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14 permits · verified 2026-09-25

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

In short

A childcare centre in Clark County, NV has 5 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 9 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Clark County Department of Building & Fire Prevention, Building Division charges No fee — no separate fee for the final certificate of occupancy; a Temporary or Partial Certificate of Occupancy costs $125.00 per certificate (§22.02.370) for the certificate of occupancy (and temporary / partial certificate). 9 of the 14 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-25 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a childcare centre in Clark County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Childcare / Daycare / Preschool Licensing — Clark County Positiononly if it applies to youClark County Department of Business LicenseNo feenot applicable — the County's license category list states there is no local licensing requirement for preschools and childcare/daycare facilities2026-09-25
Southern Nevada Health District Child Care Facility Health PermitSouthern Nevada Health District$163–$488 per year (fiscal year), by facility size, plus a separate plan-review fee for new constructionannual fiscal year2026-09-25
Child Care LicenseNevada Division of Welfare and Supportive Services, Child Care Licensing$20 for a family care home of up to six children, $60 for a group home up to twelve, and $100 to $300 for a centre of thirteen or moreissued for not more than one year2026-09-04

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 Clark County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Fire Prevention Permits — operational permits (places of assembly, open flames/candles in dining areas, hood suppression, mobile food preparation vehicles, tents, spray booths) and fire protection system construction permitsonly if it applies to youClark County Fire Prevention (Department of Building & Fire Prevention)Varies — formula on the Clark County pageoperational permits renew annually (§108.2.3); construction permits lapse if work does not commence within 180 days (§105.3.1)2026-09-25
Zoning Confirmation Letteronly if it applies to youClark County Department of Comprehensive PlanningVaries — formula on the Clark County pageone-time2026-09-25
Certificate of Occupancy (and Temporary / Partial Certificate)Clark County Department of Building & Fire Prevention, Building DivisionNo fee — no separate fee for the final certificate of occupancy; a Temporary or Partial Certificate of Occupancy costs $125.00 per certificate (§22.02.370)one-time; no expiration once issued2026-09-25
Special Use Permit (Title 30), with Variance and Design Review as related land-use applicationsonly if it applies to youClark County Department of Comprehensive PlanningVaries — formula on the Clark County pageone-time, per application2026-09-25
Sign Construction Permit (and Title 30 sign approvals)only if it applies to youClark County Department of Building & Fire Prevention, Building DivisionVaries — formula on the Clark County pageper installation2026-09-25
Zoning Compliance / Business License Zoning Review (Comprehensive Planning)Clark County Department of Comprehensive Planning$25 Business License Review administrative fee; an optional stand-alone Zoning Compliance application costs $150.00 (10 working days) where zoning does not otherwise require a land-use applicationone-time, per business license application2026-09-25
Building Permit — tenant improvement / commercial alteration / new commercial construction (with plan review)only if it applies to youClark County Department of Building & Fire Prevention, Building DivisionVaries — formula on the Clark County pageper project; the permit expires if work is not commenced within 180 days (Code §22.02.320)2026-09-25

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

NV 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 Listonly if it applies to youNevada Secretary of State, Commercial Recordings DivisionVaries — formula on the NV pageannual, filed alongside the state business license renewal2026-09-04
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youNevada Secretary of State, Commercial Recordings DivisionVaries — formula on the NV pageperpetual, but an annual list and the state business license are both due every year2026-09-04
State Business LicenseNevada Secretary of State, Commercial Recordings Division$200 a year for most entity types; a corporation pays $500annual — due on the last day of the anniversary month the license was first filed2026-09-04
Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youNevada Secretary of State, Commercial Recordings Division$225 $75 to file plus a $150 initial list, filed togetherperpetual, but an annual list and the state business license are both due every year2026-09-04

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 Clark County?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 14 records listed for a childcare centre in Clark County, NV, 5 apply to every business of this type and 9 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 5 that always apply, 3 carry a flat fee, coming to $225.00. That is a floor, not a total. 9 of the 14 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:

Southern Nevada Health District Child Care Facility Health Permit: $163–$488 per year (fiscal year), by facility size, plus a separate plan-review fee for new construction

Child Care License: $20 for a family care home of up to six children, $60 for a group home up to twelve, and $100 to $300 for a centre of thirteen or more

The other 7 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Clark County permits page and the NV state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Clark County?

Permits for a childcare centre in Clark County, NV come from 7 separate offices: Clark County Department of Business License, Clark County Fire Prevention (Department of Building & Fire Prevention), Clark County Department of Comprehensive Planning, Clark County Department of Building & Fire Prevention, Building Division, Southern Nevada Health District, Nevada Secretary of State, Commercial Recordings Division, Nevada Division of Welfare and Supportive Services, Child Care Licensing. 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 Clark County 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 Clark County: Childcare / Daycare / Preschool Licensing — Clark County Position, Southern Nevada Health District Child Care Facility Health Permit and Child Care License.

Childcare / Daycare / Preschool Licensing — Clark County Position

The County's own published license category list (rev. 09.2024) states, verbatim, 'There is NO local licensing requirement for preschools and/or childcare/daycare facilities within Clark County. Please contact the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services for information about state licensing requirements.' On that statement, there is no County business-license fee for a preschool, childcare centre or daycare facility as such. Related Code provisions are §6.10.020(c)(1) (a Chapter 6.10 work card for 'Family home care providers,' priced by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department) and §7.200.020.010's definition of a 'Childcare facility' by reference to the State's own Chapter 432A license. That exemption does not reach every childcare-adjacent category: the same category-list row also lists 'Kindergartens,' which pay a $250 annual Educational Institution license under Code §6.12.462 because a school-type kindergarten is licensed as a school, not exempted as daycare; and Adult Day Care is its own $200-a-year County license under §6.12.035, unrelated to child daycare. Daycare is also a County requirement outside the business-license system: Title 30's Unified Development Code defines 'Daycare' and 'Family Daycare' as land uses and its use table lists Daycare as a special use in residential zoning districts and permitted with conditions in most commercial districts — so a childcare business still needs to clear zoning. A Southern Nevada Health District child-care health permit is required and listed as a separate record. Ask the Department of Business License at (702) 455-0174, or Comprehensive Planning at (702) 455-4314 for the zoning treatment of a specific site.

Southern Nevada Health District Child Care Facility Health Permit

The County's own Comprehensive List of License Categories and Fees states that there is no local licensing requirement for preschools and/or childcare/daycare facilities within Clark County (see the separate Clark County childcare record), but the Southern Nevada Health District permits every licensed child care facility for sanitation and safety: $163 a year for a family care home of one to six children, $329 for a group care home of seven to twelve, and $488 for a centre of more than twelve, plus a separate plan review priced by floor area — from $868 under 1,000 square feet up to $2,063 at 10,000 square feet or more — for new construction. Childcare kitchens are billed separately at $167. SNHD's own page, updated July 21, 2026, states that its 'child care program staff routinely inspects all licensed child care facilities in Clark County to assure compliance with elements of health, sanitation, and safety.' State childcare licensing from Nevada's Department of Health and Human Services is a separate requirement recorded at the state layer. Contact SNHD's child care program at (702) 759-0677 or specialprograms@snhd.org.

Child Care License

Three clean tiers by size rather than one flat fee: a family care home caring for up to six children is $20, a group care home for up to twelve is $60, and a centre for thirteen or more runs from $100 to $300 depending on scale. Licensing sits with the Division of Welfare and Supportive Services rather than the health division — a recent agency move worth knowing if older material names a different department.

The other 7 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Clark County, NV; what each one involves is set out on the Clark County permits page. The 4 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across NV and are covered on the NV state page.

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

The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A childcare centre also needs Childcare / Daycare / Preschool Licensing — Clark County Position, Southern Nevada Health District Child Care Facility Health Permit and Child Care License. A auto repair shop needs Air Quality Permit — Commercial Surface Coating Operation (auto body paint / spray booth), Business License — Auto Repair Facility (also Auto Body & Paint; Auto Wash/Detailing) and Auto Body Shop License, which a childcare centre does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Clark County, NV, compared with a childcare centre
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a childcare centreOnly a childcare centre needsOnly it needs
Auto repair shops3033
Coffee shops6036
Contractors and trades3033
Fitness studios1031
Food trucks5035
Restaurants6036
Retail stores2032
Salons and barbers2032
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 Clark County permits page and the NV state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Comprehensive List of License Categories and Fees (By Category), rev. 09.2024, 65 pp. — confirmed byte-identical to the live copy on 2026-09-25Clark County Department of Business License · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-27
  2. Child Care Facilities page (updated July 21, 2026)Southern Nevada Health District · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-27
  3. Southern Nevada Health District — environmental health fee schedule, effective 1 July 2026Southern Nevada Health District · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
  4. Nevada child care licensing reference guide — application fees by facility sizeNevada Division of Welfare and Supportive 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.