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9 permits · verified 2026-10-13

What permits do you need to open a childcare centre in St Louis County Mn?

In short

A childcare centre in St Louis County Mn, MN has 2 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 7 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. St. Louis County Public Health & Human Services — Child Care Licensing charges $50 per initial license or renewal (2026 Fee Schedule: initial $50, renewal $50; in effect through December 31, 2026) for the family child care license (county licensing fee). 3 of the 9 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 St Louis County Mn

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Family Child Care License (county licensing fee)only if it applies to youSt. Louis County Public Health & Human Services — Child Care Licensing$50 per initial license or renewal (2026 Fee Schedule: initial $50, renewal $50; in effect through December 31, 2026)per initial license or renewal, as listed in the county's 2026 Fee Schedule2026-10-13
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.

Local permits that apply to every type of business in St Louis County Mn

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
SSTS (Septic) Permit to Construct and Operating Permitonly if it applies to youSt. Louis County Planning & Zoning — Onsite Wastewater DivisionVaries — formula on the St Louis County Mn pagepermit to construct per project; operating permit renewed on the county's renewal cycle2026-10-13
Land Use Permit, Home Business (Performance Standard) Permit and Conditional Use Permitonly if it applies to youSt. Louis County Planning & Zoning — Land Use DivisionVaries — formula on the St Louis County Mn pageper permit, for the approved project or use2026-10-13

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 St Louis County Mn?

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 St Louis County Mn, MN, 2 apply to every business of this type and 7 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.

3 of the 9 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:

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

The other 2 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the St Louis County Mn permits page and the MN state page.

Which offices issue these permits in St Louis County Mn?

Permits for a childcare centre in St Louis County Mn, MN come from 6 separate offices: St. Louis County Public Health & Human Services — Child Care Licensing, St. Louis County Planning & Zoning — Onsite Wastewater Division, St. Louis County Planning & Zoning — Land Use Division, 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 St Louis County Mn 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 St Louis County Mn: Family Child Care License (county licensing fee) and Child Care Centre License.

Family Child Care License (county licensing fee)

A provider caring for children in a family or group family child care home applies through St. Louis County. The county's Family Child Care Licensing page states: "St. Louis County is responsible for licensing family childcare homes in the county. Providers who care for children from more than one family must be licensed. The county conducts orientations, background studies, home interviews, safety checks, recommends licensure, conducts investigations, and supports providers"; the county recommends licensure and the state issues the license, and the page says the process generally takes between 5 and 9 months. The county's 2026 Fee Schedule sets a $50 initial license fee and a $50 renewal fee. Minn. Stat. §142B.12 subd. 1(b) bars application or license fees for family and group family child care except as subd. 2 allows, and subd. 2(a) lets a county agency charge a license fee "not to exceed $50 for a one-year license or $100 for a two-year license." Child care centres are licensed by the state and are covered by the Minnesota state records, not this county record. The figure is from the St. Louis County 2026 Fee Schedule (amended by the County Board after the public hearing on January 27, 2026; originally adopted November 4, 2025 by Resolution No. 25-527), which is in effect through December 31, 2026.

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 2 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in St Louis County Mn, MN; what each one involves is set out on the St Louis County Mn 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 St Louis County Mn?

The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A childcare centre also needs Family Child Care License (county licensing fee) and Child Care Centre License. A auto repair shop needs Automotive Repair Shop License — Minnesota state position, which a childcare centre does not.

Permits particular to each business type in St Louis County Mn, MN, compared with a childcare centre
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a childcare centreOnly a childcare centre needsOnly it needs
Auto repair shops1021
Coffee shops2022
Contractors and trades3023
Fitness studios0020
Food trucks2022
Restaurants3023
Retail stores4024
Salons and barbers2022
Veterinary clinics1021

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 St Louis County Mn permits page and the MN state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. 2026 Fee Schedule — Amended by the St. Louis County Board after the Public Hearing on January 27, 2026 (Originally Adopted November 4, 2025 – Resolution No. 25-527)St. Louis County, Minnesota · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
  2. Family Child Care LicensingSt. Louis County Public Health & Human Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
  3. 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.