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7 permits · verified 2026-10-13

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

In short

A childcare centre in Anoka County, MN has 2 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 5 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services Division charges $135 one-time filing by post; $155 online or in person for the articles of incorporation. 2 of the 7 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-13 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a childcare centre in Anoka County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Family / Group Family Child Care Home License (county-delegated)only if it applies to youAnoka County Human Services, Family Child Care Licensing UnitContact the Family Child Care Licensing Unit at 763-324-1235 for the current initial and renewal licensing fees (Minn. Stat. §142B.12 subd. 2 limits county family child care license fees).set by the state license; the county invoices renewal licensing2026-10-13
Child Care Centre LicenseMinnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families$200–$1,100 a year, banded by licensed capacity, after a $500 application feeannual — the license expires 31 December2026-09-03

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

MN 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 Incorporationonly if it applies to youOffice of the Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services Division$135 one-time filing by post; $155 online or in personperpetual, subject to a free annual renewal every December2026-09-03
General Business License — Minnesota state positiononly if it applies to youOffice of the Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services DivisionNo feeset by the city2026-09-03
Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youOffice of the Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services Division$135 one-time filing by post; $155 online or in personperpetual, subject to a free annual renewal every December2026-09-03
Annual Renewalonly if it applies to youOffice of the Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services DivisionNo feeannual — due by 31 December every year after the year of formation2026-09-03
Sales and Use Tax AccountMinnesota Department of Revenue, Business RegistrationNo feevalid until cancelled or revoked2026-09-03

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 Anoka County?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 7 records listed for a childcare centre in Anoka County, MN, 2 apply to every business of this type and 5 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 7 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:

Family / Group Family Child Care Home License (county-delegated): Contact the Family Child Care Licensing Unit at 763-324-1235 for the current initial and renewal licensing fees (Minn. Stat. §142B.12 subd. 2 limits county family child care license fees).

Child Care Centre License: $200–$1,100 a year, banded by licensed capacity, after a $500 application fee

Which offices issue these permits in Anoka County?

Permits for a childcare centre in Anoka County, MN come from 4 separate offices: Anoka County Human Services, Family Child Care Licensing Unit, Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services Division, Minnesota Department of Revenue, Business Registration, Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families. 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 Anoka 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 Anoka County: Family / Group Family Child Care Home License (county-delegated) and Child Care Centre License.

Family / Group Family Child Care Home License (county-delegated)

A provider caring for children in their own home (family or group family child care) is licensed through Anoka County. The county's About the Licensing Process page states that the Anoka County Family Child Care Licensing Unit, "as an agent of the State of Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families is responsible to license and monitor in home family child care providers within the county." Its How to Get Licensed page states that "Anoka County requires applicants to complete orientation prior to applying for a family child care license"; a self-paced orientation is available, after which an application packet is emailed. A provider whose license closed more than 12 months ago must repeat orientation. Licensed providers maintain their license through the state's online Provider Hub. Child care centers are licensed directly by the State of Minnesota, according to the same page, and are covered by the state record rather than this county one.

Child Care Centre License

Get the agency right: child care licensing moved out of the human services department into the new Department of Children, Youth, and Families, and the governing chapter changed with it, so guidance naming DHS or the old chapter is out of date. A centre pays $500 up front, non-refundable and not prorated, which stands in place of the first year's license fee, and then an annual fee running from $200 up to twenty-four children in ten steps to $1,100 above two hundred and twenty-five. A family or group family child care home pays the state nothing at all — counties license those, and a county may charge at most $50 for a year or $100 for two, and may even deduct it from assistance payments. Non-payment is not an enforcement matter but an expiry one: the license simply lapses on 31 December and the provider must reapply and pay the $500 again. A centre that serves food is also a low-risk food establishment and will hold a food license too.

The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across MN and are covered on the MN state page.

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

The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A childcare centre also needs Family / Group Family Child Care Home License (county-delegated) and Child Care Centre License. A auto repair shop needs Hazardous Waste / Used Oil Generator License and Automotive Repair Shop License — Minnesota state position, which a childcare centre does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Anoka County, MN, compared with a childcare centre
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a childcare centreOnly a childcare centre needsOnly it needs
Auto repair shops2022
Coffee shops6026
Contractors and trades6026
Fitness studios1021
Food trucks4024
Restaurants6026
Retail stores5025
Salons and barbers3023
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 Anoka County permits page and the MN state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Family Child Care How to Get LicensedAnoka County · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
  2. About the Licensing Process (family child care)Anoka County · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
  3. Family Child Care LicensingAnoka County · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
  4. Minnesota Statutes section 142B.12 — child care license fees by capacity, and the absence of a fee for family child careMinnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes · 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.