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14 permits · verified 2026-10-02

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

In short

A childcare centre in Chatham County Ga, GA has 3 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 11 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division charges $110 one-time — $100 filing fee plus a $10 service charge for the articles of incorporation. 8 of the 14 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-02 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a childcare centre in Chatham County Ga

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Home Occupation Permit Allowance (Zoning §2-28)only if it applies to youChatham County Department of Building Safety & Regulatory Services, Zoning AdministrationNo feenot applicable; bundled into the Occupational Tax Certificate's annual term2026-10-02
Child Care Learning Centre LicenseBright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning$50–$250 a year, banded by licensed capacitythe license runs one year and the fee recurs annually2026-09-03

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 Chatham County Ga

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Occupational Tax Late-Renewal Penaltyonly if it applies to youChatham County Department of Building Safety & Regulatory Services, Occupational Tax DivisionVaries — formula on the Chatham County Ga pagenot applicable — this is a penalty tied to Record 1's annual tax, not a license term of its own2026-10-02
Savannah Business Location Approvalonly if it applies to youCity of Savannah, Planning & Urban Design DepartmentVaries — formula on the Chatham County Ga pageper the City of Savannah's own licensing cycle2026-10-02
Tybee Island Occupational Tax Certificate / Business Licenseonly if it applies to youCity of Tybee Island Business License OfficeVaries — formula on the Chatham County Ga pageannual; licenses expire December 31 and must be renewed annually2026-10-02
Pooler Business Licenseonly if it applies to youCity of PoolerVaries — formula on the Chatham County Ga pageper the City of Pooler's own licensing cycle2026-10-02
Occupational Tax CertificateChatham County Department of Building Safety & Regulatory Services, Occupational Tax DivisionVaries — formula on the Chatham County Ga pageannual, calendar year; the certificate expires December 312026-10-02
Building/Electrical/Plumbing/Mechanical Permit Feesonly if it applies to youChatham County Department of Building Safety & Regulatory Services, Permits & Inspections DivisionVaries — formula on the Chatham County Ga pageper permit2026-10-02
Garden City Occupational Tax Certificateonly if it applies to youCity of Garden City, Planning and Zoning / Occupational Tax OfficeVaries — formula on the Chatham County Ga pageannual; the certificate expires December 312026-10-02

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

GA 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
Sales and Use Tax Certificate of RegistrationGeorgia Department of Revenue, Taxpayer Services DivisionNo feeno renewal — valid until cancelled, suspended or revoked2026-09-03
General Business License — Georgia state position (local occupation tax certificate)only if it applies to youGeorgia Secretary of State, Corporations DivisionNo feeset by the issuing city or county, usually annual2026-09-03
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youGeorgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division$110 one-time — $100 filing fee plus a $10 service chargeno expiry, but an annual registration is due each year2026-09-03
Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youGeorgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division$110 one-time — $100 filing fee plus a $10 service chargeno expiry, but an annual registration is due each year2026-09-03
Annual Registrationonly if it applies to youGeorgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division$60 a year — $50 plus a $10 service charge; $40 for a nonprofitannual — filed between 1 January and 1 April2026-09-03

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 Chatham County Ga?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 14 records listed for a childcare centre in Chatham County Ga, GA, 3 apply to every business of this type and 11 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.

8 of the 14 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 3 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

Child Care Learning Centre License: $50–$250 a year, banded by licensed capacity

The other 7 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Chatham County Ga permits page and the GA state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Chatham County Ga?

Permits for a childcare centre in Chatham County Ga, GA come from 10 separate offices: Chatham County Department of Building Safety & Regulatory Services, Occupational Tax Division, City of Savannah, Planning & Urban Design Department, Chatham County Department of Building Safety & Regulatory Services, Zoning Administration, City of Tybee Island Business License Office, City of Pooler, Chatham County Department of Building Safety & Regulatory Services, Permits & Inspections Division, City of Garden City, Planning and Zoning / Occupational Tax Office, Georgia Department of Revenue, Taxpayer Services Division, Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division, Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning. 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 Chatham County Ga 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 Chatham County Ga: Child Care Learning Centre License.

Home Occupation Permit Allowance (Zoning §2-28)

Zoning Administration charges no separate fee for the Home Occupation allowance; it is reviewed as part of the Occupational Tax Certificate application, and the county's own Home Occupations page states that paying the occupational tax does not by itself make a home business zoning-legal. §2-28's enumerated allowed home-occupation activities, read directly from the live ordinance page, include a family day care home (no additional square-footage cap beyond the general rule that any home occupation may occupy no more than 25% of gross livable area) and a beauty parlor, capped at the lesser of 500 square feet or 25% of the home's total living area and employing not more than two people, both of whom must reside in the dwelling. A childcare or salon business run from a home in unincorporated Chatham County must fit within these caps in addition to holding the Occupational Tax Certificate.

Child Care Learning Centre License

Five bands — $50 up to twenty-five children, then $100, $150, $200 and $250 above two hundred — and that annual fee is the whole cost: the rule creates no separate application fee and no separate renewal fee, and the words application fee appear nowhere in the chapter. A centre is any place taking seven or more children for pay; a family child care learning home, three to six children in a private residence, pays a flat $50. Georgia has only those two categories — the old group day care home was folded into the centre license, so a home programme with seven children is licensed and priced as a centre. Miss the payment date and the department may add a late fee of up to $250, and thirty days after that it must revoke the license.

The other 7 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Chatham County Ga, GA; what each one involves is set out on the Chatham County Ga permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across GA and are covered on the GA state page.

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

The closest match is a salon or barber, which shares 1 of these permits. A childcare centre also needs Child Care Learning Centre License. A salon or barber needs Salon or Shop License, which a childcare centre does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Chatham County Ga, GA, compared with a childcare centre
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a childcare centreOnly a childcare centre needsOnly it needs
Salons and barbers2111
Auto repair shops1021
Coffee shops4024
Contractors and trades3023
Fitness studios0020
Food trucks2022
Restaurants4024
Retail stores2022
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 Chatham County Ga permits page and the GA state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Chatham County Home Occupations (Zoning Ordinance §2-28) pageChatham County Department of Building Safety & Regulatory Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
  2. Zoning Ordinance of Chatham County, §1-1 Enactment ClauseChatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
  3. Georgia Comp. R. & Regs. rule 591-1-1-.16 — child care learning centre license fees by capacityBright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
  4. Georgia Comp. R. & Regs. chapter 290-2-3 — family child care learning home license feeBright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning · 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.