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12 permits · verified 2026-09-12

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

In short

A childcare centre in Concord, NH has 6 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 6 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City of Concord, Code Administration Division, Health & Licensing Services charges $165 annual, per facility for the group daycare facility food service license (class iv). 6 of the 12 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-12 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a childcare centre in Concord

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Group Daycare Facility Food Service License (Class IV)City of Concord, Code Administration Division, Health & Licensing Services$165 annual, per facilityannual2026-09-12
Day-Care Facility Fire InspectionConcord Fire Department, Fire Prevention Bureau$50–$80 banded by facility size: family day-care home (up to 6 children) $50.00; group day-care home (7-12 children) $55.00; day-care center or nursery (more than 12 children, or more than 4 children under age 2) $80.00; foster care (up to 3 children) $50.00not stated in the published fee schedule2026-09-12
Child Care Programme LicenseNew Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, Child Care Licensing UnitFee not found — the current 85-page rule imposes fines for violations but states no dollar figure for the license itselfa new applicant first receives a six-month permit; renewal is a 3-year license2026-09-04

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 Concord

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Change of Occupancy (Certificate of Occupancy) FeeCity of Concord, Code Administration Division$50 one-time, per applicationone-time — issued for a new occupancy or a change of business use2026-09-12
Zoning Board of Adjustment Application (Variance, Special Exception, Appeal)only if it applies to youCity of Concord, Planning Division (Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment)Varies — formula on the Concord pageone-time, per application2026-09-12
Planning Board Site Plan Review / Conditional Use Permitonly if it applies to youCity of Concord, Planning Division (Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment)Varies — formula on the Concord pageone-time, per application2026-09-12
Building PermitCity of Concord, Code Administration DivisionVaries — formula on the Concord pageone-time, per project — not stated in the published fee schedule2026-09-12
Fire Suppression / Alarm System Plan Review and InspectionConcord Fire Department, Fire Prevention BureauVaries — formula on the Concord pageone-time, per project or system2026-09-12

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

NH 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
Annual Reportonly if it applies to youNew Hampshire Secretary of State, Corporation Division$100 a year; a late fee of $50 is added after 1 Aprilannual — due 1 April every year2026-09-04
Certificate of Formation (LLC)only if it applies to youNew Hampshire Secretary of State, Corporation Division$100 one-time filing; a $2 handling charge applies to any electronic filingperpetual, but an annual report is due every year2026-09-04
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youNew Hampshire Secretary of State, Corporation Division$100 one-time filing; a $2 handling charge applies to any electronic filingperpetual, but an annual report is due every year2026-09-04
General Business License and Sales Tax — New Hampshire Revenue Department Positiononly if it applies to youNew Hampshire Department of Revenue AdministrationNo feenot applicable2026-09-04

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 Concord?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 12 records listed for a childcare centre in Concord, NH, 6 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.

Of the 6 that always apply, 2 carry a flat fee, coming to $215.00. That is a floor, not a total. 6 of the 12 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 1 has no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

Day-Care Facility Fire Inspection: $50–$80 banded by facility size: family day-care home (up to 6 children) $50.00; group day-care home (7-12 children) $55.00; day-care center or nursery (more than 12 children, or more than 4 children under age 2) $80.00; foster care (up to 3 children) $50.00

Child Care Programme License: Fee not found — the current 85-page rule imposes fines for violations but states no dollar figure for the license itself

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

Which offices issue these permits in Concord?

Permits for a childcare centre in Concord, NH come from 7 separate offices: City of Concord, Code Administration Division, Health & Licensing Services, City of Concord, Code Administration Division, City of Concord, Planning Division (Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment), Concord Fire Department, Fire Prevention Bureau, New Hampshire Secretary of State, Corporation Division, New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration, New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, Child Care Licensing Unit. 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 Concord 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 Concord: Group Daycare Facility Food Service License (Class IV), Day-Care Facility Fire Inspection and Child Care Programme License.

Group Daycare Facility Food Service License (Class IV)

Concord's Food Service Establishment fee table, as published in the City's FY27 fee ordinance workbook (effective July 1, 2026), names 'group daycare facilities' directly on its Class IV line, sharing the $165.00 fee with prepackaged-products-only food sellers — the same pattern Manchester ($200.00, Class III-A) and Nashua ($200.00, D-1) both show, with Concord's own smaller dollar figure. It is layered on top of New Hampshire DHHS's Child Care Programme License (covered at the New Hampshire state level). This fee is tied to a facility's food-service function; a programme serving no food on-site should ask Health & Licensing Services whether it still applies. A separate Fire Department childcare inspection fee is listed as a separate Concord requirement.

Day-Care Facility Fire Inspection

As published in § 26-16-4(7) (Inspection Fees) of the City's FY27 fee ordinance workbook (effective July 1, 2026), the Fire Department's day-care inspection fee is banded by facility size: $50.00 for a family day-care home (up to 6 children), $55.00 for a group day-care home (7-12 children) and $80.00 for a day-care center or nursery. It is the same structural pattern Manchester and Nashua both show, applied alongside, not instead of, New Hampshire DHHS's Child Care Programme License and the Class IV food-service fee listed as a separate Concord requirement.

Child Care Programme License

No fee is recorded here, on the strength of a genuine full-text read: the current governing rule was read in its entirety, and while it sets out fines for non-compliance ranging from $200 to $2,000 per violation category, it contains no fee schedule at all for obtaining or renewing the license itself. A new applicant first receives a six-month permit before qualifying for the full three-year license, and before either can issue, the local health officer and the local fire inspector must each separately approve the premises — a delegated-inspection pattern that echoes how New Hampshire also handles food licensing. Confirm directly with the licensing unit whether a fee applies by separate administrative order.

The other 5 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Concord, NH; what each one involves is set out on the Concord permits page. The 4 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across NH and are covered on the NH state page.

How does a childcare centre compare with other businesses in Concord?

The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A childcare centre also needs Group Daycare Facility Food Service License (Class IV), Day-Care Facility Fire Inspection and Child Care Programme License. A auto repair shop needs Sign Permit, Municipal Business License — City of Concord Licensing Services Position, Vehicle Inspection Station License and Repairer Registration, which a childcare centre does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Concord, NH, compared with a childcare centre
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a childcare centreOnly a childcare centre needsOnly it needs
Auto repair shops4034
Coffee shops6036
Contractors and trades3033
Fitness studios3033
Food trucks3033
Restaurants6036
Retail stores2032
Salons and barbers3033
Veterinary clinics3033

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 Concord permits page and the NH state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. FY27 Ordinance Based Fees, Fines & Penalties (effective 7/1/2026) — the City's own current master workbook pricing every codified fee by chapter/section, including Food Service Establishment classes, the Food/Peddlers Combo license, Building/Sign/Fire Prevention permits, and the Zoning Board of Adjustment application feeCity of Concord, New Hampshire (Finance Department) · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-12
  2. Health Services Yearly Permit Fees — the Health & Licensing Services Division's own plain-language fee schedule confirming Food Service Establishment Classes I-VII as annual fees, plus Peddler, Pawnbroker, Tattoo, and Entertainment license fees (implemented 7/1/2021, adopted by Council 5/10/2021)City of Concord, Code Administration Division, Health & Licensing Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-12
  3. He-C 4002 — child care programme licensing rule, adopted 26 August 2025New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04

Related

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