10 permits · verified 2026-09-08
What permits do you need to open a childcare centre in St Paul?
In short
A childcare centre in St Paul, 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. 4 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 St Paul
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conditional Use Permit for Day Care in a Residential Zoneonly if it applies to you | City of Saint Paul, Department of Safety and Inspections | $800 for up to 1 acre of land, plus $200 for each additional acre; an additional $180 applies for a river corridor conditional use permit. | one-time | 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 St Paul
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fire Certificate of Occupancy | City of Saint Paul, Department of Safety and Inspections | Varies — formula on the St Paul page | recurring, by occupancy type — Assembly and Institutional every 2 years; Business, Education, Factory, Mercantile, and Storage every 3 years; Hazardous every 1 year | 2026-09-08 |
| Commercial Building Permit | City of Saint Paul, Department of Safety and Inspections | Varies — formula on the St Paul page | one-time, per project | 2026-09-08 |
| General Business License — City of Saint Paul positiononly if it applies to you | City of Saint Paul, Department of Safety and Inspections | No fee | not applicable | 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 St Paul?
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 St Paul, 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.
4 of the 10 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 4 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:
Conditional Use Permit for Day Care in a Residential Zone: $800 for up to 1 acre of land, plus $200 for each additional acre; an additional $180 applies for a river corridor conditional use permit.
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 Paul permits page and the MN state page.
Which offices issue these permits in St Paul?
Permits for a childcare centre in St Paul, MN come from 4 separate offices: City of Saint Paul, Department of Safety and Inspections, 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 Saint Paul, Department of Safety and InspectionsIssues 4 permits on this page: Fire Certificate of Occupancy, Commercial Building Permit, Conditional Use Permit for Day Care in a Residential Zone, General Business License — City of Saint Paul position375 Jackson Street, Suite 220, Saint Paul, MN 55101-1806 · (651) 266-8989www.stpaul.gov/departments/safety-inspections
- 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 St Paul 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 Paul: Conditional Use Permit for Day Care in a Residential Zone and Child Care Centre License.
Conditional Use Permit for Day Care in a Residential Zone
Family day care, group family day care, and child care centers need a Conditional Use Permit in residential zoning districts, unless operated by a religious institution, other tax-exempt organization, or government agency. The fee document is dated 2016 — the figures were independently cross-checked against a separate source and matched, but currency for 2026 could not be fully confirmed.
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 St Paul, MN; what each one involves is set out on the St Paul 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 Paul?
The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A childcare centre also needs Conditional Use Permit for Day Care in a Residential Zone and Child Care Centre License. A auto repair shop needs Auto Repair Garage / Auto Body Repair Shop License, Business 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 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Coffee shops | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Contractors and trades | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Fitness studios | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Food trucks | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Restaurants | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Retail stores | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Salons and barbers | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Veterinary clinics | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
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 Paul permits page and the MN state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- City of Saint Paul — Zoning Fees (updated March 2, 2016)City of Saint Paul, DSI · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-08
- City of Saint Paul Planning Commission — Religious and Accessory Uses, Day Care Conditional UseCity of Saint Paul · 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.