A committee of Utah lawmakers on Wednesday gave the state Health Department the green light to start subjecting in-home day care providers to stricter health and safety inspections after complaints from commercial center owners who have been lobbying to level the regulatory playing field. After a 1998 deregulation of Utah's child-care industry that spawned the growth of 2,500 residential day care operations, commercial center owners say they have been hard-pressed to compete. In-home providers that cater to fewer than eight children are now subject to only sporadic health and safety checks, and health officials have no authority to shut them down for violations, whereas commercial outfits come under rigorous, annual inspections, said Johnny Anderson, director of Utah's Private Child Care Association. "Today these residential providers represent 25 percent of the market," he said. But with the blessing of lawmakers, state health officials will start visiting these neighborhood providers more regularly and enforce basic health and safety rules. The $30 to $50 annual cost of these inspections will be passed on to the providers. For more information on the new rules, contact the Utah Office of Child Care at 801-526-4340. - Kirsten Stewart