Commercial Compliance Hub
Check requirements

7 permits · verified 2026-10-23

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

In short

A childcare centre in Craighead County, AR has 1 permit that applies to every business of this type, plus 6 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Craighead County Floodplain Administrator (County Judge or designee; Floodplain Manager) charges $25 application fee per floodplain development permit application, paid to the Floodplain Administrator in cash or check (per the county's Application 2024 and Permit Application Instructions 2024) for the floodplain development permit and certificate of compliance (special flood hazard areas, unincorporated craighead county). 3 of the 7 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-23 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a childcare centre in Craighead County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Child Care Centre LicenseArkansas Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education$15–$100 a year, banded by the number of children the facility servesannual2026-09-04

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 Craighead County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Floodplain Development Permit and Certificate of Compliance (Special Flood Hazard Areas, unincorporated Craighead County)only if it applies to youCraighead County Floodplain Administrator (County Judge or designee; Floodplain Manager)$25 application fee per floodplain development permit application, paid to the Floodplain Administrator in cash or check (per the county's Application 2024 and Permit Application Instructions 2024)"The permit will expire if no work is commenced within 6 months of the date of issue."2026-10-23
E-911 Address or Building Number before Construction and Occupancy (unincorporated Craighead County)only if it applies to youCraighead County Road Department (E-911 Addressing Coordinator)Varies — formula on the Craighead County pageOne-time, before construction begins and before the building is occupied2026-10-23

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

AR 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
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youArkansas Secretary of State, Business and Commercial Services Division$45 filed online; $50 on paperperpetual, but a franchise tax report is due every year2026-09-04
Annual Franchise Tax Reportonly if it applies to youArkansas Secretary of State, Business and Commercial Services DivisionVaries — formula on the AR pageannual — due 1 May2026-09-04
Certificate of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youArkansas Secretary of State, Business and Commercial Services Division$45 filed online; $50 on paperperpetual, but a franchise tax report is due every year2026-09-04
General Business License — Arkansas Secretary of State Guidanceonly if it applies to youArkansas Secretary of State, Business and Commercial Services DivisionNo feenot applicable2026-09-04

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 Craighead County?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 7 records listed for a childcare centre in Craighead County, AR, 1 apply to every business of this type and 6 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.

3 of the 7 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 1 has no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

Child Care Centre License: $15–$100 a year, banded by the number of children the facility serves

The other 2 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Craighead County permits page and the AR state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Craighead County?

Permits for a childcare centre in Craighead County, AR come from 4 separate offices: Craighead County Floodplain Administrator (County Judge or designee; Floodplain Manager), Craighead County Road Department (E-911 Addressing Coordinator), Arkansas Secretary of State, Business and Commercial Services Division, Arkansas Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education. 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 Craighead County that other businesses do not?

1 of the 1 permit particular to a childcare centre here applies to no other business type we cover in Craighead County: Child Care Centre License.

Child Care Centre License

A capacity-banded fee running from $15 a year for a facility serving up to seventeen children, through $50 for seventeen to ninety-nine, up to $100 for a hundred or more — modest at every tier compared with most states' child care fees. One caution on currency: the regulation these figures come from carries an older codification, and Arkansas has since issued newer recodifications of its child care rules that could not be checked to confirm the same fee bands survived unchanged, so confirm the current figures with the agency before relying on them for a large centre.

The other 2 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Craighead County, AR; what each one involves is set out on the Craighead County permits page. The 4 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across AR and are covered on the AR state page.

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

The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A childcare centre also needs Child Care Centre License. A auto repair shop needs Automotive Repair Shop — Arkansas State Obligations, which a childcare centre does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Craighead County, AR, compared with a childcare centre
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a childcare centreOnly a childcare centre needsOnly it needs
Auto repair shops1011
Coffee shops2012
Contractors and trades6016
Fitness studios0010
Restaurants2012
Retail stores0010
Salons and barbers2012
Veterinary clinics1011

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 Craighead County permits page and the AR state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Arkansas Code of Rules 016.22.02, rule 3 — child care centre license fees by capacityArkansas Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04

Related

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