Commercial Compliance Hub
Check requirements

12 permits · verified 2026-10-07

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

In short

A childcare centre in Will County, IL has 4 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 8 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services charges $150 one-time filing for the articles of organization (llc). 7 of the 12 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-07 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a childcare centre in Will County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Food Establishment PermitWill County Health Department — Division of Environmental Health$306–$876 per calendar year, by seats: 0 (carry-out) to 40 seats $306; 41–100 seats $480; 101 seats and over $876; commissary and caterers $876; school milk cooler only $60; permits issued after July 1 are half the annual fee; 25% late penalty after December 31calendar year (January 1 – December 31); renewal fee due no later than December 31 (Ordinance §114.015-A, -F)2026-10-07
Food Establishment Plan Reviewonly if it applies to youWill County Health Department — Division of Environmental Health$228–$684 per review: minor plan review $228; food establishment 0–40 seats $312, 41–100 seats $474, 101 seats and over $684; commissary and caterers $684; priority review (7 days) is 2 x the applicable plan review feeone-time, per construction, remodeling or conversion project2026-10-07
Public Swimming Facility Licenseonly if it applies to youWill County Health Department — Division of Environmental HealthSwimming facility licensure fee $300; where there is more than one feature at the same location and under the same ownership, an additional flat fee of $75; bathing beach licensure $250; re-inspection $50; conference $150May 1 – April 30; the annual fee is due no later than April 30 (Ordinance §97.04-B, -C)2026-10-07
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 Will County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Water Well Permitonly if it applies to youWill County Health Department — Division of Environmental HealthVaries — formula on the Will County pageper project2026-10-07
County Highway Access Permitonly if it applies to youWill County Division of TransportationVaries — formula on the Will County pageper access permit2026-10-07
Commercial Building Permit (Alteration, Tenant Build-out, New Commercial, Change of Use)only if it applies to youWill County Land Use Department — Building DivisionVaries — formula on the Will County pageper project2026-10-07

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 Will County?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 12 records listed for a childcare centre in Will County, IL, 4 apply to every business of this type and 8 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.

7 of the 12 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:

Food Establishment Permit: $306–$876 per calendar year, by seats: 0 (carry-out) to 40 seats $306; 41–100 seats $480; 101 seats and over $876; commissary and caterers $876; school milk cooler only $60; permits issued after July 1 are half the annual fee; 25% late penalty after December 31

Food Establishment Plan Review: $228–$684 per review: minor plan review $228; food establishment 0–40 seats $312, 41–100 seats $474, 101 seats and over $684; commissary and caterers $684; priority review (7 days) is 2 x the applicable plan review fee

Public Swimming Facility License: Swimming facility licensure fee $300; where there is more than one feature at the same location and under the same ownership, an additional flat fee of $75; bathing beach licensure $250; re-inspection $50; conference $150

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

Which offices issue these permits in Will County?

Permits for a childcare centre in Will County, IL come from 7 separate offices: Will County Health Department — Division of Environmental Health, Will County Division of Transportation, Will County Land Use Department — Building Division, 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 Will County that other businesses do not?

1 of the 4 permits particular to a childcare centre here applies to no other business type we cover in Will County: Day Care Centre License.

Public Swimming Facility License

A fitness studio, club or childcare centre that operates a public swimming facility needs an annual license from the Will County Health Department to open to the public; §97.04-D applies the ordinance and its fees "to all public swimming facilities in Will County". Appendix A sets a $300 swimming facility licensure fee and states: "Where there is more than one feature at the same location and under the same ownership, an additional flat fee of $75 shall be charged." A bathing beach license is $250, a re-inspection $50 and a conference $150. Figures are per Appendix A of the Public Swimming Facility Ordinance (adopted September 2009, amended August 20, 2015, revised February 14, 2018 and April 18, 2024), as linked from the Health Department's Ordinances page. The license runs May 1 to April 30, must be displayed and is not transferable to a new owner. Construction and major-alteration permits for a pool come from the Illinois Department of Public Health before the county license. A studio without a pool has no pool license.

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.

Shared with other businesses in Will County

  • Food Establishment Permit — Will County Health Department — Division of Environmental Health, $306–$876 per calendar year, by seats: 0 (carry-out) to 40 seats $306; 41–100 seats $480; 101 seats and over $876; commissary and caterers $876; school milk cooler only $60; permits issued after July 1 are half the annual fee; 25% late penalty after December 31, calendar year (January 1 – December 31); renewal fee due no later than December 31 (Ordinance §114.015-A, -F). Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.
  • Food Establishment Plan Review — Will County Health Department — Division of Environmental Health, $228–$684 per review: minor plan review $228; food establishment 0–40 seats $312, 41–100 seats $474, 101 seats and over $684; commissary and caterers $684; priority review (7 days) is 2 x the applicable plan review fee, one-time, per construction, remodeling or conversion project. Also required for restaurants, coffee shops, food trucks and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the food trucks page.

The other 3 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Will County, IL; what each one involves is set out on the Will County 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 Will County?

The closest match is a coffee shop, which shares 2 of these permits. A childcare centre also needs Public Swimming Facility License and Day Care Centre License. A coffee shop needs Temporary and Multiple-Location Temporary Food Permit, County Retail Liquor License (Unincorporated Will County), Retail Food Establishment Permit and 2 more, which a childcare centre does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Will County, IL, compared with a childcare centre
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a childcare centreOnly a childcare centre needsOnly it needs
Coffee shops7225
Fitness studios2131
Restaurants8226
Food trucks6135
Retail stores6135
Auto repair shops0040
Contractors and trades4044
Salons and barbers1041
Veterinary clinics2042

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 restaurants page and food trucks page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Will County permits page and the IL state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Will County Public Swimming Facility Ordinance (revised April 18, 2024), Appendix A fee scheduleWill County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-07
  2. OrdinancesWill County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-07
  3. 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
  4. 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.