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

Conditional Use Permit — Child Care Facilities

A child care center in unincorporated Los Angeles County that is not a permitted use by right in its zone needs a Conditional Use Permit priced specifically for child care facilities: $4,356 under the March 1, 2026 DRP fee schedule, reduced to $2,179 for a nonprofit operator with an annual operating budget under $500,000. A November 2022 county child-care development guide still actively linked from childcare.lacounty.gov lists older, lower, superseded figures ($3,766 general, $1,883 nonprofit); the March 2026 DRP schedule above is the current, authoritative figure. A small or large family child care home operated in a residence needs no CUP or other zoning permit at all (see the separate family child care home record) — this fee applies only to a commercial child care center.

Family Child Care Home — Business License and Zoning Exempt by State Law (LA County)

No fee applies. Under Cal. Health & Safety Code §1597.45(a) and (f), a small or large family child care home operated inside a residence needs no Los Angeles County business license and no zoning permit of any kind — a state-law preemption, not a county policy choice. The county's own child care development guide states this directly, citing California Health and Safety Code §1597.45(a) and (f): cities and counties in California, including unincorporated areas, cannot require family child care providers, small or large, to obtain a business license or other type of zoning approval. This exemption applies only to a family child care home in a residence; a commercial child care center is a distinct land use that does need zoning review and, where its use is not permitted by right, a Conditional Use Permit (see the separate CUP-childcare record).

Child Care Centre License

Banded by licensed capacity, and the annual fee is always half the application fee. 1 to 30 children costs $484 to apply and $242 a year; 31 to 60 is $968 and $484; 61 to 75 is $1,210 and $605; 76 to 90 is $1,452 and $726; 91 to 120 is $1,936 and $968; 121 or more is $2,420 and $1,210. A family child care home in a residence is the separate, much cheaper track: $73 for 1 to 8 children and $140 for 9 to 14, with the annual fee equal to the application fee. Watch the add-ons, which are where budgets slip: changing licensed capacity costs $25, relocating costs half the application fee again, a department orientation is $50 a person, a late annual fee adds 50 per cent, and failing to implement a plan of correction by its stated date costs $200. Non-payment is itself grounds to deny or forfeit the license.

Shared with other businesses in Los Angeles County

• Conditional Use Permit (general) — Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning, $11,899–$15,873 per application, effective March 1, 2026: $15,873 when there is no other concurrent application on the same property; $11,899 when there is a concurrent application; plus a Fire referral fee of $442, plus $259 per revision, where Fire review is required, runs with the land (LA County Code Title 22); an extension can be requested through the CUP Time Extension process below. Also required for restaurants, coffee shops, food trucks, retail stores, fitness studios and veterinary clinics; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
• Conditional Use Permit — Modification or Elimination of Conditions — Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning, $1,353–$11,129 per request, effective March 1, 2026: $11,129 general; $1,353 for a nonprofit operator with an annual operating budget under $500,000, one-time, per modification request. Also required for restaurants, coffee shops, food trucks, retail stores, fitness studios and veterinary clinics; what it involves is set out on the fitness studios page.
• Conditional Use Permit — Time Extension — Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning, $2,109 per extension request (effective March 1, 2026), one-time, per extension request. Also required for restaurants, coffee shops, food trucks, retail stores, fitness studios and veterinary clinics; what it involves is set out on the food trucks page.
• County Business License — Title 7 Category List (veterinary, child care, contractor, plain retail) — Los Angeles County Treasurer and Tax Collector, Business License Section, No fee, not applicable. Also required for veterinary clinics, contractors and trades and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the veterinary clinics page.