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11 permits · verified 2026-09-04

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

In short

A childcare centre in Chicago, IL has 5 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 6 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection charges $165 plus a $40 processing fee per controlling person or manager requiring a fingerprint background check for the children's services license. 4 of the 11 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-04 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a childcare centre in Chicago

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Children's Services LicenseChicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection$165 plus a $40 processing fee per controlling person or manager requiring a fingerprint background check2 years2026-09-04
Day Care Centre LicenseIllinois Department of Early ChildhoodNo fee3 years2026-09-03

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 Chicago

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Sign Permitonly if it applies to youChicago Department of BuildingsVaries — formula on the Chicago pageper sign2026-09-04
Certificate of Occupancyonly if it applies to youChicago Department of BuildingsNo feeissued once per qualifying project — not a recurring license2026-09-04
Commercial Building Permitonly if it applies to youChicago Department of BuildingsVaries — formula on the Chicago pageone-time, per project2026-09-04
Business LicenseChicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer ProtectionVaries — formula on the Chicago page2 years2026-09-04

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

IL 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 youIllinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services$150 one-time filingno expiry, but an annual report is due every year2026-09-03
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youIllinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services$175 one-time — $150 filing fee plus $25 minimum initial franchise taxno expiry, but an annual report and franchise tax are due every year2026-09-03
Annual Reportonly if it applies to youIllinois Secretary of State, Department of Business ServicesVaries — formula on the IL pageannual — an LLC files before the first day of its anniversary month2026-09-03
Certificate of Registration (Form REG-1)Illinois Department of Revenue, Central Registration DivisionNo feecontinuous — no renewal2026-09-03
General Business License — Illinois position (city, not state)Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic OpportunityNo feeset by the issuing municipality2026-09-03

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 Chicago?

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 Chicago, IL, 5 apply to every business of this type and 6 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 5 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $165.00. That is a floor, not a total. 4 of the 11 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 4 have no fee published at all.

The other 4 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Chicago permits page and the IL state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Chicago?

Permits for a childcare centre in Chicago, IL come from 6 separate offices: Chicago Department of Buildings, Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services, Illinois Department of Revenue, Central Registration Division, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Illinois Department of Early Childhood. 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 Chicago 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 Chicago: Children's Services License and Day Care Centre License.

Children's Services License

Required in addition to, not instead of, the state DCFS license. A Children's Service Facility may not also hold a liquor or tobacco license or conduct amusements, with limited exceptions, and every day care other than a small home-based one is a Group E or I occupancy under the certificate-of-occupancy rules above.

Day Care Centre License

Genuinely free, and the rule says so in terms — there shall be no fee or charge for the license — for a day care centre, a day care home and a group day care home alike, each valid for three years. Get the agency right: child care licensing moved from the Department of Children and Family Services to the new Department of Early Childhood on 1 July 2026, and almost every guide still names DCFS. The license is not transferable and is valid only for the name and address printed on it, so a move or a sale means a new one.

The other 4 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Chicago, IL; what each one involves is set out on the Chicago permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across IL and are covered on the IL state page.

How does a childcare centre compare with other businesses in Chicago?

The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A childcare centre also needs Children's Services License and Day Care Centre License. A auto repair shop needs Motor Vehicle Repair License, which a childcare centre does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Chicago, IL, compared with a childcare centre
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a childcare centreOnly a childcare centre needsOnly it needs
Auto repair shops1021
Coffee shops5025
Contractors and trades4024
Fitness studios0020
Food trucks3023
Restaurants5025
Retail stores0020
Salons and barbers2022
Veterinary clinics2022

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 Chicago permits page and the IL state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Chicago BACP — children's services licenseChicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
  2. 89 Illinois Administrative Code part 407 — licensing standards for day care centers, including the license term and the absence of a feeIllinois Department of Children and Family Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
  3. Illinois Department of Early Childhood — child care licensure, and the transfer of licensing from DCFS on 1 July 2026Illinois Department of Early Childhood · 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.