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11 permits · verified 2026-10-31

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

In short

A childcare centre in Martin County, FL has 3 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 8 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Martin County Tax Collector charges $26.25 a year per receipt, with at least one receipt for each business location, as published on the Martin County Tax Collector's Local Business Tax page; county tax only for the county local business tax receipt. 6 of the 11 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-31 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a childcare centre in Martin County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Florida DOH Food Service Permit and Environmental Public Health Programs (DOH-Martin)only if it applies to youFlorida Department of Health in Martin CountyThe Food Safety and Sanitation page names a plan review fee and a permit fee paid with the application for a sanitation certificate, plus additional fees if multiple inspections are required; the amounts are not published on that page. Contact the Food Coordinator at 772-221-4090 for the current amounts.per the Florida Department of Health permit; the facility may not operate until the permit is issued2026-10-31
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 Martin County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
County Local Business Tax ReceiptMartin County Tax Collector$26.25 a year per receipt, with at least one receipt for each business location, as published on the Martin County Tax Collector's Local Business Tax page; county tax onlyannual; receipts are valid through September 30, may be paid on or after July 1, and are delinquent on October 1, per the Tax Collector's page and F.S. 205.053(1)2026-10-31
Zoning Review and Compliance Determination and Fire Prevention Inspection (Unincorporated Martin County)only if it applies to youMartin County Growth Management Department, Development Review DivisionVaries — formula on the Martin County pageone-time for each new business, name change, ownership name change or relocation; annual renewals of the receipt are handled by the Tax Collector2026-10-31
County Building Permit, Plan Review and Inspectionsonly if it applies to youMartin County Building DepartmentVaries — formula on the Martin County pageper project2026-10-31

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 Martin 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 Martin County, FL, 3 apply to every business of this type and 8 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 $26.25. That is a floor, not a total. 6 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:

Florida DOH Food Service Permit and Environmental Public Health Programs (DOH-Martin): The Food Safety and Sanitation page names a plan review fee and a permit fee paid with the application for a sanitation certificate, plus additional fees if multiple inspections are required; the amounts are not published on that page. Contact the Food Coordinator at 772-221-4090 for the current amounts.

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

Is Martin County expensive for a childcare centre?

Comparing like with like — only the permits charged as a single flat fee, since a valuation formula has no figure to rank — Martin County sits where the table below puts it against every other FL jurisdiction covered here that publishes the same permit.

County Local Business Tax Receipt: Martin County charges $26.25. Across 4 jurisdictions it runs from $26.25 in Escambia County to $30 in Osceola County, with a median of $28.13. 2 charge more and 1 charges exactly the same.

Read the spread rather than the rank. County Local Business Tax Receipt varies by $3.75 between the cheapest and dearest jurisdiction here, which is the sort of gap worth knowing before you sign a lease on one side of a city line rather than the other.

Which offices issue these permits in Martin County?

Permits for a childcare centre in Martin County, FL come from 7 separate offices: Martin County Tax Collector, Martin County Growth Management Department, Development Review Division, Martin County Building Department, Florida Department of Health in Martin County, 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 Martin County 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 Martin County: Child Care Facility License.

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.

Shared with other businesses in Martin County

  • Florida DOH Food Service Permit and Environmental Public Health Programs (DOH-Martin) — Florida Department of Health in Martin County, The Food Safety and Sanitation page names a plan review fee and a permit fee paid with the application for a sanitation certificate, plus additional fees if multiple inspections are required; the amounts are not published on that page. Contact the Food Coordinator at 772-221-4090 for the current amounts., per the Florida Department of Health permit; the facility may not operate until the permit is issued. Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.

The other 3 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Martin County, FL; what each one involves is set out on the Martin 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 Martin County?

The closest match is a coffee shop, which shares 1 of these permits. A childcare centre also needs Child Care Facility License. A coffee shop needs Food Service Employee Training and Manager Certification and Public Food Service Establishment License, which a childcare centre does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Martin County, FL, compared with a childcare centre
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a childcare centreOnly a childcare centre needsOnly it needs
Coffee shops3112
Restaurants3112
Auto repair shops0020
Contractors and trades3023
Fitness studios0020
Food trucks2022
Retail stores0020
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 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 Martin County permits page and the FL state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. 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
  2. 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.