13 permits · verified 2026-09-03
What permits do you need to open a childcare centre in Los Angeles?
In short
A childcare centre in Los Angeles, CA has 3 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 10 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety charges No fee — the certificate itself is issued without charge for the certificate of occupancy. 6 of the 13 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-03 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a childcare centre in Los Angeles
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Fire Permitonly if it applies to you | Los Angeles Fire Department, Fire Prevention Bureau | $573–$1,528 a year, by occupancy classification | annual | 2026-09-03 |
| Child Care Centre License | California Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Division | $484–$2,420 original application, banded by licensed capacity | no expiry; an annual fee falls due on each anniversary of the license | 2026-09-03 |
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 Los Angeles
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sign Permitonly if it applies to you | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety | Varies — formula on the Los Angeles page | one-time — the sign must be installed within six months | 2026-09-03 |
| Certificate of Occupancyonly if it applies to you | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety | No fee — the certificate itself is issued without charge | permanent — it supersedes every certificate previously issued for that space | 2026-09-03 |
| Business Tax Registration Certificate | City of Los Angeles Office of Finance | Varies — formula on the Los Angeles page | annual — due 1 January, delinquent from 1 March | 2026-09-03 |
| Building Permit and Plan Checkonly if it applies to you | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety | Varies — formula on the Los Angeles page | one-time, per project | 2026-09-03 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
CA registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statement of Information (LLC)only if it applies to you | California Secretary of State, Business Programs Division | $20 per filing, biennial | biennial | 2026-09-03 |
| Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | California Secretary of State, Business Programs Division | $70 one-time filing | no expiry, but a Statement of Information is due biennially | 2026-09-03 |
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | California Secretary of State, Business Programs Division | $100 one-time filing | no expiry, but a Statement of Information is due annually | 2026-09-03 |
| Statement of Information (Corporation)only if it applies to you | California Secretary of State, Business Programs Division | $25 per filing, annual | annual | 2026-09-03 |
| Seller's Permitonly if it applies to you | California Department of Tax and Fee Administration | No fee — no fee to apply | no expiry while actively engaged in business as a seller | 2026-09-03 |
| Annual LLC Tax and Minimum Franchise Taxonly if it applies to you | California Franchise Tax Board | Varies — formula on the CA page | annual, until the entity is cancelled | 2026-09-03 |
| General Business License — California position (city or county, not state) | California Secretary of State, Business Programs Division | No fee | set by the issuing city or county | 2026-09-03 |
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 Los Angeles?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 13 records listed for a childcare centre in Los Angeles, CA, 3 apply to every business of this type and 10 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.
6 of the 13 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:
Annual Fire Permit: $573–$1,528 a year, by occupancy classification
Child Care Centre License: $484–$2,420 original application, banded by licensed capacity
The other 4 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Los Angeles permits page and the CA state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Los Angeles?
Permits for a childcare centre in Los Angeles, CA come from 7 separate offices: Los Angeles Fire Department, Fire Prevention Bureau, Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, City of Los Angeles Office of Finance, California Secretary of State, Business Programs Division, California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, California Franchise Tax Board, California Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Division. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- Los Angeles Fire Department, Fire Prevention BureauIssues 1 permit on this page: Annual Fire Permit(213) 978-3583lafd.org
- Los Angeles Department of Building and SafetyIssues 3 permits on this page: Sign Permit, Certificate of Occupancy, Building Permit and Plan Check201 North Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012 · (213) 473-3231dbs.lacity.gov
- City of Los Angeles Office of FinanceIssues 1 permit on this page: Business Tax Registration Certificate200 North Spring Street, Room 101, Los Angeles, CA 90012 · (844) 663-4411latax.lacity.org
- California Secretary of State, Business Programs DivisionIssues 5 permits on this page, including Statement of Information (LLC), Articles of Organization (LLC), Articles of Incorporation(916) 657-5448bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov
- California Department of Tax and Fee AdministrationIssues 1 permit on this page: Seller's Permitonlineservices.cdtfa.ca.gov
- California Franchise Tax BoardIssues 1 permit on this page: Annual LLC Tax and Minimum Franchise Taxwww.ftb.ca.gov
- California Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing DivisionIssues 1 permit on this page: Child Care Centre Licensewww.cdss.ca.gov/inforesources/child-care-licensing
What does a childcare centre need in Los Angeles that other businesses do not?
1 of the 2 permits particular to a childcare centre here applies to no other business type we cover in Los Angeles: Child Care Centre License.
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
- Annual Fire Permit — Los Angeles Fire Department, Fire Prevention Bureau, $573–$1,528 a year, by occupancy classification, annual. Also required for restaurants, coffee shops, fitness studios and auto repair shops; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.
The other 4 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Los Angeles, CA; what each one involves is set out on the Los Angeles permits page. The 7 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across CA and are covered on the CA state page.
How does a childcare centre compare with other businesses in Los Angeles?
The closest match is a fitness studio, which shares 1 of these permits. A childcare centre also needs Child Care Centre License. A fitness studio needs nothing here that a childcare centre does not.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a childcare centre | Only a childcare centre needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fitness studios | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Auto repair shops | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Coffee shops | 5 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Restaurants | 5 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Contractors and trades | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Food trucks | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Retail stores | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Salons and barbers | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Veterinary clinics | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
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 shared with other businesses are listed with their explanations on the restaurants page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Los Angeles permits page and the CA state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- California Health and Safety Code section 1596.803 — child day care facility application and annual fees by licensed capacityCalifornia Legislative Information · 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.