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8 permits · verified 2026-10-21

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

In short

A childcare centre in Lackawanna County, PA has 2 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 6 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations charges $125 one-time filing for the articles of incorporation. 2 of the 8 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-21 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a childcare centre in Lackawanna County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Child Care Certificate of CompliancePennsylvania Department of Human Services, Office of Child Development and Early LearningNo feenot to exceed 12 months from the date of issue2026-09-03

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 Lackawanna County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Erosion and Sediment Control Plan Review (Lackawanna County Conservation District)only if it applies to youLackawanna County Conservation DistrictVaries — formula on the Lackawanna County pageper project; a letter of adequacy is valid for two years2026-10-21
County Planning Review of Subdivision and Land Development Plans (MPC §502)only if it applies to youLackawanna County Regional Planning CommissionVaries — formula on the Lackawanna County pageper plan submission; the county has 30 days to review and comment2026-10-21

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

PA 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 youPennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations$125 one-time filingno expiry, but an annual report is due each year2026-09-03
Certificate of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youPennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations$125 one-time filingno expiry, but an annual report is due each year2026-09-03
Annual Reportonly if it applies to youPennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations$7 per year for a for-profit entityannual2026-09-03
General Business License — Pennsylvania positionPennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable OrganizationsNo feeset by the issuing municipality2026-09-03
Sales, Use and Hotel Occupancy Tax Licenseonly if it applies to youPennsylvania Department of RevenueNo fee — no registration fee5 years, renewed automatically subject to compliance2026-09-03

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 Lackawanna County?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 8 records listed for a childcare centre in Lackawanna County, PA, 2 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.

2 of the 8 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 2 have no fee published at all.

The other 2 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Lackawanna County permits page and the PA state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Lackawanna County?

Permits for a childcare centre in Lackawanna County, PA come from 5 separate offices: Lackawanna County Conservation District, Lackawanna County Regional Planning Commission, Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations, Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, Office of Child Development and Early Learning, Pennsylvania Department of Revenue. 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 Lackawanna County that other businesses do not?

1 of the 1 permit particular to a childcare centre here applies to no other business type we cover in Lackawanna County: Child Care Certificate of Compliance.

Child Care Certificate of Compliance

No fee — Pennsylvania charges nothing to certify a child care centre, and that is read from the regulation rather than inferred from a blank page: section 20.42 lists the facility types that do pay, child care is not among them, and subsection (b) says no fee is required for anything not listed. Watch one trap in the same section. It contains a capacity-banded fee table of $15 to $50, and that table applies to PERSONAL CARE HOMES, not to child care. Attaching those bands here would be wrong. The certificate runs for no more than twelve months, so it is renewed annually. A centre is seven or more unrelated children, a group home seven to twelve, and a family home four to six — all three are free and all three carry the same twelve-month term.

The other 2 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Lackawanna County, PA; what each one involves is set out on the Lackawanna County permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across PA and are covered on the PA state page.

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

The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A childcare centre also needs Child Care Certificate of Compliance. A auto repair shop needs nothing here that a childcare centre does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Lackawanna County, PA, compared with a childcare centre
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a childcare centreOnly a childcare centre needsOnly it needs
Auto repair shops0010
Coffee shops3013
Contractors and trades2012
Fitness studios0010
Food trucks3013
Restaurants3013
Retail stores2012
Salons and barbers1011
Veterinary clinics1011

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 Lackawanna County permits page and the PA state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. 55 Pa. Code section 20.42 — certificate of compliance fees; no fee is required for a facility not listedPennsylvania Code and Bulletin · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
  2. 55 Pa. Code section 3270.11 — child care certificate of compliance, not to exceed 12 monthsPennsylvania Code and Bulletin · 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.