9 permits · verified 2026-10-12
What permits do you need to open a childcare centre in Sedgwick County Ks?
In short
A childcare centre in Sedgwick County Ks, KS has 1 permit that applies to every business of this type, plus 8 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department (joint City of Wichita / Sedgwick County department) charges $50 per application, paid in advance when the application is submitted for the floodplain development permit (special flood hazard areas, unincorporated sedgwick county). 2 of the 9 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-12 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a childcare centre in Sedgwick County Ks
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Onsite Wastewater (Septic) System Construction Permit (premises not on public sewer, unincorporated Sedgwick County)only if it applies to you | Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department (joint City of Wichita / Sedgwick County department) | Wastewater Permit Fee $100; Wastewater Permit for Advanced Systems Fee $200 (MABCD Fees page). | one-time, per system constructed | 2026-10-12 |
| Child Care License | Kansas Office of Early Childhood, Child Care Licensing | No fee | annual renewal, with no state license fee at application or at renewal | 2026-09-04 |
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 Sedgwick County Ks
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Building Permit (new build, remodel or rebuild; unincorporated Sedgwick County)only if it applies to you | Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department (joint City of Wichita / Sedgwick County department) | Varies — formula on the Sedgwick County Ks page | one-time, per project | 2026-10-12 |
| Floodplain Development Permit (special flood hazard areas, unincorporated Sedgwick County)only if it applies to you | Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department (joint City of Wichita / Sedgwick County department) | $50 per application, paid in advance when the application is submitted | one-time, per development | 2026-10-12 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
KS 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 | Kansas Secretary of State, Business Services Division | $90 one-time filing | perpetual, but an information report is due every two years | 2026-09-04 |
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | Kansas Secretary of State, Business Services Division | $85 filed online; $90 on paper | perpetual, but an annual report is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| Corporation Annual Reportonly if it applies to you | Kansas Secretary of State, Business Services Division | $53 filed online; $55 on paper | annual — due within three and a half months of the close of the entity's tax year, commonly 15 April | 2026-09-04 |
| LLC Information Reportonly if it applies to you | Kansas Secretary of State, Business Services Division | $90 filed online, every two years; $110 on paper | biennial — an entity formed in an even year files in each succeeding even year, and the same pattern holds for odd years | 2026-09-04 |
| General Business License — Kansas Business Portal Positiononly if it applies to you | Kansas Secretary of State, Business Services Division | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-04 |
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 Sedgwick County Ks?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 9 records listed for a childcare centre in Sedgwick County Ks, KS, 1 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.
2 of the 9 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 2 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:
Onsite Wastewater (Septic) System Construction Permit (premises not on public sewer, unincorporated Sedgwick County): Wastewater Permit Fee $100; Wastewater Permit for Advanced Systems Fee $200 (MABCD Fees page).
The other 1 variable fee belongs to permits that apply to every type of business here; its formula is set out on the Sedgwick County Ks permits page and the KS state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Sedgwick County Ks?
Permits for a childcare centre in Sedgwick County Ks, KS come from 3 separate offices: Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department (joint City of Wichita / Sedgwick County department), Kansas Secretary of State, Business Services Division, Kansas Office of Early Childhood, Child Care Licensing. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department (joint City of Wichita / Sedgwick County department)Issues 3 permits on this page: Commercial Building Permit (new build, remodel or rebuild; unincorporated Sedgwick County), Floodplain Development Permit (special flood hazard areas, unincorporated Sedgwick County), Onsite Wastewater (Septic) System Construction Permit (premises not on public sewer, unincorporated Sedgwick County)271 W. 3rd St. N., Suite 101, Wichita, KS 67202 · 316-660-1840www.sedgwickcounty.org/mabcd
- Kansas Secretary of State, Business Services DivisionIssues 5 permits on this page, including Articles of Organization (LLC), Articles of Incorporation, Corporation Annual Report120 SW 10th Avenue, Topeka, KS 66612 · (785) 296-4564sos.ks.gov
- Kansas Office of Early Childhood, Child Care LicensingIssues 1 permit on this page: Child Care LicenseDocking State Office Building, 915 SW Harrison Street, Suite 320, Topeka, KS 66612 · (785) 296-1270www.koec.ks.gov/providers/child-care-licensing
What does a childcare centre need in Sedgwick County Ks that other businesses do not?
1 of the 2 permits particular to a childcare centre here applies to no other business type we cover in Sedgwick County Ks: Child Care License.
Child Care License
Kansas licenses both family child care homes, capped at twelve children, and larger child care centres, preschools and school-age programmes, as a genuine requirement rather than an optional registration — but the state charges nothing for the license itself. 2025 House Bill 2045 rewrote the fee statute so that, from 1 July 2025, 'there shall be no annual fee for a license to conduct a child care facility', and because that statute's license fee is the one paid when the license is applied for and annually thereafter, the old capacity-based charge of $75 plus $1 a child is gone at application and renewal alike. The same Act moved licensing from the health department to the Kansas Office of Early Childhood on 1 July 2026 and repeats the rule there: for any day care facility, there shall be no annual fee. What still costs money is the background check — the applicant or licensee pays $48 for each fingerprint-based check its owners, staff and adult household members need, a charge the health department resumed on 1 January 2026 and which carries over to the new office as its rule until revised. The Act also lets the office set a fee of up to $35 for an amended license, and keeps a $75 late fee for a license not renewed within 30 days of expiring.
Shared with other businesses in Sedgwick County Ks
- Onsite Wastewater (Septic) System Construction Permit (premises not on public sewer, unincorporated Sedgwick County) — Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department (joint City of Wichita / Sedgwick County department), Wastewater Permit Fee $100; Wastewater Permit for Advanced Systems Fee $200 (MABCD Fees page)., one-time, per system constructed. Also required for retail stores, fitness studios, salons and barbers and veterinary clinics; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
The other 2 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Sedgwick County Ks, KS; what each one involves is set out on the Sedgwick County Ks permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across KS and are covered on the KS state page.
How does a childcare centre compare with other businesses in Sedgwick County Ks?
The closest match is a fitness studio, which shares 1 of these permits. A childcare centre also needs Child Care License. A fitness studio needs nothing here that a childcare centre does not.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a childcare centre | Only a childcare centre needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fitness studios | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Salons and barbers | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Veterinary clinics | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Retail stores | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Auto repair shops | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Coffee shops | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Contractors and trades | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Food trucks | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Restaurants | 5 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
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 retail stores page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Sedgwick County Ks permits page and the KS state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Kansas Statutes section 65-505, as amended by 2025 House Bill 2045 (L. 2025, ch. 118, § 43) — no annual fee for a license to conduct a child care facilityOffice of Revisor of Statutes · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-18
- 2025 House Bill 2045, enrolled — New Section 18, no license fee for any day care facility under the Kansas Office of Early Childhood from 1 July 2026, and New Section 13, carrying existing rules over to the new officeKansas Legislature · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-18
- Kansas Legislative Research Department — Day Care Licensing and Surveying in Kansas (8 September 2026), confirming the Kansas Office of Early Childhood has run licensing since 1 July 2026Kansas Legislative Research Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-18
- Kansas Department of Health and Environment — Child Care Licensing, fees tab: the $48 fingerprint-based background check resumed on 1 January 2026 (Internet Archive capture, 3 June 2026)Kansas Department of Health and Environment · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-18
- Kansas Department of Health and Environment — CCL 008, licensing child care in Kansas (revised October 2025), the licence categories and the twelve-child ceiling for a family child care homeKansas Department of Health and Environment · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
Related
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.