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11 permits · verified 2026-09-28

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

In short

A childcare centre in Broward County, FL has 6 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 5 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations charges $125 one-time filing for the articles of organization (llc). 7 of the 11 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-28 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a childcare centre in Broward County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Child Care Facility License (county self-licensing)Broward County Childcare Licensing and Enforcement Section (Consumer Protection Division)$41.44–$165.72 annual, by facility type: Family Child Care Home about $41.44, Child Care Facility about $149.15 (not affiliated with a public school) or $165.72 (public-school-affiliated); contact the Child Care Licensing and Enforcement Section for the late-renewal fee amountannual2026-09-28
Child Care Facility LicenseFlorida Department of Children and Families, Child Care Licensure$1 per child of licensed capacity, subject to a minimum of $25 and a maximum of $100 per facility — so 25 children or fewer costs $25, and 100 or more costs $100annual2026-09-03

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 Broward County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Certificate of Use (CU)Broward County Planning and Development Management Division (Building Services and Zoning)Varies — formula on the Broward County pageone-time, unless ownership, the occupant or the business name changes, which triggers a new CU2026-09-28
Local Business Tax Receipt (LBTR)Broward County Tax Collector, Local Business Tax SectionVaries — formula on the Broward County pageannual; tax year October 1-September 302026-09-28
Fire-Rescue Operational / Life-Safety InspectionBroward Sheriff's Office (BSO) Fire Rescue, Fire Prevention BureauVaries — formula on the Broward County pageannual life-safety inspection; typically bundled into the Certificate of Use inspection in unincorporated Broward2026-09-28

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

FL 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 Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youFlorida Department of State, Division of Corporations$125 one-time filingno expiry, but an annual report is due every year by 1 May2026-09-03
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youFlorida Department of State, Division of Corporations$70 one-time filingno expiry, but an annual report is due every year by 1 May2026-09-03
Annual Report (LLC)only if it applies to youFlorida Department of State, Division of CorporationsVaries — formula on the FL pageannual, due by 1 May2026-09-03
Annual Report (Corporation)only if it applies to youFlorida Department of State, Division of CorporationsVaries — formula on the FL pageannual, due by 1 May2026-09-03
Business Tax Application (Sales and Use Tax)only if it applies to youFlorida Department of RevenueNo fee — no fee to registerno fixed expiry2026-09-03
Local Business Tax ReceiptFlorida Department of State, Division of CorporationsNo feeannual — every receipt expires on 30 September2026-09-03

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 Broward County?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 11 records listed for a childcare centre in Broward County, FL, 6 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.

7 of the 11 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 License (county self-licensing): $41.44–$165.72 annual, by facility type: Family Child Care Home about $41.44, Child Care Facility about $149.15 (not affiliated with a public school) or $165.72 (public-school-affiliated); contact the Child Care Licensing and Enforcement Section for the late-renewal fee amount

Child Care Facility License: $1 per child of licensed capacity, subject to a minimum of $25 and a maximum of $100 per facility — so 25 children or fewer costs $25, and 100 or more costs $100

The other 5 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Broward County permits page and the FL state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Broward County?

Permits for a childcare centre in Broward County, FL come from 7 separate offices: Broward County Planning and Development Management Division (Building Services and Zoning), Broward County Tax Collector, Local Business Tax Section, Broward County Childcare Licensing and Enforcement Section (Consumer Protection Division), Broward Sheriff's Office (BSO) Fire Rescue, Fire Prevention Bureau, Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations, Florida Department of Revenue, Florida Department of Children and Families, Child Care Licensure. 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 Broward 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 Broward County: Child Care Facility License (county self-licensing) and Child Care Facility License.

Child Care Facility License (county self-licensing)

Broward County licenses its own child care facilities and family child care homes directly, rather than deferring to the state Department of Children and Families, under the county-licensing option in §402.306, Fla. Stat. This makes Broward one of five Florida counties that self-license — Broward, Hillsborough, Palm Beach, Pinellas and Sarasota — a corrected count from an earlier four-county telling that predates Hillsborough's own opt-in; Broward's own self-licensing status is the same under either count. Any child care facility or family child care home operating in Broward must hold this county license rather than a state DCF license. Reported annual fees are about $41.44 for a Family Child Care Home, and about $149.15 for a Child Care Facility not affiliated with a public school or $165.72 for one that is; the Child Care Licensing and Enforcement Section sets the late-renewal fee amount. This is a real, material requirement unique to counties that self-license — Miami-Dade, by contrast, does not self-license and defers to state DCF.

Child Care Facility License

Cheap by national standards — capped at $100 however large the centre — but read the jurisdiction question before relying on it. Florida lets a county whose standards meet or exceed the state minimum license child care itself, and four have taken that up: Broward, Palm Beach, Pinellas and Sarasota. In those four the county licenses and sets its own fee, so the $25 to $100 band does not apply. The Department of Children and Families licenses in the other 63 counties. The designation has to be re-affirmed by a majority vote of the county commission every year, so the list can move. Related statutory fees: a registered family day care home is $25, a licensed one $50, and a large family child care home $60.

The other 3 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Broward County, FL; what each one involves is set out on the Broward County permits page. The 6 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across FL and are covered on the FL state page.

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

The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A childcare centre also needs Child Care Facility License (county self-licensing) and Child Care Facility License. A auto repair shop needs Hazardous Materials License, Air Quality License (surface coating / paint booth), Storage Tank Facility License and 2 more, which a childcare centre does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Broward County, FL, compared with a childcare centre
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a childcare centreOnly a childcare centre needsOnly it needs
Auto repair shops5025
Coffee shops5025
Contractors and trades3023
Fitness studios0020
Food trucks4024
Restaurants7027
Retail stores2022
Salons and barbers2022
Veterinary clinics3023

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 Broward County permits page and the FL state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Childcare Licensing and Enforcement — Laws and RequirementsBroward County Consumer Protection Division · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
  2. Florida Statutes §402.306 — county licensing option for child care facilitiesFlorida Senate · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-27
  3. Broward County Code of OrdinancesMunicode / Broward County · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
  4. Florida Statutes section 402.315 — child care licensing fee of $1 per child, minimum $25 and maximum $100 per facilityThe Florida Senate · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
  5. Florida Statutes section 402.306 — counties may designate a local licensing agency, re-affirmed annually by the county commissionThe Florida Senate · 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.