10 permits · verified 2026-09-08
What permits do you need to open a childcare centre in Minneapolis?
In short
A childcare centre in Minneapolis, MN 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. 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 10 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-08 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a childcare centre in Minneapolis
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Child Care Licensing — State License Applies (Minneapolis)only if it applies to you | City of Minneapolis, Business Licenses & Consumer Services | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-08 |
| Child Care Centre License | Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families | $200–$1,100 a year, banded by licensed capacity, after a $500 application fee | annual — the license expires 31 December | 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 Minneapolis
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Business License — Minneapolis Activity-Specific License Listonly if it applies to you | City of Minneapolis, Business Licenses & Consumer Services | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-08 |
| Certificate of Occupancy | City of Minneapolis, Construction Code Services | No fee | required before occupying a new building or a new use of an existing one (MSBC section 1300.0220) | 2026-09-08 |
| Commercial Building Permit | City of Minneapolis, Construction Code Services | Varies — formula on the Minneapolis page | one-time, per project | 2026-09-08 |
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
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services Division | $135 one-time filing by post; $155 online or in person | perpetual, subject to a free annual renewal every December | 2026-09-03 |
| General Business License — Minnesota state positiononly if it applies to you | Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services Division | No fee | set by the city | 2026-09-03 |
| Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services Division | $135 one-time filing by post; $155 online or in person | perpetual, subject to a free annual renewal every December | 2026-09-03 |
| Annual Renewalonly if it applies to you | Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services Division | No fee | annual — due by 31 December every year after the year of formation | 2026-09-03 |
| Sales and Use Tax Account | Minnesota Department of Revenue, Business Registration | No fee | valid until cancelled or revoked | 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 Minneapolis?
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 Minneapolis, MN, 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.
2 of the 10 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 6 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:
Child Care Centre License: $200–$1,100 a year, banded by licensed capacity, after a $500 application fee
The other 1 variable fee belongs to permits that apply to every type of business here; its formula is set out on the Minneapolis permits page and the MN state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Minneapolis?
Permits for a childcare centre in Minneapolis, MN come from 5 separate offices: City of Minneapolis, Business Licenses & Consumer Services, City of Minneapolis, Construction Code Services, 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.
- City of Minneapolis, Business Licenses & Consumer ServicesIssues 2 permits on this page: General Business License — Minneapolis Activity-Specific License List, Child Care Licensing — State License Applies (Minneapolis)Public Service Building, 505 Fourth Avenue South, Room 220, Minneapolis, MN 55415 · (612) 673-2080www.minneapolismn.gov/business-services/licenses-permits-inspections/business-licenses
- City of Minneapolis, Construction Code ServicesIssues 2 permits on this page: Certificate of Occupancy, Commercial Building Permit(612) 673-2327www.minneapolismn.gov/business-services/licenses-permits-inspections/construction-permits
- Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services DivisionIssues 4 permits on this page: Articles of Incorporation, General Business License — Minnesota state position, Articles of Organization (LLC), Annual Renewal332 Minnesota Street, Suite N201, Saint Paul, MN 55101 · (651) 296-2803www.sos.mn.gov/business-liens
- Minnesota Department of Revenue, Business RegistrationIssues 1 permit on this page: Sales and Use Tax Account600 North Robert Street, St Paul, MN 55146 · (651) 282-5225www.revenue.state.mn.us/minnesota-tax-id-requirements
- Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and FamiliesIssues 1 permit on this page: Child Care Centre License444 Lafayette Road North, Saint Paul, MN 55155 · (651) 539-7700dcyf.mn.gov/partners-and-providers/licensing
What does a childcare centre need in Minneapolis 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 Minneapolis: Child Care Licensing — State License Applies (Minneapolis) and Child Care Centre License.
Child Care Licensing — State License Applies (Minneapolis)
The City charges no fee under this record. The City's daycare business guide states that the State of Minnesota provides the license for a daycare center and asks operators to check zoning with City staff before signing a lease. The same guide states that commercial day care centers must have a license to serve food in Minneapolis (the City's Institutional Food license, priced by floor area in the 2026 License Fees list), and that the first routine food inspection is scheduled within 60 days of opening.
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 other 3 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Minneapolis, MN; what each one involves is set out on the Minneapolis permits page. 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 Minneapolis?
The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A childcare centre also needs Child Care Licensing — State License Applies (Minneapolis) and Child Care Centre License. A auto repair shop needs Motor Vehicle Repair Garage License, Commercial Building Registration, Sign Permit and Automotive Repair Shop License — Minnesota state position, which a childcare centre does not.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a childcare centre | Only a childcare centre needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auto repair shops | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Coffee shops | 6 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| Contractors and trades | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Fitness studios | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Food trucks | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Restaurants | 6 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| Retail stores | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Salons and barbers | 5 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| Veterinary clinics | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
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 Minneapolis permits page and the MN state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- City of Minneapolis — Daycare Business GuideCity of Minneapolis · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-08
- 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.