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13 permits · verified 2026-09-28

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

In short

A childcare centre in Oakland County, MI has 3 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 10 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Oakland County Clerk / Register of Deeds, Vital Records charges $10 one-time filing fee for the assumed name (dba) certificate. 5 of the 13 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-28 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a childcare centre in Oakland County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Child Care / Adult Foster Care Facility Inspection (state license, county-performed inspection)Oakland County Health Division (OCHD), Environmental Health Services UnitPartial inspection $125; full inspection $213; plan review (includes opening inspection) $300; re-inspections after 90 days are charged the same amount.per inspection cycle set by the state licensing agency (MDHHS/LARA, depending on facility type) that requests it; the county's part is the inspection, with the license term set by the state2026-09-28
Child Care Centre LicenseMichigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement and Potential, Child Care Licensing Bureau$150–$300 original application, banded by capacity; renewal is exactly halfa six-month original license first, then two 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 Oakland County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
General Business License — Oakland County Positiononly if it applies to youOakland County Government — Business Development and Facilities ManagementNo feenot applicable — the county's Business Development page states that Oakland County does not require a business license2026-09-28
Zoning Approval — City, Village or Township Issues (Oakland County)only if it applies to youOakland County Government — Business Development and Facilities ManagementNo feenot applicable2026-09-28
Assumed Name (DBA) Certificateonly if it applies to youOakland County Clerk / Register of Deeds, Vital Records$10 one-time filing fee5 years, renewable2026-09-28
On-Site Sewage Disposal (Septic) Permitonly if it applies to youOakland County Health Division (OCHD), Environmental Health Services UnitVaries — formula on the Oakland County pageper project, for new construction, repair/replacement or alteration of an on-site sewage disposal system; the installer license itself renews annually2026-09-28
Water Well Permitonly if it applies to youOakland County Health Division (OCHD), Environmental Health Services UnitVaries — formula on the Oakland County pageper well, for the specific construction, replacement, augmentation, irrigation, geothermal or abandonment project applied for2026-09-28
Building/Construction Permit — Local Community Issues (Oakland County)only if it applies to youOakland County Government — Business Development and Facilities ManagementNo feenot applicable2026-09-28

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

MI 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 youMichigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Corporations, Securities and Commercial Licensing Bureau$50 one-time filing, non-refundableno expiry, but an annual statement is due every 15 February2026-09-03
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youMichigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Corporations, Securities and Commercial Licensing Bureau$60 one-time minimum — a $10 fee plus an organization fee from $50, banded by authorised sharesno expiry, but an annual report is due every 15 May2026-09-03
General Business License — Michigan state positiononly if it applies to youMichigan Department of Agriculture and Rural DevelopmentNo feenot applicable at state level2026-09-03
Sales Tax LicenseMichigan Department of TreasuryNo feeissued yearly, valid January to December2026-09-03
Annual Report or Annual Statementonly if it applies to youMichigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Corporations, Securities and Commercial Licensing BureauVaries — formula on the MI pageannual — 15 February for an LLC, 15 May for a corporation2026-09-03

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 Oakland County?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 13 records listed for a childcare centre in Oakland County, MI, 3 apply to every business of this type and 10 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.

5 of the 13 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 5 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

Child Care / Adult Foster Care Facility Inspection (state license, county-performed inspection): Partial inspection $125; full inspection $213; plan review (includes opening inspection) $300; re-inspections after 90 days are charged the same amount.

Child Care Centre License: $150–$300 original application, banded by capacity; renewal is exactly half

The other 3 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Oakland County permits page and the MI state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Oakland County?

Permits for a childcare centre in Oakland County, MI come from 7 separate offices: Oakland County Government — Business Development and Facilities Management, Oakland County Clerk / Register of Deeds, Vital Records, Oakland County Health Division (OCHD), Environmental Health Services Unit, Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Corporations, Securities and Commercial Licensing Bureau, Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Michigan Department of Treasury, Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement and Potential, Child Care Licensing Bureau. 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 Oakland County 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 Oakland County: Child Care / Adult Foster Care Facility Inspection (state license, county-performed inspection) and Child Care Centre License.

Child Care / Adult Foster Care Facility Inspection (state license, county-performed inspection)

Oakland County's own Environmental Health page lists daycare centers, foster homes and group homes among the facilities the county inspects, separately from the programs it licenses or permits. A child day care facility, child caring institution, or children's or adult foster care home is licensed by the State of Michigan — MDHHS or LARA, depending on the facility type — and OCHD Environmental Health inspects these facilities as part of that state licensing process, under a Comprehensive Planning, Budgeting and Contracting agreement with MDHHS. The 2026 Environmental Health Fee Schedule linked from that page prices a Child/Adult Care Facility Inspection at $125 for a partial inspection and $213 for a full inspection, and a plan review (including the opening inspection) at $300; re-inspections after 90 days are charged the same amount. A childcare business's actual operating license remains a state matter throughout.

Child Care Centre License

Four capacity bands — $150 up to twenty children, then $200, $250 and $300 above a hundred — and the renewal is exactly half the original in every band, which the public application page does not show at all; those figures live on the renewal form and in statute. Get the agency right, because most guidance is stale: child care licensing moved from the regulatory affairs department to the new lifelong education department, and content naming LARA is out of date. A home-based provider pays far less, $50 for a family home of up to six children or $100 for a group home of seven to twelve, and homes are licensed to the individual rather than to a business. A group home also needs local zoning approval. Fees are non-refundable even if the license is refused, and licensing takes three to twelve months for a centre.

The other 6 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Oakland County, MI; what each one involves is set out on the Oakland County permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across MI and are covered on the MI state page.

How does a childcare centre compare with other businesses in Oakland County?

The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A childcare centre also needs Child Care / Adult Foster Care Facility Inspection (state license, county-performed inspection) and Child Care Centre License. A auto repair shop needs Auto Repair Facility Registration — Michigan Department of State (Oakland County), Motor Vehicle Repair Facility Registration and Mechanic Certification, which a childcare centre does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Oakland County, MI, compared with a childcare centre
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a childcare centreOnly a childcare centre needsOnly it needs
Auto repair shops3023
Coffee shops6026
Contractors and trades3023
Fitness studios2022
Food trucks7027
Restaurants5025
Retail stores2022
Salons and barbers5025
Veterinary clinics5025

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 Oakland County permits page and the MI state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Environmental Health program overviewOakland County Health Division · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
  2. Michigan MiLEAP — apply for a child care centre licenseMichigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement and Potential · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
  3. Michigan MiLEAP — apply for a child care home licenseMichigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement and Potential · 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.