8 permits · verified 2026-09-08
What permits do you need to open a childcare centre in Denver?
In short
A childcare centre in Denver, CO has 3 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 5 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City and County of Denver, Community Planning and Development charges $200 flat for the temporary certificate of occupancy. 2 of the 8 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 Denver
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone Use Permit / Home Occupation Application for Child Care | City and County of Denver, Community Planning and Development | $20 flat — a Zone Use Permit for a center, or a Home Occupation Application for an in-home day care | one-time | 2026-09-08 |
| Child Care License | Colorado 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 $100 | annual — renewal is called a continuation | 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 Denver
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Building Permit | City and County of Denver, Community Planning and Development | Varies — formula on the Denver page | one-time, per project | 2026-09-08 |
| Temporary Certificate of Occupancyonly if it applies to you | City and County of Denver, Community Planning and Development | $200 flat | temporary, pending final approval | 2026-09-08 |
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
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | Colorado Secretary of State, Business Division | $50 one-time filing, online only | perpetual, but a periodic report is due every year | 2026-09-03 |
| General Business License — Colorado position (issued locally)only if it applies to you | Colorado Secretary of State, Business Division | No fee | set by the city or county | 2026-09-03 |
| Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | Colorado Secretary of State, Business Division | $50 one-time filing, online only | perpetual, but a periodic report is due every year | 2026-09-03 |
| Periodic Reportonly if it applies to you | Colorado Secretary of State, Business Division | $25 a year; $50 more if filed late | annual — due in the entity's own periodic report month | 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 Denver?
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 Denver, CO, 3 apply to every business of this type and 5 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.
Of the 3 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $20.00. That is a floor, not a total. 2 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 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 1 variable fee belongs to permits that apply to every type of business here; its formula is set out on the Denver permits page and the CO state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Denver?
Permits for a childcare centre in Denver, CO come from 3 separate offices: City and County of Denver, Community Planning and Development, 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.
- City and County of Denver, Community Planning and DevelopmentIssues 3 permits on this page: Commercial Building Permit, Temporary Certificate of Occupancy, Zone Use Permit / Home Occupation Application for Child Carewww.denvergov.org/DSfees
- Colorado Secretary of State, Business DivisionIssues 4 permits on this page: Articles of Incorporation, General Business License — Colorado position (issued locally), Articles of Organization (LLC), Periodic Report1700 Broadway, Suite 550, Denver, CO 80290 · (303) 894-2200www.coloradosos.gov/pubs/business/businessHome.html
- Colorado Department of Early Childhood, Division of Early Learning Licensing and AdministrationIssues 1 permit on this page: Child Care License710 South Ash Street, Denver, CO 80246 · (800) 799-5876cdec.colorado.gov/for-providers/child-care-licensing-and-administration
What does a childcare centre need in Denver 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 Denver: Zone Use Permit / Home Occupation Application for Child Care and Child Care License.
Zone Use Permit / Home Occupation Application for Child Care
A Denver Fire Department inspection is also required for every child care facility, including homes — a $65 annual fee for this appears in an older Fire Department document, but that document is hosted on a non-production staging subdomain with portions explicitly dated to 2009, so the $65 figure is disclosed here rather than asserted as current. The Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection's own current child care page settles the licensing question directly: 'The Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection no longer issues child care establishment licenses' — a Colorado Department of Early Childhood state license is required instead, layered on top of this zoning/fire review rather than alongside a separate city business license.
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 Denver, CO; what each one involves is set out on the Denver 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 Denver?
The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A childcare centre also needs Zone Use Permit / Home Occupation Application for Child Care and Child Care License. A auto repair shop needs Sign Permit, Fire Permit — Repair Garages and Motor Fuel Dispensing and Automotive Repair — Colorado Motor Vehicle Repair Act (conduct rules), which a childcare centre does not.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a childcare centre | Only a childcare centre needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auto repair shops | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Coffee shops | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Contractors and trades | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Fitness studios | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Food trucks | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Restaurants | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Retail stores | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Salons and barbers | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 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 that apply to every type of business are listed on the Denver permits page and the CO state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- City and County of Denver — Development Services Fee ScheduleDenver Community Planning and Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-08
- Child care — Denver's own current business-licensing page, stating the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection no longer issues child care establishment licenses and that a state license from the Colorado Department of Early Childhood is required insteadDenver Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-18
- 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.