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8 permits · verified 2026-09-28

What permits do you need to open a childcare centre in Mobile County Al?

In short

A childcare centre in Mobile County Al, AL has 3 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 5 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Alabama Secretary of State, Business Services charges $200 one-time filing for the certificate of formation (llc). 4 of the 8 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-28 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a childcare centre in Mobile County Al

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Day Care Center Health & Safety Permit (childcare)Mobile County Health DepartmentPlan Review $270.00-$480.00 depending on square footage and whether a kitchen is included; Permit Fee (With Kitchen) $270.00 for 0-100 children or $410.00 for 101+ children; Sanitation Certification $340.00-$480.00 depending on occupancy tier (2026 MCHD Schedule of Fees).annual permit; plan review and sanitation certification apply at initial licensure or when the facility changes2026-09-28
Day Care Centre or Day Care Home LicenseAlabama Department of Human Resources, Child Care Services DivisionNo fee2 years, for centres and homes alike2026-09-03

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

Local permits that apply to every type of business in Mobile County Al

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Business Privilege LicenseMobile County License CommissionVaries — formula on the Mobile County Al pageannual; all Business Privilege Licenses expire September 30 each year and renew without penalty October 1 through October 312026-09-28

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

AL registrations that apply to every type of business

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
State and County Business Privilege Licenseonly if it applies to youAlabama Department of Revenue, Business and License Tax DivisionVaries — formula on the AL pageannual — 1 October to 30 September, delinquent 1 November2026-09-03
Certificate of Formation (LLC)only if it applies to youAlabama Secretary of State, Business Services$200 one-time filingperpetual — Alabama abolished the annual report in 20242026-09-03
Certificate of Incorporationonly if it applies to youAlabama Secretary of State, Business Services$200 one-time filingperpetual — Alabama abolished the annual report in 20242026-09-03
Corporation Annual Report (abolished)only if it applies to youAlabama Secretary of State, Business ServicesNo feenot applicable — the filing no longer exists2026-09-03
Business Privilege Taxonly if it applies to youAlabama Department of Revenue, Sales and Use Tax DivisionVaries — formula on the AL pageannual — due when the matching federal return is due2026-09-03

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

How much does it actually cost to permit a childcare centre in Mobile County Al?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 8 records listed for a childcare centre in Mobile County Al, AL, 3 apply to every business of this type and 5 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.

4 of the 8 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 2 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

Day Care Center Health & Safety Permit (childcare): Plan Review $270.00-$480.00 depending on square footage and whether a kitchen is included; Permit Fee (With Kitchen) $270.00 for 0-100 children or $410.00 for 101+ children; Sanitation Certification $340.00-$480.00 depending on occupancy tier (2026 MCHD Schedule of Fees).

The other 3 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Mobile County Al permits page and the AL state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Mobile County Al?

Permits for a childcare centre in Mobile County Al, AL come from 6 separate offices: Mobile County License Commission, Mobile County Health Department, Alabama Department of Revenue, Business and License Tax Division, Alabama Secretary of State, Business Services, Alabama Department of Revenue, Sales and Use Tax Division, Alabama Department of Human Resources, Child Care Services Division. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.

What does a childcare centre need in Mobile County Al that other businesses do not?

2 of the 2 permits particular to a childcare centre here apply to no other business type we cover in Mobile County Al: Day Care Center Health & Safety Permit (childcare) and Day Care Centre or Day Care Home License.

Day Care Center Health & Safety Permit (childcare)

A day care center in Mobile County keeping more than 12 children for more than four hours a day needs this health and safety permit from the Mobile County Health Department, on top of the separate Alabama Dept. of Human Resources (DHR) child care license, which is the state's actual licensing credential, renewed every two years and covering staff-child ratios, background checks and similar standards. MCHD's role is the county's own local health and safety layer: the Mobile County Board of Health adopted its own day care safety rules effective January 1, 2008 — the first county in Alabama to do so — under its general Board of Health authority (Code of Alabama §22-3-1 et seq.), and those rules remain the operative basis for the current permit, plan review and sanitation certification fees under the 2026 Schedule of Fees. Alabama's 2018 statewide Child Care Safety Act separately extended state licensing and inspection to previously church/religious-exempt day cares everywhere in the state; before that 2018 law, Mobile County had also been one of the few counties inspecting those specific church-exempt facilities, a distinction the 2018 statewide law made largely moot — that history is background, not the current operative basis for this permit. The fee structure: plan review runs $270.00-$480.00 by square footage and kitchen inclusion, the annual permit fee (with kitchen) is $270.00 for facilities serving 0-100 children or $410.00 for 101+ children, and sanitation certification runs $340.00-$480.00 by occupancy tier.

Day Care Centre or Day Care Home License

No fee, and this is a genuine zero rather than a gap: the two licensing chapters contain no dollar figure at all except the criminal penalties for operating without a license, and the application form names no fee beyond the criminal history check. The license runs two years for every category — a day care centre, a nighttime centre, a day care home taking up to six children, or a group day care home taking seven to twelve with at least two adults supervising. A six-month permit is available where standards are not yet fully met. One large exemption to know about: a preschool that is an integral part of a local church ministry or a religious nonprofit elementary school need not be licensed, but must notify the department thirty days before opening, submit to inspection, carry a million dollars of liability cover per occurrence, and post publicly that it is not regulated or licensed by the department.

The other 1 local permit in the tables apply to every type of business in Mobile County Al, AL; what each one involves is set out on the Mobile County Al permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across AL and are covered on the AL state page.

How does a childcare centre compare with other businesses in Mobile County Al?

The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A childcare centre also needs Day Care Center Health & Safety Permit (childcare) and Day Care Centre or Day Care Home License. A auto repair shop needs Junkyard / Auto-Salvage License (auto-repair), Garage and Repair Shop Privilege License and Store License, which a childcare centre does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Mobile County Al, AL, compared with a childcare centre
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a childcare centreOnly a childcare centre needsOnly it needs
Auto repair shops3023
Coffee shops3023
Contractors and trades3023
Fitness studios1021
Food trucks3023
Restaurants4024
Retail stores3023
Salons and barbers2022
Veterinary clinics1021

Sources

Every figure for the permits explained on this page was read from one of these government pages on the date shown. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Mobile County Al permits page and the AL state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Mobile County Health Department — Schedule of Fees, dated January 7, 2026Mobile County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-08
  2. Mobile County Health Department pioneer in protecting daycare centers (09/15/2025) — the Board of Health's own daycare safety rules, effective January 1, 2008, and pre-2018 exempt-daycare inspection historyMobile County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
  3. Mobile County Board of Health roster and statutory basis (Code of Alabama §22-3-1 et seq.)Mobile County · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
  4. Alabama Administrative Code chapter 660-5-26 — day care centre and nighttime centre licensing, with the two-year termAlabama Department of Human Resources · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
  5. Alabama Administrative Code chapter 660-5-27 — day care home and group day care home licensingAlabama Department of Human Resources · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03

Related

Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.