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11 permits · verified 2026-09-09

What permits do you need to open a childcare centre in Salt Lake City?

In short

A childcare centre in Salt Lake City, UT has 5 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 6 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Salt Lake County Health Department, Environmental Health Division (Food Protection Bureau) charges $115 per inspection for the residential care (adult and child) food service inspection. 4 of the 11 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-09 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a childcare centre in Salt Lake City

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Residential Care (Adult and Child) Food Service Inspectiononly if it applies to youSalt Lake County Health Department, Environmental Health Division (Food Protection Bureau)$115 per inspectionnot stated in the published fee schedule2026-09-09
Business License Add-On — Childcare FacilitiesCity of Salt Lake City Finance Department, Business Licensing Division$170 annual, in addition to the base license and employee feesannual (renewal cycle not stated in the published fee schedule)2026-09-09
Child Care Centre LicenseUtah Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Licensing and Background Checks$62 license fee, plus $200 for a new centre and $1.75 for every child of licensed capacityannual — the same fee applies at renewal as at first issue2026-09-04

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 Salt Lake City

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
General Business LicenseCity of Salt Lake City Finance Department, Business Licensing DivisionVaries — formula on the Salt Lake City pageannual (renewal cycle not stated in the published fee schedule)2026-09-09
Zoning Verification Letteronly if it applies to youCity of Salt Lake City, Planning DivisionVaries — formula on the Salt Lake City pageone-time, no stated expiration2026-09-09
Building Permit (Commercial)City of Salt Lake City, Department of Community and Neighborhoods, Building Services DivisionVaries — formula on the Salt Lake City pageone-time, per project2026-09-09
Certificate of OccupancyCity of Salt Lake City, Department of Community and Neighborhoods, Building Services DivisionNo feeone-time, no expiration2026-09-09

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

UT 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 youUtah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code$59 one-time filingperpetual, but a renewal is due every year2026-09-04
Certificate of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youUtah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code$59 one-time filingperpetual, but a renewal is due every year2026-09-04
General Business License — Utah State Position (Entity Registration)only if it applies to youUtah Division of Corporations and Commercial CodeNo feeset by the city or county2026-09-04
Annual Renewalonly if it applies to youUtah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code$18 a year; a late renewal adds $10annual — due in the calendar month tied to the entity's own formation anniversary2026-09-04

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 Salt Lake City?

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 Salt Lake City, UT, 5 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 5 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $170.00. That is a floor, not a total. 4 of the 11 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 Centre License: $62 license fee, plus $200 for a new centre and $1.75 for every child of licensed capacity

The other 3 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Salt Lake City permits page and the UT state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Salt Lake City?

Permits for a childcare centre in Salt Lake City, UT come from 6 separate offices: City of Salt Lake City Finance Department, Business Licensing Division, City of Salt Lake City, Planning Division, Salt Lake County Health Department, Environmental Health Division (Food Protection Bureau), City of Salt Lake City, Department of Community and Neighborhoods, Building Services Division, Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code, Utah Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Licensing and Background Checks. 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 Salt Lake City 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 Salt Lake City: Residential Care (Adult and Child) Food Service Inspection, Business License Add-On — Childcare Facilities and Child Care Centre License.

Residential Care (Adult and Child) Food Service Inspection

This is the Health Department's own kitchen/food-service inspection for a childcare centre that prepares or serves food, additional to and separate from the Utah DLBC state child-care license and the city's own Childcare Facilities business-license fee recorded above — easy to miss because it is filed with the county health department rather than the childcare licensing agency. The September 2026 Health Department Fee Schedule lists it as 'Residential Care (Adult and Child) Food Service Inspection' at $115.

Business License Add-On — Childcare Facilities

Risen from $165 before September 2026. This is on top of, not instead of, the Utah Division of Licensing and Background Checks (DLBC) child care facility license recorded at the state layer, and separate again from the county health department's food-service inspection recorded below if the facility serves food.

Child Care Centre License

The base license fee is a flat $62 whether a facility is a family home or a centre, but a centre pays two further charges a home does not: $200 as a one-time fee for a new centre or a change of location, and $1.75 for every child of approved capacity, applied at both first issue and renewal — a fifty-child centre pays $87.50 on that line alone. A family or home-based provider pays only the flat $62. Renewing more than thirty days late adds a $31 penalty plus, for a centre, seventy-five cents per child. Fingerprinting for a required background check is billed separately, at $42 per person.

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

How does a childcare centre compare with other businesses in Salt Lake City?

The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A childcare centre also needs Residential Care (Adult and Child) Food Service Inspection, Business License Add-On — Childcare Facilities and Child Care Centre License. A auto repair shop needs Hazardous Materials Permit — Body Shop/Garage, Sign Permit, Business License Add-On — Auto/Truck & Mechanic Related Services and 2 more, which a childcare centre does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Salt Lake City, UT, compared with a childcare centre
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a childcare centreOnly a childcare centre needsOnly it needs
Auto repair shops5035
Coffee shops6036
Contractors and trades5035
Fitness studios2032
Food trucks4034
Restaurants6036
Retail stores3033
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 Salt Lake City permits page and the UT state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Salt Lake County Health Department Fee Schedule, published September 1, 2026Salt Lake County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-30
  2. Salt Lake City Consolidated Fee Schedule, Amended 06/16/2026 by Ordinance 2026-29 (business license columns 'Effective Sept '26') — business licensing, building/electrical/plumbing/sign permit, zoning and fire fee tablesCity of Salt Lake City · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
  3. Utah Division of Licensing and Background Checks — child care licensing fee schedule, effective 1 July 2025Utah Division of Licensing and Background Checks · 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.