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8 permits · verified 2026-10-10

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

In short

A childcare centre in Arapahoe County, CO has 1 permit that applies to every business of this type, plus 7 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Colorado Secretary of State, Business Division charges $50 one-time filing, online only for the articles of incorporation. 4 of the 8 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-10 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a childcare centre in Arapahoe County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Child Care Facility Plan Review and ACPH Approval (before state licensing)only if it applies to youArapahoe County Public Health, Environmental HealthACPH invoices a plan review application fee once plans are received, and the invoice must be paid before the review is conducted (Child Care Plan Review Packet). Contact ACPH (PHchildcare@arapahoegov.com) for the current amount.one-time, before construction or remodelling and before the facility opens2026-10-10
Child Care LicenseColorado Department of Early Childhood, Division of Early Learning Licensing and Administration$200 for a centre of five to fifteen children, $175 plus $3 a child to thirty, $300 plus $3 a child above that, capped at $1,800; a family home pays $65 or $100annual — renewal is called a continuation2026-09-03

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 Arapahoe County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Zoning Permits and Letters: sign, fence, temporary use, zoning verification (Arapahoe County Zoning Fee Schedule)only if it applies to youArapahoe County Public Works and Development, ZoningVaries — formula on the Arapahoe County pageper permit or letter2026-10-10
Building Permit (unincorporated Arapahoe County)only if it applies to youArapahoe County Public Works and Development, Building DivisionVaries — formula on the Arapahoe County pageper permit2026-10-10

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

CO 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 youColorado Secretary of State, Business Division$50 one-time filing, online onlyperpetual, but a periodic report is due every year2026-09-03
General Business License — Colorado position (issued locally)only if it applies to youColorado Secretary of State, Business DivisionNo feeset by the city or county2026-09-03
Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youColorado Secretary of State, Business Division$50 one-time filing, online onlyperpetual, but a periodic report is due every year2026-09-03
Periodic Reportonly if it applies to youColorado Secretary of State, Business Division$25 a year; $50 more if filed lateannual — due in the entity's own periodic report month2026-09-03

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 Arapahoe County?

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 Arapahoe County, CO, 1 apply to every business of this type and 7 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 1 has no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

Child Care Facility Plan Review and ACPH Approval (before state licensing): ACPH invoices a plan review application fee once plans are received, and the invoice must be paid before the review is conducted (Child Care Plan Review Packet). Contact ACPH (PHchildcare@arapahoegov.com) for the current amount.

Child Care License: $200 for a centre of five to fifteen children, $175 plus $3 a child to thirty, $300 plus $3 a child above that, capped at $1,800; a family home pays $65 or $100

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

Which offices issue these permits in Arapahoe County?

Permits for a childcare centre in Arapahoe County, CO come from 5 separate offices: Arapahoe County Public Works and Development, Zoning, Arapahoe County Public Health, Environmental Health, Arapahoe County Public Works and Development, Building Division, Colorado Secretary of State, Business Division, Colorado Department of Early Childhood, Division of Early Learning Licensing and Administration. 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 Arapahoe County 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 Arapahoe County: Child Care Facility Plan Review and ACPH Approval (before state licensing) and Child Care License.

Child Care Facility Plan Review and ACPH Approval (before state licensing)

ACPH's Child Care Plan Review Packet states that any new or remodelled child care facility or early childhood education program "will need to submit plans to Arapahoe County Public Health (ACPH) for review and approval prior to construction and/or opening," and that "ACPH's approval is required for the facility to be licensed" by the state (the packet names the Colorado Department of Human Services). Plans are submitted electronically to PHchildcare@arapahoegov.com; ACPH invoices a plan review application fee once plans are received, the invoice must be paid before the review, and ACPH notifies the applicant within 14-30 business days. The packet states that a lack of plan review may lead ACPH to withhold approval to open, that separate ACPH plan reviews are required for any retail food service area or public or semi-public pool, spa or spray pad in the facility, and that all facilities are required to test for radon, with new facilities testing within 6 months of occupancy. The packet is undated; contact ACPH for the current fee.

Child Care License

The same fee is charged for an original application and for each annual continuation, and the middle band is counter-intuitive: a centre for sixteen to thirty children has a lower base than one for five to fifteen, at $175 against $200, because the per-child element takes over. The whole thing caps at $1,800. A family child care home pays $65 for up to six children or $100 for a large home of seven to twelve, and an experienced provider license is also $100. Get the agency right — licensing moved to the new Department of Early Childhood when it was established in 2022, so guidance naming the human services department is stale. Continuation notices go out ninety days before the anniversary date on the license. Fingerprint background checks cost extra and are not in the license fee.

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

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

The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A childcare centre also needs Child Care Facility Plan Review and ACPH Approval (before state licensing) and Child Care License. A auto repair shop needs Automotive Repair — Colorado Motor Vehicle Repair Act (conduct rules), which a childcare centre does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Arapahoe County, CO, compared with a childcare centre
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a childcare centreOnly a childcare centre needsOnly it needs
Auto repair shops1021
Coffee shops4024
Contractors and trades3023
Fitness studios0020
Food trucks4024
Restaurants4024
Retail stores1021
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 Arapahoe County permits page and the CO state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Child Care Plan Review PacketArapahoe County Public Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-10
  2. Colorado Department of Early Childhood — child care licensing and its fee scheduleColorado Department of Early Childhood · 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.