10 permits · verified 2026-10-24
What permits do you need to open a childcare centre in St Clair County Il?
In short
A childcare centre in St Clair County Il, IL has 4 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 6 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. St. Clair County Building & Zoning Department charges $30 per application, non-refundable for the certificate of zoning compliance. 4 of the 10 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-24 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a childcare centre in St Clair County Il
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Food Establishment Permit | St. Clair County Health Department, Environmental Health Division | $168–$613 per calendar-year permit, 2026 fees by size and risk category (Category 1 / 2 / 3): Large $613 / $602 / $573; Medium $390 / $362 / $344; Small $223 / $194 / $168. Concession operations (open fewer than 95 days a year) and not-for-profit establishments pay 50% of the category fee; each additional kitchen, additional mobile food establishment or departmental inspection within the same facility $84; new establishments permitted between July 1 and December 31 pay 50%; no fee for food pantries and self-operated school food service | calendar year; expires December 31 | 2026-10-24 |
| Retail Food Establishment Plan Reviewonly if it applies to you | St. Clair County Health Department, Environmental Health Division | A plan review fee is charged based on the establishment's risk category under County Code §19-4-4(E)(4) and Attachment D of the food ordinance; contact the Health Department's Environmental Health Division at (618) 233-7769 for the current amount. | one-time, per construction, remodel, conversion or ownership change | 2026-10-24 |
| Day Care Centre License | Illinois Department of Early Childhood | No fee | 3 years | 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 St Clair County Il
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate of Zoning Complianceonly if it applies to you | St. Clair County Building & Zoning Department | $30 per application, non-refundable | one year (Code §40-11-3); renewable for successive one-year periods on written request | 2026-10-24 |
| Commercial Building Permitonly if it applies to you | St. Clair County Building & Zoning Department | Varies — formula on the St Clair County Il page | invalid 12 months after issue; the code official may grant one extension of up to 180 days | 2026-10-24 |
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
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services | $150 one-time filing | no expiry, but an annual report is due every year | 2026-09-03 |
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services | $175 one-time — $150 filing fee plus $25 minimum initial franchise tax | no expiry, but an annual report and franchise tax are due every year | 2026-09-03 |
| Annual Reportonly if it applies to you | Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services | Varies — formula on the IL page | annual — an LLC files before the first day of its anniversary month | 2026-09-03 |
| Certificate of Registration (Form REG-1) | Illinois Department of Revenue, Central Registration Division | No fee | continuous — no renewal | 2026-09-03 |
| General Business License — Illinois position (city, not state) | Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity | No fee | set by the issuing municipality | 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 St Clair County Il?
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 St Clair County Il, IL, 4 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.
4 of the 10 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:
Retail Food Establishment Permit: $168–$613 per calendar-year permit, 2026 fees by size and risk category (Category 1 / 2 / 3): Large $613 / $602 / $573; Medium $390 / $362 / $344; Small $223 / $194 / $168. Concession operations (open fewer than 95 days a year) and not-for-profit establishments pay 50% of the category fee; each additional kitchen, additional mobile food establishment or departmental inspection within the same facility $84; new establishments permitted between July 1 and December 31 pay 50%; no fee for food pantries and self-operated school food service
Retail Food Establishment Plan Review: A plan review fee is charged based on the establishment's risk category under County Code §19-4-4(E)(4) and Attachment D of the food ordinance; contact the Health Department's Environmental Health Division at (618) 233-7769 for the current amount.
The other 2 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the St Clair County Il permits page and the IL state page.
Which offices issue these permits in St Clair County Il?
Permits for a childcare centre in St Clair County Il, IL come from 6 separate offices: St. Clair County Health Department, Environmental Health Division, St. Clair County Building & Zoning Department, 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.
- St. Clair County Health Department, Environmental Health DivisionIssues 2 permits on this page: Retail Food Establishment Permit, Retail Food Establishment Plan Review19 Public Square, Suite 150, Belleville, IL 62220 · (618) 233-7769scchealthdept.com/environmental-programs/food-safety
- St. Clair County Building & Zoning DepartmentIssues 2 permits on this page: Certificate of Zoning Compliance, Commercial Building PermitSt. Clair County Building, 5th floor, 10 Public Square, Belleville, IL 62220 · (618) 825-2528www.co.st-clair.il.us/departments/building-zoning
- Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business ServicesIssues 3 permits on this page: Articles of Organization (LLC), Articles of Incorporation, Annual Report501 South Second Street, Room 351, Springfield, IL 62756 · (217) 524-8008www.ilsos.gov/departments/business_services
- Illinois Department of Revenue, Central Registration DivisionIssues 1 permit on this page: Certificate of Registration (Form REG-1)Central Registration Division, Illinois Department of Revenue, PO Box 19030, Springfield, IL 62794-9030 · (217) 785-3707mytax.illinois.gov
- Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic OpportunityIssues 1 permit on this page: General Business License — Illinois position (city, not state)(800) 252-2923dceo.illinois.gov/smallbizassistance/beginhere/stepbystepguide.html
- Illinois Department of Early ChildhoodIssues 1 permit on this page: Day Care Centre License(217) 785-9160idec.illinois.gov/forproviders/licensure.html
What does a childcare centre need in St Clair County Il that other businesses do not?
1 of the 3 permits particular to a childcare centre here applies to no other business type we cover in St Clair County Il: Day Care Centre License.
Retail Food Establishment Permit
The county food ordinance applies to food establishments "within the County townships served by the St. Clair County Health Department, whether or not said establishments are located within the corporate limits of any Municipality", and §19-4-2 states: "This Chapter shall not apply to the four (4) townships served by the East Side Public Health District." The Food Safety page names those as Canteen, Centreville, East St. Louis and Stites townships, which contact the East Side Health District at 618-271-8722. The 2026 annual fee is set by size and risk category: Large $613, $602 or $573; Medium $390, $362 or $344; Small $223, $194 or $168 for Category 1, 2 or 3. Section 19-4-4(E)(2)(C) places "food trucks, self-contained push carts, mobile retail vendors" in the Small class. Concession operations open fewer than 95 days a year and not-for-profit establishments pay 50% of the category fee, each additional kitchen, additional mobile food establishment or departmental inspection is $84, and new establishments permitted July 1 to December 31 pay 50%; food pantries and self-operated school food service pay no fee. All figures are per Attachment C of the St. Clair County Retail Food Ordinance (County Code Chapter 19, Article IV, as amended by Ord. No. 24-1301, adopted October 28, 2024, §19-4-7 "Effective – January 1, 2025"), the 2026 column of the ordinance's even-year fee table, as linked from the Health Department's Food Safety page. The Food Safety page lists daycares (adult and child) among the operations it permits, while §19-4-3(J)(4) states that a food establishment does not include "A kitchen in a private home, such as an in-home daycare provider".
Retail Food Establishment Plan Review
County Code §19-4-4(E)(4) requires plans and specifications to be submitted to the Health Department for review and approval before construction, extensive remodeling or conversion of a food service establishment or retail food store begins, and also when an establishment is new to the address or changes ownership with a pause or delay in operations. The submission includes the layout, equipment, proposed menu, hours, any required HACCP plans, and current Food Protection Manager and allergen training certificates, and a pre-operational inspection follows. The ordinance states that a fee for the review of plans is charged based on the risk category (Attachment D). The Food Safety page lists the plan review steps and offers the Retail Food Establishment Plan Review Application by request via phone or email; contact the Environmental Health Division at (618) 233-7769 for the application and the current fee.
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 2 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in St Clair County Il, IL; what each one involves is set out on the St Clair County Il 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 St Clair County Il?
The closest match is a retail store, which shares 2 of these permits. A childcare centre also needs Day Care Centre License. A retail store needs County Retail Liquor License (Unincorporated St. Clair County), which a childcare centre does not.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a childcare centre | Only a childcare centre needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail stores | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Coffee shops | 6 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Food trucks | 6 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Restaurants | 7 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| Auto repair shops | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Contractors and trades | 4 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Fitness studios | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Salons and barbers | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Veterinary clinics | 1 | 0 | 3 | 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 St Clair County Il permits page and the IL state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Retail Food Ordinance, Code Chapter 19 Article IV (Ord. No. 24-1301, effective January 1, 2025)St. Clair County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-24
- Food SafetySt. Clair County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-24
- Health Dept - Food Ordinance (County Code)St. Clair County, Illinois · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-24
- 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
- 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.