14 permits · verified 2026-09-30
What permits do you need to open a childcare centre in Salt Lake County?
In short
A childcare centre in Salt Lake County, UT has 2 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 12 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Greater Salt Lake Municipal Services District, Planning & Development Services charges $150 a year (12-month license term) for the general business license — home-based, with on-site visitors or customers. 4 of the 14 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-30 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a childcare centre in Salt Lake County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residential (Child)Care Food Service Inspectiononly if it applies to you | Salt Lake County Health Department | $115 flat, per inspection | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-09-30 |
| Simple Land Use Permitonly if it applies to you | Greater Salt Lake Municipal Services District, Planning & Development Services | $175 flat, per permit | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-09-30 |
| Child Care Centre License | Utah 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 capacity | annual — the same fee applies at renewal as at first issue | 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 Salt Lake County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Business License — Home-Based, With On-Site Visitors or Customersonly if it applies to you | Greater Salt Lake Municipal Services District, Planning & Development Services | $150 a year (12-month license term) | 12 months | 2026-09-30 |
| Building Permitonly if it applies to you | Greater Salt Lake Municipal Services District, Planning & Development Services | Varies — formula on the Salt Lake County page | one-time, per permit | 2026-09-30 |
| Plan Check Feeonly if it applies to you | Greater Salt Lake Municipal Services District, Planning & Development Services | Varies — formula on the Salt Lake County page | one-time, per project | 2026-09-30 |
| Site Plan Reviewonly if it applies to you | Greater Salt Lake Municipal Services District, Planning & Development Services | Varies — formula on the Salt Lake County page | one-time, per application | 2026-09-30 |
| General Business License — Commercial Location | Greater Salt Lake Municipal Services District, Planning & Development Services | $150 a year (12-month license term) | 12 months | 2026-09-30 |
| General Business License — Home-Based, No On-Site Visitors or Customersonly if it applies to you | Greater Salt Lake Municipal Services District, Planning & Development Services | No fee | 12 months | 2026-09-30 |
| General Business License — Per-Employee Feeonly if it applies to you | Greater Salt Lake Municipal Services District, Planning & Development Services | $6 per employee, billed alongside the base license fee | coincides with the 12-month business-license term | 2026-09-30 |
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
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code | $59 one-time filing | perpetual, but a renewal is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| Certificate of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code | $59 one-time filing | perpetual, but a renewal is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| General Business License — Utah State Position (Entity Registration)only if it applies to you | Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code | No fee | set by the city or county | 2026-09-04 |
| Annual Renewalonly if it applies to you | Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code | $18 a year; a late renewal adds $10 | annual — due in the calendar month tied to the entity's own formation anniversary | 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 Salt Lake 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 Salt Lake County, UT, 2 apply to every business of this type and 12 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 2 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $150.00. That is a floor, not a total. 4 of the 14 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 County permits page and the UT state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Salt Lake County?
Permits for a childcare centre in Salt Lake County, UT come from 4 separate offices: Greater Salt Lake Municipal Services District, Planning & Development Services, Salt Lake County Health Department, 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.
- Greater Salt Lake Municipal Services District, Planning & Development ServicesIssues 8 permits on this page, including General Business License — Home-Based, With On-Site Visitors or Customers, Building Permit, Plan Check Fee860 W. Levoy Dr., Suite 300, Taylorsville, UT 84123 · (385) 910-5600 (Main); (385) 468-6700 (business license and planning questions)msd.utah.gov/439/Starting-a-Business
- Salt Lake County Health DepartmentIssues 1 permit on this page: Residential (Child)Care Food Service Inspectionwww.saltlakecounty.gov/health
- Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial CodeIssues 4 permits on this page: Articles of Incorporation, Certificate of Organization (LLC), General Business License — Utah State Position (Entity Registration), Annual Renewal160 East 300 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84111 · (801) 530-4849corporations.utah.gov
- Utah Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Licensing and Background ChecksIssues 1 permit on this page: Child Care Centre License195 North 1950 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116 · (801) 538-4242dlbc.utah.gov/home/office-of-licensing/child-care
What does a childcare centre need in Salt Lake County that other businesses do not?
2 of the 3 permits particular to a childcare centre here apply to no other business type we cover in Salt Lake County: Residential (Child)Care Food Service Inspection and Child Care Centre License.
Residential (Child)Care Food Service Inspection
A childcare facility that provides food service anywhere in Salt Lake County is inspected by SLCoHD for $115.00 flat, per the fee schedule published September 1, 2026, under Health Regulation #36. The childcare facility license itself is issued by the State of Utah Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Licensing; SLCoHD's role for a childcare business is limited to this food-service inspection. SLCoHD's coverage is county-wide — all 23 incorporated municipalities plus the unincorporated area.
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.
Shared with other businesses in Salt Lake County
- Simple Land Use Permit — Greater Salt Lake Municipal Services District, Planning & Development Services, $175 flat, per permit, not stated in the published fee schedule. Also required for retail stores and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
The other 7 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Salt Lake County, UT; what each one involves is set out on the Salt Lake County 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 County?
The closest match is a retail store, which shares 1 of these permits. A childcare centre also needs Residential (Child)Care Food Service Inspection and Child Care Centre License. A retail store needs Seasonal Business License, Alcohol License/Permit — Local Consent Fee, Animal Services Commercial Permit — Allows Up to 30 Animals and 2 more, which a childcare centre does not.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a childcare centre | Only a childcare centre needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail stores | 6 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Food trucks | 8 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| Auto repair shops | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Coffee shops | 6 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| Contractors and trades | 4 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Fitness studios | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Restaurants | 8 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| Salons and barbers | 7 | 0 | 3 | 7 |
| Veterinary clinics | 3 | 0 | 3 | 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 shared with other businesses are listed with their explanations on the retail stores page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Salt Lake County permits page and the UT state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Salt Lake County Health Department Fee Schedule, published September 1, 2026Salt Lake County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-30
- 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.