10 permits · verified 2026-10-02
What permits do you need to open a childcare centre in Cobb County?
In short
A childcare centre in Cobb County, GA has 3 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 7 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. 5 of the 10 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 Cobb County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swimming Pool Permitonly if it applies to you | Cobb & Douglas Public Health, Environmental Health | Plan review, new pool: under 500 sq ft $275; 500–2,000 sq ft $365; over 2,000 sq ft $475; governmental $0. Plan review, existing pool: change-of-ownership review $55; modification not altering pool hydraulics $85; modification altering pool hydraulics $205; plan resubmittal $110. Annual inspection: seasonal (April–October) $315; year-round $450; governmental $0. | annual inspection; plan review is one-time per project | 2026-10-02 |
| Child Care Learning Centre License | Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning | $50–$250 a year, banded by licensed capacity | the license runs one year and the fee recurs annually | 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 Cobb County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Building Permit / Land Disturbance Permitonly if it applies to you | Cobb County Community Development, Development & Inspections Division | Varies — formula on the Cobb County page | per project | 2026-10-02 |
| Occupation Tax Certificate / Business License | Cobb County Business License Division (Community Development Agency) | Varies — formula on the Cobb County page | annual, calendar year | 2026-10-02 |
| Onsite Sewage Management (Septic) Permitonly if it applies to you | Cobb & Douglas Public Health, Environmental Health | Varies — formula on the Cobb County page | per project | 2026-10-02 |
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
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales and Use Tax Certificate of Registration | Georgia Department of Revenue, Taxpayer Services Division | No fee | no renewal — valid until cancelled, suspended or revoked | 2026-09-03 |
| General Business License — Georgia state position (local occupation tax certificate)only if it applies to you | Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division | No fee | set by the issuing city or county, usually annual | 2026-09-03 |
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division | $110 one-time — $100 filing fee plus a $10 service charge | no expiry, but an annual registration is due each year | 2026-09-03 |
| Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division | $110 one-time — $100 filing fee plus a $10 service charge | no expiry, but an annual registration is due each year | 2026-09-03 |
| Annual Registrationonly if it applies to you | Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division | $60 a year — $50 plus a $10 service charge; $40 for a nonprofit | annual — filed between 1 January and 1 April | 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 Cobb County?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 10 records listed for a childcare centre in Cobb County, GA, 3 apply to every business of this type and 7 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.
5 of the 10 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 2 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:
Swimming Pool Permit: Plan review, new pool: under 500 sq ft $275; 500–2,000 sq ft $365; over 2,000 sq ft $475; governmental $0. Plan review, existing pool: change-of-ownership review $55; modification not altering pool hydraulics $85; modification altering pool hydraulics $205; plan resubmittal $110. Annual inspection: seasonal (April–October) $315; year-round $450; governmental $0.
Child Care Learning Centre License: $50–$250 a year, banded by licensed capacity
The other 3 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Cobb County permits page and the GA state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Cobb County?
Permits for a childcare centre in Cobb County, GA come from 6 separate offices: Cobb County Community Development, Development & Inspections Division, Cobb & Douglas Public Health, Environmental Health, Cobb County Business License Division (Community Development Agency), 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.
- Cobb County Community Development, Development & Inspections DivisionIssues 1 permit on this page: Building Permit / Land Disturbance Permitassets.cobbcounty.gov/files/2024-06/2024%20Fee%20Schedule%20Update_Final.pdf
- Cobb & Douglas Public Health, Environmental HealthIssues 2 permits on this page: Swimming Pool Permit, Onsite Sewage Management (Septic) Permitcobbanddouglaspublichealth.com/programs/environmental-health/food-service
- Cobb County Business License Division (Community Development Agency)Issues 1 permit on this page: Occupation Tax Certificate / Business License1150 Powder Springs Street, Suite 400, Marietta, GA 30064 · 770-528-8410www.cobbcounty.gov/community-development/business-license
- Georgia Department of Revenue, Taxpayer Services DivisionIssues 1 permit on this page: Sales and Use Tax Certificate of Registration1800 Century Boulevard NE, Atlanta, GA 30345-3205 · (877) 423-6711gtc.dor.ga.gov
- Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations DivisionIssues 4 permits on this page: General Business License — Georgia state position (local occupation tax certificate), Articles of Incorporation, Articles of Organization (LLC), Annual Registration2 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive SE, Suite 313, Floyd West Tower, Atlanta, GA 30334-1530 · (404) 656-2817ecorp.sos.ga.gov
- Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and LearningIssues 1 permit on this page: Child Care Learning Centre License2 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive SE, 754 East Tower, Atlanta, GA 30334 · (404) 656-5957decal.ga.gov
What does a childcare centre need in Cobb 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 Cobb County: Child Care Learning Centre License.
Swimming Pool Permit
A fitness studio or childcare facility in Cobb County that operates a swimming pool on its premises needs this permit from Cobb & Douglas Public Health; a studio or facility without a pool has no obligation under this program. This page carries the same notice found on the agency's other Environmental Health pages that a new fee schedule takes effect January 1, 2027, with no figures yet published for that successor schedule as of October 2026, so every figure stated above is the current, in-effect schedule rather than any later one.
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 3 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Cobb County, GA; what each one involves is set out on the Cobb County 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 Cobb County?
The closest match is a fitness studio, which shares 1 of these permits. A childcare centre also needs Child Care Learning Centre License. A fitness studio needs "Health Spa" (Massage/Spa) License, which a childcare centre does not.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a childcare centre | Only a childcare centre needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fitness studios | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Auto repair shops | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Coffee shops | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Contractors and trades | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Food trucks | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Restaurants | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Retail stores | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Salons and barbers | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Veterinary clinics | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
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 Cobb County permits page and the GA state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Cobb & Douglas Public Health — Public Swimming Pool Applications, Forms, and InformationCobb & Douglas Public Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
- 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
- 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.