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15 permits · verified 2026-09-11

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

In short

A childcare centre in Maui County, HI has 4 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 11 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. County of Maui, Department of Planning charges $4,206 one-time, per application for the county special use permit / special permit (state land use agricultural and rural districts). 6 of the 15 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-11 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a childcare centre in Maui County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
County Special Use Permit / Special Permit (State Land Use Agricultural and Rural Districts)only if it applies to youCounty of Maui, Department of Planning$4,206 one-time, per applicationone-time, per application2026-09-11
County Childcare Facility Permit (not found beyond the zoning and building process)only if it applies to youCounty of Maui, Department of Public Works, Development Services AdministrationNo feenot applicable2026-09-11
Conditional Permitonly if it applies to youCounty of Maui, Department of Planning$3,970 one-time, per applicationlimited period of time, per the permit's own terms2026-09-11
Child Care LicenseHawaii Department of Human Services, Child Care Licensing ProgramFee not published — every official application page lists the required forms without stating a dollar amount anywhere1 to 2 years, depending on how long the provider has already been licensed2026-09-04

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 Maui County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Fire Plan Review Feeonly if it applies to youCounty of Maui, Department of Fire and Public Safety, Fire Prevention BureauVaries — formula on the Maui County pageone-time, per project2026-09-11
General Business License — Maui County positiononly if it applies to youCounty of Maui, Department of Finance, Division of Motor Vehicles and LicensingNo feenot applicable2026-09-11
Certificate of OccupancyCounty of Maui, Department of Public Works, Development Services Administration$50 one-time, per certificateone-time, no expiration once issued2026-09-11
Commercial Building PermitCounty of Maui, Department of Public Works, Development Services AdministrationVaries — formula on the Maui County pageone-time, per project — the permit itself expires 5 years after issuance if work is not completed2026-09-11
Building Plan Review FeeCounty of Maui, Department of Public Works, Development Services AdministrationVaries — formula on the Maui County pageone-time, per project2026-09-11
Special Management Area (SMA) Permitonly if it applies to youCounty of Maui, Department of PlanningVaries — formula on the Maui County pageone-time, per project2026-09-11
Use Determination (Zoning Verification)only if it applies to youCounty of Maui, Department of PlanningVaries — formula on the Maui County pageone-time, per request2026-09-11

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

HI 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
General Business License — Hawaii positiononly if it applies to youHawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Business Registration DivisionNo feenot applicable2026-09-04
Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youHawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Business Registration Division$51 one-time filing, including the $1 state archives feeperpetual, but an annual report is due every year2026-09-04
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youHawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Business Registration Division$51 one-time filing, including the $1 state archives feeperpetual, but an annual report is due every year2026-09-04
Annual Reportonly if it applies to youHawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Business Registration Division$15 a year on paper; a $10 late fee applies per year delinquentannual — due at the end of the calendar quarter containing the entity's own original registration date2026-09-04

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 Maui County?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 15 records listed for a childcare centre in Maui County, HI, 4 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.

Of the 4 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $50.00. That is a floor, not a total. 6 of the 15 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 License: Fee not published — every official application page lists the required forms without stating a dollar amount anywhere

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

Which offices issue these permits in Maui County?

Permits for a childcare centre in Maui County, HI come from 6 separate offices: County of Maui, Department of Fire and Public Safety, Fire Prevention Bureau, County of Maui, Department of Planning, County of Maui, Department of Finance, Division of Motor Vehicles and Licensing, County of Maui, Department of Public Works, Development Services Administration, Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Business Registration Division, Hawaii Department of Human Services, Child Care Licensing Program. 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 Maui County that other businesses do not?

2 of the 4 permits particular to a childcare centre here apply to no other business type we cover in Maui County: County Childcare Facility Permit (not found beyond the zoning and building process) and Child Care License.

County Childcare Facility Permit (not found beyond the zoning and building process)

No fee applies as a distinct childcare-specific county permit. There is no Maui-County-specific childcare facility credential beyond the general Conditional Permit or Special Use Permit pathways recorded elsewhere in this file, layered on top of, not instead of, Hawaii's own state Child Care License (Department of Human Services) recorded at the state layer. What this project did confirm directly, repeated verbatim across the Building, Electrical, and Plumbing sections of the current Appendix B fee ordinance, is a real, narrow exemption: 'Exemption for licensing of day care centers. Where inspections for day care centers are required pursuant to the rules governing licensing of group day care centers and group day care homes of the State Department of Social Services and Housing, no fee shall be charged for such miscellaneous inspections' — an exemption from the County's own miscellaneous- and reinspection-fee schedules specifically, not from the base Building Permit fee itself, confirmed to apply identically to adult residential care homes.

Child Care License

Hawaii licenses group child care centres and homes as a genuine requirement, and separately registers a smaller family child care home caring for three to six unrelated children under Hawaii Administrative Rules chapters 17-891.1 and 17-891.2. No fee applies: the governing rule's own table of contents runs from Application (§17-891.2-2) through Inspection and issuance of certificate, Fines, and roughly eighty further sections of administration, program and staffing requirements without ever titling or setting a registration fee, and the rule's only use of the word 'fee' is the requirement that a provider's own written policies disclose what it charges parents for care (§17-891.2-11) — a private rate, not a government charge.

Shared with other businesses in Maui County

  • County Special Use Permit / Special Permit (State Land Use Agricultural and Rural Districts) — County of Maui, Department of Planning, $4,206 one-time, per application, one-time, per application. Also required for retail stores, fitness studios, salons and barbers, auto repair shops, veterinary clinics and contractors and trades; what it involves is set out on the contractors and trades page.
  • Conditional Permit — County of Maui, Department of Planning, $3,970 one-time, per application, limited period of time, per the permit's own terms. Also required for retail stores, fitness studios, contractors and trades, auto repair shops, veterinary clinics and salons and barbers; what it involves is set out on the contractors and trades page.

The other 7 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Maui County, HI; what each one involves is set out on the Maui County permits page. The 4 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across HI and are covered on the HI state page.

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

The closest match is a retail store, which shares 2 of these permits. A childcare centre also needs County Childcare Facility Permit (not found beyond the zoning and building process) and Child Care License. A retail store needs Sign Permit and Fire Prevention Permit — Assembly Occupancy, which a childcare centre does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Maui County, HI, compared with a childcare centre
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a childcare centreOnly a childcare centre needsOnly it needs
Retail stores4222
Contractors and trades5223
Fitness studios5223
Salons and barbers5223
Veterinary clinics5223
Auto repair shops6224
Coffee shops4044
Food trucks4044
Restaurants5045

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 contractors and trades page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Maui County permits page and the HI state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. County of Maui Revenues - Fees, Rates, Assessments and Taxes, Appendix B, Fiscal Year July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027 — the currently-effective annual fee ordinance, itemizing every business license, building/electrical/plumbing permit fee, Department of Planning fee, and Fire Department fee cited for Maui CountyCounty of Maui · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-11
  2. Hawaii DHS — child care licensing application processHawaii Department of Human Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
  3. Hawaii Administrative Rules title 17, chapter 891.2 — Registration of Family Child Care Homes, full textHawaii Department of Human Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
  4. Hawaii Administrative Rules §17-891.1-1 and chapter 17-895 — definitions and general provisions (amendment, effective November 29, 2016)Hawaii Department of Human Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08

Related

Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.