Commercial Compliance Hub
Check requirements

20 permits · verified 2026-09-30

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

In short

A childcare centre in Wake County, NC has 3 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 17 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Wake County Planning & Development Services charges $50 per application, county-only, in the unincorporated portion of Wake County (Wake County planning and development fee schedule, as of 1/1/22) for the zoning permit (land use, home occupation and zoning letter). 8 of the 20 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-30 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a childcare centre in Wake County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Child Care Sanitation Plan Review and PermitWake County Environmental Health & SafetyWake County's Health and Safety Plan Review and Permit Fee Schedule marks both .2800 child care rows — 6 to 13 children, and more than 13 children — as requiring plan review and a permit, and leaves the plan review and permit fee cells for those rows empty, without the marker that flags the $120 NC DHHS annual fee on other rows of the same schedule. That schedule, the county's Child Care, Adult Day Care and Group Homes page and the county's December 2025 childcare, hotels and institutions submittal guide each describe the requirement and state no amount for it. Contact Wake County Environmental Health & Safety on 919-856-5700 or healthandsafety@wake.gov for the amount charged.a permit rather than a dated license; the county page states that child day care facilities are inspected twice a year, while adult day care centres and group homes are inspected once a year2026-09-30
Care Facilities Zoning Approval (unincorporated Wake County)only if it applies to youWake County Planning & Development Services$110 per application, county-only, in the unincorporated portion of Wake County; the schedule reduces it to $50 where a building inspection is not required, and additional fees may apply where septic verification is required (fee schedule as of 1/1/22)per application; the approval attaches to the facility and the approved use rather than renewing on a cycle2026-09-30
Onsite Wastewater (Septic) Permit — Residential and Small Systemsonly if it applies to youWake County Onsite Water ProtectionCounty-only, effective July 1, 2025: Improvement Permit, limited to less than 3 acres per evaluation, $400; Construction Authorization, which includes the Operation Permit and any requested revisions to an existing construction authorization, $400; both together $800; Verification for Change of Use or System Reuse on an existing system with no change to flow or lot size $400; Design Review Fee for Residential Permits $110; Field Consultation $100; Re-Inspection, charged for unnecessary return trips on lot evaluations and failed installation inspections, $200. Renewing a septic permit that has lapsed after five years is $400 for the construction authorization alone or $800 for both. Manufactured or mobile home relocation is $400 for the construction authorization, and the county charges nothing for a mobile home relocation inside a permitted mobile home park. As published on the Wake County Onsite Water Protection wastewater fees page.a septic permit lapses five years after issue; renewal is $400 for the construction authorization alone or $800 where both the improvement permit and construction authorization are renewed2026-09-30
Onsite Wastewater (Septic) Permit — Commercial and Engineered Systemsonly if it applies to youWake County Onsite Water ProtectionCounty-only totals, effective July 1, 2025: domestic strength up to 720 gallons per day, excluding industrial process wastewater, $910 in total — a $400 improvement permit, a $400 construction authorization and a $110 design review. Domestic strength above 720 and up to 3,000 gallons per day, and industrial process wastewater up to 3,000 gallons per day, $1,260 in total — $400, $400 and a $460 design review. Above 3,000 gallons per day, whether domestic strength or industrial process, the improvement permit and the construction authorization are each $400 per connection, a connection being 360 gallons per day, with design review varying by the number of connections. Operation and maintenance inspections of low-pressure pipe and alternative Type V and Type VI systems are $19 per connection. As published on the Wake County Onsite Water Protection wastewater fees page.a septic permit lapses five years after issue; the operation permit that comes with the construction authorization governs the system in use, and alternative systems carry recurring operation and maintenance inspection charges2026-09-30
Child Care Centre LicenseNorth Carolina Division of Child Development and Early Education$52–$600 a year, banded by licensed capacitythe fee is annual; the license itself remains valid until the state says otherwise2026-09-03

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 Wake County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Zoning Permit (land use, home occupation and zoning letter)only if it applies to youWake County Planning & Development Services$50 per application, county-only, in the unincorporated portion of Wake County (Wake County planning and development fee schedule, as of 1/1/22)per application; a zoning permit is obtained before or alongside the building permit for the same project, and a home occupation approval runs with the use2026-09-30
Minor Site Plan Review (unincorporated Wake County)only if it applies to youWake County Planning & Development Services$100 per application, county-only, in the unincorporated portion of Wake County (Wake County planning and development fee schedule, as of 1/1/22)per application, tied to the project under review2026-09-30
Building and Trade Re-Inspection Fee (unincorporated Wake County)only if it applies to youWake County Permits & InspectionsVaries — formula on the Wake County pageper re-inspection; payment is required before the re-inspection is scheduled2026-09-30
Regular Site Plan Review (unincorporated Wake County)only if it applies to youWake County Planning & Development Services$500 per application, county-only, in the unincorporated portion of Wake County (Wake County planning and development fee schedule, as of 1/1/22)per application, tied to the project under review2026-09-30
Special Use Permit or Modification (unincorporated Wake County)only if it applies to youWake County Planning & Development Services$800 per application, county-only, in the unincorporated portion of Wake County (Wake County planning and development fee schedule, as of 1/1/22)per application; the approval attaches to the property and the approved use rather than renewing on a cycle2026-09-30
Rezoning or Rezoning Modification (unincorporated Wake County)only if it applies to youWake County Planning & Development Services$1,000 per application, county-only, in the unincorporated portion of Wake County (Wake County planning and development fee schedule, as of 1/1/22)per application; a rezoning changes the zoning district on the property and does not renew on a cycle2026-09-30
Well Construction Permit (unincorporated Wake County)only if it applies to youWake County Onsite Water Protection$800 per new well, county-only; the county page states the fee includes pre-construction contamination source review, inspections, sample collection and laboratory analysis by Wake Countythe county page states that the permit is valid for five years2026-09-30
Approval to Use an Existing Well for New Constructiononly if it applies to youWake County Onsite Water Protection$125 per approval, county-only; the county page states the fee includes state-regulated well water testing for bacteria and inorganics, and that additional well water testing fees may apply under the Wake County Well Regulationsone-off, per approval, obtained when a new building is to be served by a well that already exists on the site2026-09-30
Erosion & Sedimentation Control and Commercial Stormwater Permitonly if it applies to youWake County Watershed ManagementVaries — formula on the Wake County pagethe plan must be renewed two years after its issue date, at $250 per acre for a two-year renewal or $125 per acre for a one-year renewal2026-09-30
Commercial Building and Trade Permit (unincorporated Wake County)only if it applies to youWake County Permits & InspectionsVaries — formula on the Wake County pageper project; the county's fee schedule opens by stating that Wake County issues a single permit for all projects, which covers all necessary work2026-09-30

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

NC 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
Certificate of Registration (sales and use tax)North Carolina Department of RevenueNo feeno renewal — but see the dormancy rule2026-09-03
Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youNorth Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division$125 one-time filingno expiry, but an annual report is due every 15 April2026-09-03
Annual Reportonly if it applies to youNorth Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration DivisionVaries — formula on the NC pageannual — 15 April for an LLC2026-09-03
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youNorth Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division$125 one-time filingno expiry, but an annual report is due each year2026-09-03
General Business License — North Carolina Secretary of State Positiononly if it applies to youNorth Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration DivisionNo feenot applicable2026-09-03

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 Wake County?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 20 records listed for a childcare centre in Wake County, NC, 3 apply to every business of this type and 17 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.

8 of the 20 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 2 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

Child Care Sanitation Plan Review and Permit: Wake County's Health and Safety Plan Review and Permit Fee Schedule marks both .2800 child care rows — 6 to 13 children, and more than 13 children — as requiring plan review and a permit, and leaves the plan review and permit fee cells for those rows empty, without the marker that flags the $120 NC DHHS annual fee on other rows of the same schedule. That schedule, the county's Child Care, Adult Day Care and Group Homes page and the county's December 2025 childcare, hotels and institutions submittal guide each describe the requirement and state no amount for it. Contact Wake County Environmental Health & Safety on 919-856-5700 or healthandsafety@wake.gov for the amount charged.

Onsite Wastewater (Septic) Permit — Residential and Small Systems: County-only, effective July 1, 2025: Improvement Permit, limited to less than 3 acres per evaluation, $400; Construction Authorization, which includes the Operation Permit and any requested revisions to an existing construction authorization, $400; both together $800; Verification for Change of Use or System Reuse on an existing system with no change to flow or lot size $400; Design Review Fee for Residential Permits $110; Field Consultation $100; Re-Inspection, charged for unnecessary return trips on lot evaluations and failed installation inspections, $200. Renewing a septic permit that has lapsed after five years is $400 for the construction authorization alone or $800 for both. Manufactured or mobile home relocation is $400 for the construction authorization, and the county charges nothing for a mobile home relocation inside a permitted mobile home park. As published on the Wake County Onsite Water Protection wastewater fees page.

Onsite Wastewater (Septic) Permit — Commercial and Engineered Systems: County-only totals, effective July 1, 2025: domestic strength up to 720 gallons per day, excluding industrial process wastewater, $910 in total — a $400 improvement permit, a $400 construction authorization and a $110 design review. Domestic strength above 720 and up to 3,000 gallons per day, and industrial process wastewater up to 3,000 gallons per day, $1,260 in total — $400, $400 and a $460 design review. Above 3,000 gallons per day, whether domestic strength or industrial process, the improvement permit and the construction authorization are each $400 per connection, a connection being 360 gallons per day, with design review varying by the number of connections. Operation and maintenance inspections of low-pressure pipe and alternative Type V and Type VI systems are $19 per connection. As published on the Wake County Onsite Water Protection wastewater fees page.

Child Care Centre License: $52–$600 a year, banded by licensed capacity

The other 4 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Wake County permits page and the NC state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Wake County?

Permits for a childcare centre in Wake County, NC come from 8 separate offices: Wake County Planning & Development Services, Wake County Environmental Health & Safety, Wake County Permits & Inspections, Wake County Onsite Water Protection, Wake County Watershed Management, North Carolina Department of Revenue, North Carolina Division of Child Development and Early Education, North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division. 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 Wake County that other businesses do not?

3 of the 5 permits particular to a childcare centre here apply to no other business type we cover in Wake County: Child Care Sanitation Plan Review and Permit, Care Facilities Zoning Approval (unincorporated Wake County) and Child Care Centre License.

Child Care Sanitation Plan Review and Permit

A child care facility in Wake County is inspected for sanitation by county Environmental Health & Safety under 15A NCAC 18A .2800, and the county's fee schedule marks the two .2800 rows — 6 to 13 children, and more than 13 children — as requiring both plan review and a permit. A facility caring for five children or fewer is listed on that schedule without either mark. The county's page states that child daycare facilities are inspected twice a year. This county role is sanitation only: the operating license for a child care centre comes from the NC DHHS Division of Child Development and Early Education, which the county's own Plan Review & Permits page lists among the other bodies an applicant must check with. The sanitation programme is countywide, reaching facilities inside Raleigh and all 12 municipalities. A separate county charge does apply to child care in the unincorporated area only: the Planning & Development Services fee schedule prices a Care Facilities approval at $110, listed as a separate Wake County requirement. A childcare centre with a kitchen is also subject to the food establishment rules, and one on a non-sewered site needs the county's onsite wastewater permits.

Care Facilities Zoning Approval (unincorporated Wake County)

A child care or day care facility opening in unincorporated Wake County pays $110 for the county's Care Facilities land-use approval, on the planning fee schedule headed as of 1/1/22. The schedule states that the $110 includes the building inspection, that the fee is $50 if a building inspection is not required, that additional fees may apply if septic verification is required, and that the line was formerly called Small Day Care and Family Care Home. This is a zoning and land-use charge and sits alongside two different things: the county's sanitation plan review and permit under 15A NCAC 18A .2800, which Environmental Health & Safety runs countywide and is listed as a separate Wake County requirement, and the operating license for the facility itself, which comes from the NC DHHS Division of Child Development and Early Education. The Care Facilities fee reaches only the unincorporated portion of the county, because Planning & Development Services states that it only has jurisdiction for properties located in the unincorporated portion of the county; a childcare centre inside Raleigh or any of the 11 other municipalities deals with that municipality for land use while still dealing with the county for sanitation. The county encourages a pre-submittal meeting for care facility projects before an application is filed.

Child Care Centre License

Four bands — $52 up to twelve children, $187 to fifty, $375 to a hundred and $600 above that — and the division charges exactly the statutory maximum in every one, so the bands cannot move without an act of the legislature. A family child care home pays the same $52 as the smallest centre. Banding is on the licensed capacity printed on the license rather than on how many children actually attend, measured on 1 October, with invoices emailed in early November and payable online only, in full. Religious-sponsored facilities operating under a letter of compliance are exempt, as are state, public school and community college facilities. Non-payment can revoke the license, on top of a ten per cent late fee and interest. The license itself does not expire — only a temporary license does, after six months.

Shared with other businesses in Wake County

  • Onsite Wastewater (Septic) Permit — Residential and Small Systems — Wake County Onsite Water Protection, County-only, effective July 1, 2025: Improvement Permit, limited to less than 3 acres per evaluation, $400; Construction Authorization, which includes the Operation Permit and any requested revisions to an existing construction authorization, $400; both together $800; Verification for Change of Use or System Reuse on an existing system with no change to flow or lot size $400; Design Review Fee for Residential Permits $110; Field Consultation $100; Re-Inspection, charged for unnecessary return trips on lot evaluations and failed installation inspections, $200. Renewing a septic permit that has lapsed after five years is $400 for the construction authorization alone or $800 for both. Manufactured or mobile home relocation is $400 for the construction authorization, and the county charges nothing for a mobile home relocation inside a permitted mobile home park. As published on the Wake County Onsite Water Protection wastewater fees page., a septic permit lapses five years after issue; renewal is $400 for the construction authorization alone or $800 where both the improvement permit and construction authorization are renewed. Also required for restaurants, coffee shops, fitness studios, auto repair shops, veterinary clinics and salons and barbers; what it involves is set out on the salons and barbers page.
  • Onsite Wastewater (Septic) Permit — Commercial and Engineered Systems — Wake County Onsite Water Protection, County-only totals, effective July 1, 2025: domestic strength up to 720 gallons per day, excluding industrial process wastewater, $910 in total — a $400 improvement permit, a $400 construction authorization and a $110 design review. Domestic strength above 720 and up to 3,000 gallons per day, and industrial process wastewater up to 3,000 gallons per day, $1,260 in total — $400, $400 and a $460 design review. Above 3,000 gallons per day, whether domestic strength or industrial process, the improvement permit and the construction authorization are each $400 per connection, a connection being 360 gallons per day, with design review varying by the number of connections. Operation and maintenance inspections of low-pressure pipe and alternative Type V and Type VI systems are $19 per connection. As published on the Wake County Onsite Water Protection wastewater fees page., a septic permit lapses five years after issue; the operation permit that comes with the construction authorization governs the system in use, and alternative systems carry recurring operation and maintenance inspection charges. Also required for restaurants, coffee shops, fitness studios, auto repair shops, veterinary clinics and salons and barbers; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.

The other 10 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Wake County, NC; what each one involves is set out on the Wake County permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across NC and are covered on the NC state page.

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

The closest match is a veterinary clinic, which shares 2 of these permits. A childcare centre also needs Child Care Sanitation Plan Review and Permit, Care Facilities Zoning Approval (unincorporated Wake County) and Child Care Centre License. A veterinary clinic needs Veterinary Facility Permit, which a childcare centre does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Wake County, NC, compared with a childcare centre
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a childcare centreOnly a childcare centre needsOnly it needs
Veterinary clinics3231
Fitness studios4232
Auto repair shops5233
Salons and barbers5233
Coffee shops10238
Restaurants11239
Contractors and trades3053
Food trucks5055
Retail stores5055

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 shared with other businesses are listed with their explanations on the salons and barbers page and restaurants page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Wake County permits page and the NC state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Wake County Environmental Health and Safety — plan review and permit fee matrixWake County · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
  2. Wake County Child Care, Adult Day Care and Group Homes — child day care facilities inspected twice a year, adult day care centres and group homes once a yearWake County Environmental Health & Safety · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-30
  3. Wake County Submittal Guide — Childcare, Hotels and Institutions (December 2025), walking through the online application for the .2800, .1800 and .1300 facility typesWake County Environmental Health & Safety · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-30
  4. Wake County Environmental Health & Safety — Plan Review & Permits: opening a new facility or buying an existing oneWake County · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-18
  5. Wake County Planning and Development Fees, as of 1/1/22 — zoning permit, site plan review, special use, rezoning, care facilities, ABC permit, subdivision and long range planning feesWake County Planning & Development Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-30
  6. About Wake County Planning & Development Services — jurisdiction limited to properties in the unincorporated portion of the county, the ETJ explanation and pre-submittal meetingsWake County Planning & Development Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-30
  7. Wake County Unified Development Ordinance — codified through Ordinance No. OA-05-25, adopted October 20, 2025 (Supp. No. 9), with Ordinance No. OA-01-26, adopted June 15, 2026, listed as adopted and not yet codifiedWake County, published by Municode · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-30
  8. North Carolina Division of Child Development and Early Education — annual license feeNorth Carolina Division of Child Development and Early Education · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
  9. North Carolina General Statutes section 110-90 — maximum child care licensing fees by capacityNorth Carolina General Assembly · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08

Related

Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.