations
The camp staff hiring guide has a job description, interview questions and training topics.
Run a program in your area? Bloomily handles enrollment, billing, check-in and family messages. See how it works
Keep reading
- Camp staff hiring
A counselor job description, interview questions and training.
- Camp medical form
A free printable form for each camper.
- Camp packing list
A printable list to send families.
- How to start an after-school program
Licenses, grants, space and staff.
- Free tools
Calculators and printable forms for programs.
Questions, answered
Does a day camp need a license?
It depends on the state. This page lists what each state we checked asks of day camps.
How old do camp staff have to be?
Federal law lets 14- and 15-year-olds work limited hours. Your state may set its own ages for camp staff.
How old must a camp lifeguard be?
At least 16 at a lake, river or beach, under federal youth work rules.
How should staff watch swimmers?
Closely and constantly, even when lifeguards are on duty. Children should wear life jackets in natural water.
Official sources
- Preventing Drowning, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Checked November 4, 2026.
- Drowning Facts, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Checked November 4, 2026.
- Infants and Children and Heat, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Checked November 4, 2026.
- Fact Sheet #43: Child Labor Provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) for Nonagricultural Occupations, U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division. Checked November 4, 2026.
- Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website, U.S. Department of Justice. Checked November 4, 2026.
About this page
Facts checked on official pages, November 4, 2026.
Each fact links to the official page it came from.
This page sums up official pages. It is not legal, tax or insurance advice, and rules change.
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