Commercial Compliance Hub
Check requirements

9 permits · verified 2026-10-13

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

In short

A childcare centre in Washington 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. 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 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 Washington County Mn

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Day Care Centre Food Licenseonly if it applies to youWashington County Public Health and EnvironmentDay Care Center with Food Prep $703; Day Care Center with Limited Food Prep $429calendar year; licenses are valid through December 31 annually (Ordinance 215 §5.7)2026-10-13
Family Child Care License (county licensing fee)only if it applies to youWashington County Community Services — Child Care LicensingNew license: $0 for new applications. Relicensing: $50 annually, invoiced each fall for the upcoming year.annual (relicensing fee charged each year)2026-10-13
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 Washington County Mn

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
SSTS (Septic) Installation, Repair and Soil Review Permitonly if it applies to youWashington County Public Health and EnvironmentVaries — formula on the Washington County Mn pageper permit, for the approved installation at the specified location2026-10-13

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 Washington 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 Washington 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.

4 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:

Day Care Centre Food License: Day Care Center with Food Prep $703; Day Care Center with Limited Food Prep $429

Family Child Care License (county licensing fee): New license: $0 for new applications. Relicensing: $50 annually, invoiced each fall for the upcoming year.

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 Washington County Mn permits page and the MN state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Washington County Mn?

Permits for a childcare centre in Washington County Mn, MN come from 5 separate offices: Washington County Public Health and Environment, Washington County Community Services — Child Care Licensing, 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 Washington County Mn that other businesses do not?

3 of the 3 permits particular to a childcare centre here apply to no other business type we cover in Washington County Mn: Day Care Centre Food License, Family Child Care License (county licensing fee) and Child Care Centre License.

Day Care Centre Food License

A child care centre that serves food holds a food license from Washington County Public Health and Environment in addition to its state child care license. The 2026 Fees and Definitions table covers "Any child-care facility which meets the requirements for licensing by the Minnesota Department of Human Services under Minnesota Rules Chapter 9503 which provides care of six or more children for periods of more than three hours but less than 24 hours," including nursery schools, after school programs and child day care centres. A centre "where food is prepared and served on-site" pays $703; a centre "where food preparation is limited to snacks or catered foods only" pays $429, and on-site preparation of potentially hazardous foods is not permitted in that category. The state child care centre license itself is covered in the Minnesota state records. The figure is from the "2026 Fees and Definitions" table on Washington County Public Health and Environment's Food Service Establishments page (the county's official fee page), which covers calendar 2026 and is in effect through December 31, 2026. Contact Washington County Public Health and Environment at 651-430-6655 or PHE@washingtoncountymn.gov.

Family Child Care License (county licensing fee)

The county's Child Care Licensing page states: "Washington County Community Services licenses in-home family child care providers." It lists "$0 for new applications" for a new license and "$50 annually" for relicensing applications, and says "Providers will receive an invoice each fall to pay license fees for the upcoming year." Prospective providers complete a required orientation before applying; providers must pass fire inspections and criminal record checks and take annual child care training, and licensing staff conduct yearly home inspections. Minn. Stat. §142B.12 subd. 1(b) states that "no application or license fee shall be charged for child foster care or family and group family child care" except under subdivision 2, 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"; the county's $50 is within that cap. Child care centres are licensed by the state and are covered by the Minnesota state records, not this county record. Contact Child Care Licensing at 651-430-8307.

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 1 local permit in the tables apply to every type of business in Washington County Mn, MN; what each one involves is set out on the Washington 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 Washington County Mn?

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

Permits particular to each business type in Washington County Mn, MN, compared with a childcare centre
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a childcare centreOnly a childcare centre needsOnly it needs
Auto repair shops2032
Coffee shops4034
Contractors and trades4034
Fitness studios1031
Food trucks4034
Restaurants5035
Retail stores5035
Salons and barbers3033
Veterinary clinics2032

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

  1. Food Service Establishments — Licensing & Plan Review Requirements; 2026 Fees and DefinitionsWashington County Public Health and Environment · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
  2. Ordinance No. 215, Food Code Ordinance (approved October 18, 2022; published October 26, 2022)Washington County, Minnesota · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
  3. Child Care Licensing — Child Care Provider Licensing FeesWashington County Community Services · 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.