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6 permits · verified 2026-09-08

What permits do you need to open a childcare centre in Colorado Springs?

In short

A childcare centre in Colorado Springs, CO has 2 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 4 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. 2 of the 6 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-08 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a childcare centre in Colorado Springs

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Child Care Facility InspectionEl Paso County Public Health, Environmental Health ServicesPlan Review & Pre-op $135 plus $53/hour; Review of Potential Establishment $190; Pre-op Inspection $185; Follow-up Inspection $203; Room Change $190. Routine inspection, by facility type: Child Care Center $366, School Age program $256, Pre-school $291, Group Home $269, Residential Camp $472, Residential/Day Treatment $282. Routine inspections recur every 2 years.routine inspection every 2 years2026-09-08
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.

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 Colorado Springs?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 6 records listed for a childcare centre in Colorado Springs, CO, 2 apply to every business of this type and 4 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.

2 of the 6 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 Inspection: Plan Review & Pre-op $135 plus $53/hour; Review of Potential Establishment $190; Pre-op Inspection $185; Follow-up Inspection $203; Room Change $190. Routine inspection, by facility type: Child Care Center $366, School Age program $256, Pre-school $291, Group Home $269, Residential Camp $472, Residential/Day Treatment $282. Routine inspections recur every 2 years.

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

Which offices issue these permits in Colorado Springs?

Permits for a childcare centre in Colorado Springs, CO come from 3 separate offices: El Paso County Public Health, Environmental Health Services, 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 Colorado Springs 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 Colorado Springs: Child Care Facility Inspection and Child Care License.

Child Care Facility Inspection

Imposed by El Paso County Public Health as the delegated implementer of Colorado's state child-care licensing, in addition to (not instead of) the state license itself. Separately, the City requires a development plan or conditional use approval before a commercial building may be used as a day care center — subject to Citywide Development Impact fees, but no specific dollar amount for that zoning review is published.

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 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 Colorado Springs?

The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A childcare centre also needs Child Care Facility Inspection and Child Care License. A auto repair shop needs Auto Repair — City Business Licensing Position (Colorado Springs), Annual Facilities Permit, Fire Construction Plan Review and Automotive Repair — Colorado Motor Vehicle Repair Act (conduct rules), which a childcare centre does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Colorado Springs, CO, compared with a childcare centre
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a childcare centreOnly a childcare centre needsOnly it needs
Auto repair shops4024
Coffee shops5025
Contractors and trades2022
Fitness studios2022
Food trucks3023
Restaurants5025
Retail stores2022
Salons and barbers4024
Veterinary clinics4024

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 Colorado Springs permits page and the CO state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. El Paso County Board of Health, Chapter 3 — Fee Schedule and Civil Penalties (approved October 25, 2023, effective January 1, 2024)El Paso County Public Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-08
  2. City of Colorado Springs — Home Day Care PermitCity of Colorado Springs Planning and Development Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-08
  3. 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.