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10 permits · verified 2026-09-10

What permits do you need to open a childcare centre in Des Moines?

In short

A childcare centre in Des Moines, IA 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. City of Des Moines Development Services Department, Permit and Development Center charges $51.50 flat for the certificate of occupancy. 3 of the 10 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-10 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a childcare centre in Des Moines

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Childcare Centre — State License and State Fire Marshal Inspection (Des Moines)only if it applies to youCity of Des Moines, City Clerk's OfficeNo feenot applicable2026-09-10
Child Care Centre LicenseIowa Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau of Child Care$50–$150 banded by licensed capacity24 months2026-09-04

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 Des Moines

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
General Business License — City of Des Moines positiononly if it applies to youCity of Des Moines, City Clerk's OfficeNo feenot applicable2026-09-10
Certificate of OccupancyCity of Des Moines Development Services Department, Permit and Development Center$51.50 flatone-time, no expiration2026-09-10
Zoning Verification Letteronly if it applies to youCity of Des Moines Neighborhood Services Department, Zoning Enforcement DivisionNo feeone-time, no stated expiration2026-09-10
Building Permit (Commercial)City of Des Moines Development Services Department, Permit and Development CenterVaries — formula on the Des Moines pageone-time, per project2026-09-10

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

IA 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
Certificate of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youIowa Secretary of State, Business Services Division$50 one-time filingperpetual, but a biennial report is due every two years2026-09-04
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youIowa Secretary of State, Business Services Division$50 one-time filingperpetual, but a biennial report is due every two years2026-09-04
General Business License — Iowa positiononly if it applies to youIowa Economic Development Authority, Business License Information CenterNo feenot applicable2026-09-04
Biennial Reportonly if it applies to youIowa Secretary of State, Business Services DivisionVaries — formula on the IA pagean LLC files between 1 January and 1 April of every odd year; a corporation files in the same window of every even year2026-09-04

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 Des Moines?

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 Des Moines, IA, 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.

Of the 3 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $51.50. That is a floor, not a total. 3 of the 10 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 4 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

Child Care Centre License: $50–$150 banded by licensed capacity

The other 2 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Des Moines permits page and the IA state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Des Moines?

Permits for a childcare centre in Des Moines, IA come from 6 separate offices: City of Des Moines, City Clerk's Office, City of Des Moines Development Services Department, Permit and Development Center, City of Des Moines Neighborhood Services Department, Zoning Enforcement Division, Iowa Secretary of State, Business Services Division, Iowa Economic Development Authority, Business License Information Center, Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau of Child Care. 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 Des Moines 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 Des Moines: Childcare Centre — State License and State Fire Marshal Inspection (Des Moines) and Child Care Centre License.

Childcare Centre — State License and State Fire Marshal Inspection (Des Moines)

There is no city-level fee for this step. The state's own licensing standards document (Iowa HHS Comm. 204) states that the State Fire Marshal establishes and enforces the fire safety requirements for child care centres and that a centre must obtain an approved State Fire Marshal's certificate, so the inspection is part of the state licensing cycle rather than a separate Des Moines Fire Department permit, and the City Clerk's Business Licenses & Permits page lists no childcare category either. A childcare centre here needs only the generic building permit and certificate of occupancy recorded above — the day-care occupancy classification itself is handled inside the building code (Municipal Code § 26-325.1) rather than through a distinct operational permit — on top of the Iowa HHS child care centre license recorded at the state layer.

Child Care Centre License

A regulatory fee scaling in five even steps by capacity — $50 for a centre up to twenty children, rising through $75, $100 and $125 to $150 for anything over a hundred and fifty — charged once at issuance and again at every renewal, on a full 24-month license rather than an annual one. A registered child development home, the smaller in-home category, is a separate license type on the same 24-month cycle; statute permits a fee of up to $150 or $187 depending on category, though the agency's own guidance is widely reported to charge nothing in practice for that category — confirm the current position directly rather than assuming either figure.

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

How does a childcare centre compare with other businesses in Des Moines?

The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A childcare centre also needs Childcare Centre — State License and State Fire Marshal Inspection (Des Moines) and Child Care Centre License. A auto repair shop needs Auto Repair Shop Licensing — City Clerk License List (Des Moines), Sign Permit, Hazardous Operations / Storage Tank Permit (Fire) and Automotive Repair Shop Licensing — Iowa position, which a childcare centre does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Des Moines, IA, compared with a childcare centre
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a childcare centreOnly a childcare centre needsOnly it needs
Auto repair shops4024
Coffee shops3023
Contractors and trades4024
Fitness studios2022
Food trucks4024
Restaurants3023
Retail stores1021
Salons and barbers3023
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 Des Moines permits page and the IA state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Iowa Department of Health and Human Services — child care centres and preschools licensing standards, revised July 2025Iowa Department of Health and Human Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
  2. Business Licenses & Permits — confirming that licensing applies only to specific named activities (alcohol, tobacco, transient merchant, mobile food vendor, peddler, premise permit, pawnshop, theater, street performer, haunted house, coin-operated machine, solid waste hauler, salvage dealer, donation bin, going-out-of-business sale, address curb painting), not a general business licenseCity of Des Moines, City Clerk's Office · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-10

Related

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