11 permits · verified 2026-09-05
What permits do you need to open a childcare centre in Chesapeake?
In short
A childcare centre in Chesapeake, VA has 6 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 5 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City of Chesapeake Planning Department charges $850 per application for the conditional use permit (childcare and veterinary uses). 6 of the 11 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-05 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a childcare centre in Chesapeake
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conditional Use Permit (childcare and veterinary uses)only if it applies to you | City of Chesapeake Planning Department | $850 per application | issued once per approved use | 2026-09-05 |
| Child Day Programme License | Virginia Department of Education, Child Care Licensing | $28–$400 for two years, banded by licensed capacity | 2 years | 2026-09-03 |
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 Chesapeake
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Building Permit | City of Chesapeake Department of Development & Permits | Varies — formula on the Chesapeake page | one-time, per project | 2026-09-05 |
| BPOL Tax | City of Chesapeake Commissioner of the Revenue, Business Tax Section | $50 a year minimum | annual — must be renewed by March 1 | 2026-09-05 |
| Certificate of Occupancy | City of Chesapeake Department of Development & Permits | $75 for a new building, commercial pool, relocated business, addition or alteration; a temporary CO is $75 residential / $100 commercial | issued once per qualifying occupancy | 2026-09-05 |
| Annual Fire & Life Safety Inspection | Chesapeake Fire Department, Community Risk Reduction Division | Varies — formula on the Chesapeake page | recurring, averaging every 12 to 16 months | 2026-09-05 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
VA 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 | Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk | $100 one-time filing | no expiry, but a $50 annual registration fee is due every year | 2026-09-03 |
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk | Varies — formula on the VA page | no expiry, but an annual registration fee and a free annual report are due | 2026-09-03 |
| Annual Registration Feeonly if it applies to you | Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk | Varies — formula on the VA page | annual — the last day of the twelfth month after the month of formation | 2026-09-03 |
| Dealer's Certificate of Registration | Virginia Department of Taxation | No fee | indefinite — valid until the business closes or the certificate is revoked | 2026-09-03 |
| General Business License — Local BPOL License (Virginia)only if it applies to you | Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk | Varies — formula on the VA page | annual — usually due 1 March | 2026-09-03 |
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 Chesapeake?
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 Chesapeake, VA, 6 apply to every business of this type and 5 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 6 that always apply, 2 carry a flat fee, coming to $125.00. That is a floor, not a total. 6 of the 11 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:
Child Day Programme License: $28–$400 for two years, banded by licensed capacity
The other 5 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Chesapeake permits page and the VA state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Chesapeake?
Permits for a childcare centre in Chesapeake, VA come from 7 separate offices: City of Chesapeake Department of Development & Permits, City of Chesapeake Planning Department, City of Chesapeake Commissioner of the Revenue, Business Tax Section, Chesapeake Fire Department, Community Risk Reduction Division, Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk, Virginia Department of Taxation, Virginia Department of Education, Child Care Licensing. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- City of Chesapeake Department of Development & PermitsIssues 2 permits on this page: Commercial Building Permit, Certificate of Occupancy306 Cedar Road, 2nd Floor, Chesapeake, VA 23322 · 757-382-6018www.cityofchesapeake.net/304/New-Commercial-Building-Construction-Per
- City of Chesapeake Planning DepartmentIssues 1 permit on this page: Conditional Use Permit (childcare and veterinary uses)757-382-6176www.cityofchesapeake.net/629/Zoning-Fees
- City of Chesapeake Commissioner of the Revenue, Business Tax SectionIssues 1 permit on this page: BPOL Tax306 Cedar Road, Chesapeake, VA 23322 · 757-382-6738www.cityofchesapeake.net/212/Business-License-Tax
- Chesapeake Fire Department, Community Risk Reduction DivisionIssues 1 permit on this page: Annual Fire & Life Safety Inspection304 Albemarle Drive, Chesapeake, VA 23322 · 757-382-6566www.cityofchesapeake.net/288/Fire-Life-Safety-Inspections
- Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the ClerkIssues 4 permits on this page: Articles of Organization (LLC), Articles of Incorporation, Annual Registration Fee, General Business License — Local BPOL License (Virginia)1300 East Main Street, Richmond, VA 23219 · (804) 371-9733www.scc.virginia.gov
- Virginia Department of TaxationIssues 1 permit on this page: Dealer's Certificate of RegistrationPO Box 1115, Richmond, VA 23218-1115 · (804) 367-8037www.tax.virginia.gov/register-business-virginia
- Virginia Department of Education, Child Care LicensingIssues 1 permit on this page: Child Day Programme License101 North 14th Street, Richmond, VA 23219www.doe.virginia.gov/programs-services/early-childhood-care-education/child-care-licensing
What does a childcare centre need in Chesapeake that other businesses do not?
1 of the 2 permits particular to a childcare centre here applies to no other business type we cover in Chesapeake: Child Day Programme License.
Child Day Programme License
Among the cheapest child care licenses anywhere: $28 for two years up to twelve children, rising through $70, $140, $210 and $280 to $400 above two hundred. A programme running less than twelve weeks in a year pays $50 or $110 instead. Two changes have made most published guidance wrong. Licensing moved from Social Services to the Department of Education in 2021, so anything citing 22VAC40- is repealed; and from 1 February 2026 the Code no longer says family day home at all, but home-based child care. The threshold for a home is five to twelve children excluding the provider's own and any living there, with one to four needing only voluntary registration and an all-relatives home exempt — but no more than four children under two, whatever the count. A licensed home falls in the smallest band, so it pays the same $28. The band is on licensed capacity, so a two-hundred-child centre pays $280 and a two-hundred-and-one-child centre pays $400.
Shared with other businesses in Chesapeake
- Conditional Use Permit (childcare and veterinary uses) — City of Chesapeake Planning Department, $850 per application, issued once per approved use. Also required for veterinary clinics; what it involves is set out on the veterinary clinics page.
The other 4 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Chesapeake, VA; what each one involves is set out on the Chesapeake permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across VA and are covered on the VA state page.
How does a childcare centre compare with other businesses in Chesapeake?
The closest match is a veterinary clinic, which shares 1 of these permits. A childcare centre also needs Child Day Programme License. A veterinary clinic needs Sign Permit and Veterinary Establishment Registration, which a childcare centre does not.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a childcare centre | Only a childcare centre needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Veterinary clinics | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Auto repair shops | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Coffee shops | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Contractors and trades | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Fitness studios | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Food trucks | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Restaurants | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Retail stores | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Salons and barbers | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
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 veterinary clinics page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Chesapeake permits page and the VA state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- 8VAC20-821-150 — child day programme licensing fees by capacityVirginia Department of Education · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- Code of Virginia section 22.1-289.02 — definitions of child day centre and home-based child careVirginia General Assembly · 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.