11 permits · verified 2026-09-14
What permits do you need to open a childcare centre in Aberdeen?
In short
A childcare centre in Aberdeen, SD has 4 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 7 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. South Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services charges $150 filed online; paper filing costs $165 for the articles of organization (llc). 4 of the 11 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-14 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a childcare centre in Aberdeen
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Day Care License and Special Exception | City of Aberdeen Finance Office | Under §14-128 a day care license is $200.00 for a new license and $100.00 for a renewal, each covering a two-year period. A special exception from the Board of Adjustment under §14-135 is a separate $200.00 application. State licensing or registration by the South Dakota Department of Social Services applies in addition where the format and child count reach the state threshold. | two years | 2026-09-14 |
| Family Day Care Registration | South Dakota Department of Social Services, Office of Licensing and Accreditation | No fee | 2 years | 2026-09-04 |
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 Aberdeen
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zoning Variance, Special Exception, Appeal and Rezoningonly if it applies to you | City of Aberdeen Planning and Zoning Department | Varies — formula on the Aberdeen page | the approval runs with the use or property unless conditioned otherwise | 2026-09-14 |
| Fire Permits and Commercial Fire Inspectiononly if it applies to you | Aberdeen Fire and Rescue, Fire Prevention Division | Varies — formula on the Aberdeen page | per permit or event; routine inspections recur on the department's own cycle | 2026-09-14 |
| Certificate of Occupancy | City of Aberdeen Building Inspection Department | No fee | one-time, issued after final inspection | 2026-09-14 |
| Commercial Building Permit | City of Aberdeen Building Inspection Department | Varies — formula on the Aberdeen page | as set in the adopted building code | 2026-09-14 |
| General Business License — City of Aberdeen Positiononly if it applies to you | City of Aberdeen Finance Office | No fee | not applicable to a general license | 2026-09-14 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
SD registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | South Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services | $150 filed online; paper filing costs $165 | perpetual, but an annual report is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | South Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services | $150 filed online; paper filing costs $165 | perpetual, but an annual report is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| Annual Reportonly if it applies to you | South Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services | $55 a year filed online; paper filing costs $70 | annual — due the first day of the entity's anniversary month of formation | 2026-09-04 |
| General Business License — State of South Dakota positiononly if it applies to you | South Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-04 |
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 Aberdeen?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 11 records listed for a childcare centre in Aberdeen, SD, 4 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 11 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 4 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:
Home Day Care License and Special Exception: Under §14-128 a day care license is $200.00 for a new license and $100.00 for a renewal, each covering a two-year period. A special exception from the Board of Adjustment under §14-135 is a separate $200.00 application. State licensing or registration by the South Dakota Department of Social Services applies in addition where the format and child count reach the state threshold.
The other 3 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Aberdeen permits page and the SD state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Aberdeen?
Permits for a childcare centre in Aberdeen, SD come from 6 separate offices: City of Aberdeen Planning and Zoning Department, Aberdeen Fire and Rescue, Fire Prevention Division, City of Aberdeen Finance Office, City of Aberdeen Building Inspection Department, South Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services, South Dakota Department of Social Services, Office of Licensing and Accreditation. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- City of Aberdeen Planning and Zoning DepartmentIssues 1 permit on this page: Zoning Variance, Special Exception, Appeal and Rezoning123 South Lincoln Street, Aberdeen, SD 57401 · (605) 626-7025www.aberdeen.sd.us/170/Planning-Zoning
- Aberdeen Fire and Rescue, Fire Prevention DivisionIssues 1 permit on this page: Fire Permits and Commercial Fire Inspection104 South Main Street, Aberdeen, SD 57401 · (605) 626-7010www.aberdeen.sd.us/165/Fire-Rescue
- City of Aberdeen Finance OfficeIssues 2 permits on this page: Home Day Care License and Special Exception, General Business License — City of Aberdeen Position123 South Lincoln Street, Aberdeen, SD 57401 · (605) 626-7025www.aberdeen.sd.us/191/Licenses-Permits
- City of Aberdeen Building Inspection DepartmentIssues 2 permits on this page: Certificate of Occupancy, Commercial Building Permit123 South Lincoln Street, Aberdeen, SD 57401 · (605) 626-7013www.aberdeen.sd.us/168/Building-Inspection
- South Dakota Secretary of State, Business ServicesIssues 4 permits on this page: Articles of Organization (LLC), Articles of Incorporation, Annual Report, General Business License — State of South Dakota position500 E Capitol Ave, Pierre, SD 57501 · (605) 773-4845sdsos.gov/business-services/default.aspx
- South Dakota Department of Social Services, Office of Licensing and AccreditationIssues 1 permit on this page: Family Day Care Registration700 Governors Drive, Pierre, SD 57501 · (605) 773-3165dss.sd.gov/childcare/licensing
What does a childcare centre need in Aberdeen that other businesses do not?
2 of the 2 permits particular to a childcare centre here apply to no other business type we cover in Aberdeen: Home Day Care License and Special Exception and Family Day Care Registration.
Home Day Care License and Special Exception
This is the one place Aberdeen regulates more tightly than the state's two larger cities, and the consequence is easy to miss: a home provider small enough to be exempt from South Dakota Department of Social Services registration is still licensed here. Two approvals are needed and they come from different bodies — the §14-128 license from the City and the §14-135 special exception from the Board of Adjustment — so the sequence and the calendar matter more than the money. The two-year term is unusual among the South Dakota cities covered here and makes the effective annual cost $100.00 for a new license and $50.00 on renewal, cheaper per year than the headline suggests. By contrast Rapid City imposes no municipal childcare license at all, and Sioux Falls charges $25.00 or $125.00 for a one-year registration depending on whether state registration is held.
Family Day Care Registration
No fee could be located in either the registration form or the licensing rule chapter's own table of contents for either registered family day care or the larger licensed child care program. Registration covers up to 12 children and runs for a two-year certificate; it is mandatory only for a provider receiving public reimbursement, while a smaller provider not taking public funds may register voluntarily. Once a home cares for 13 or more children, it must move from registration into full state licensing rather than registration alone.
The other 5 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Aberdeen, SD; what each one involves is set out on the Aberdeen permits page. The 4 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across SD and are covered on the SD state page.
How does a childcare centre compare with other businesses in Aberdeen?
The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A childcare centre also needs Home Day Care License and Special Exception and Family Day Care Registration. A auto repair shop needs Auto Repair Shop Licensing — City of Aberdeen Position, Sign Permit and Auto Repair Shop — Dealer Licensing Covers Vehicle Sales Only (South Dakota), which a childcare centre does not.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a childcare centre | Only a childcare centre needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auto repair shops | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Coffee shops | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Contractors and trades | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Fitness studios | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Food trucks | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Restaurants | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Retail stores | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Salons and barbers | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Veterinary clinics | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
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 Aberdeen permits page and the SD state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Revised Ordinances of the City of Aberdeen — Chapter 14 (Businesses and Business Regulations, including Article II licence procedure, §14-128 home day care licences and §14-135 special exception), Chapter 12 (Buildings and Building Regulations, including contractor licensing and building permit fees), Chapter 42 (Signs), Chapter 60 (Zoning), Chapter 24 (Fire Prevention and Protection), Chapter 38 (Peddlers, Solicitors and Itinerant Merchants — §38-1 definitions, §38-29 transient and itinerant merchant applications and §38-34 fees) and §50-77 (municipal gross receipts tax)City of Aberdeen, codified by Municode · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-14
- Child Care Licensing and Registration — the South Dakota Department of Social Services' own current page setting out which child care formats require state licensing or registration and which are exemptSouth Dakota Department of Social Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-14
- Planning and Zoning — the department's own current page for zoning administration, Board of Adjustment applications, variances, special exceptions and rezoningCity of Aberdeen Planning and Zoning Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-14
- South Dakota Department of Social Services — family day care registration, capacity threshold and two-year termSouth Dakota Department of Social 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.