Commercial Compliance Hub
Check requirements

12 permits · verified 2026-10-02

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

In short

A childcare centre in Fairfax County, VA has 5 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 7 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Fairfax County Land Development Services charges $95 per Certificate of Occupancy (Non-RUP) for the certificate of occupancy / non-residential use permit (non-rup). 8 of the 12 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-02 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a childcare centre in Fairfax County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Family Child Care Home PermitFairfax County Office for ChildrenPermit application fee $14. Fingerprint National Background Check processing fee $30 per adult (18+), non-refundable, repeated every 5 years. A separate $8.72 online-scheduling fee is charged per adult at booking (not combined with the $30 payment). A $50 fee applies to any returned check.Permit; fingerprint background check repeated every 5 years.2026-10-02
Family Child Care By-Right Zoning Thresholdonly if it applies to youFairfax County Department of Planning and Development, Zoning Evaluation DivisionNo feeN/A — a standing zoning threshold, not an expiring permit.2026-10-02
Child Day Programme LicenseVirginia Department of Education, Child Care Licensing$28–$400 for two years, banded by licensed capacity2 years2026-09-03

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 Fairfax County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Certificate of Occupancy / Non-Residential Use Permit (Non-RUP)Fairfax County Land Development Services$95 per Certificate of Occupancy (Non-RUP)Per occupancy or change of use.2026-10-02
BPOL (Business, Professional and Occupational License) RegistrationFairfax County Department of Tax AdministrationVaries — formula on the Fairfax County pageAnnual; renewal due March 1. New registration required within 75 days of starting operations, with a 10% late penalty.2026-10-02
Well Permitonly if it applies to youFairfax County Health Department, Division of Environmental HealthVaries — formula on the Fairfax County pagePer permit.2026-10-02
Building Permit (Base Fees)only if it applies to youFairfax County Land Development ServicesVaries — formula on the Fairfax County pagePer permit. Appendix Q fee schedule adopted May 5, 2026 (Ordinance 05-26-Q).2026-10-02

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

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youVirginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk$100 one-time filingno expiry, but a $50 annual registration fee is due every year2026-09-03
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youVirginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the ClerkVaries — formula on the VA pageno expiry, but an annual registration fee and a free annual report are due2026-09-03
Annual Registration Feeonly if it applies to youVirginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the ClerkVaries — formula on the VA pageannual — the last day of the twelfth month after the month of formation2026-09-03
Dealer's Certificate of RegistrationVirginia Department of TaxationNo feeindefinite — valid until the business closes or the certificate is revoked2026-09-03
General Business License — Local BPOL License (Virginia)only if it applies to youVirginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the ClerkVaries — formula on the VA pageannual — usually due 1 March2026-09-03

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 Fairfax County?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 12 records listed for a childcare centre in Fairfax County, VA, 5 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.

Of the 5 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $95.00. That is a floor, not a total. 8 of the 12 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:

Family Child Care Home Permit: Permit application fee $14. Fingerprint National Background Check processing fee $30 per adult (18+), non-refundable, repeated every 5 years. A separate $8.72 online-scheduling fee is charged per adult at booking (not combined with the $30 payment). A $50 fee applies to any returned check.

Child Day Programme License: $28–$400 for two years, banded by licensed capacity

The other 6 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Fairfax County permits page and the VA state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Fairfax County?

Permits for a childcare centre in Fairfax County, VA come from 8 separate offices: Fairfax County Land Development Services, Fairfax County Office for Children, Fairfax County Department of Tax Administration, Fairfax County Health Department, Division of Environmental Health, Fairfax County Department of Planning and Development, Zoning Evaluation 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.

What does a childcare centre need in Fairfax County 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 Fairfax County: Family Child Care Home Permit, Family Child Care By-Right Zoning Threshold and Child Day Programme License.

Family Child Care Home Permit

A small home-based child care provider in Fairfax County obtains a family child care permit from the Office for Children: a $14 permit application fee, plus a $30 Fingerprint National Background Check processing fee for each person age 18 or older in the home, non-refundable and repeated every 5 years, as stated verbatim on the Office for Children's own current apply-for-a-permit page: 'A $30 processing fee is required for each person needing a Fingerprint National Background Check.' An additional $8.72 online-scheduling fee is charged separately per adult at the time of booking the fingerprint appointment, not combined with the $30 processing payment, and a $50 fee applies to any returned check. Fairfax County Code Chapter 30 is the citation referenced on the Office for Children's own application-reference materials.

Family Child Care By-Right Zoning Threshold

Fairfax County's Zoning Ordinance §4102.7.I, read directly from the Zoning Evaluation Division's own 'Additional Application Reference for Home Day Care Facilities' PDF, sets by-right thresholds that require no zoning application and no fee: a home-based provider may care for up to five children (in addition to their own) in a townhouse or apartment, or up to seven children (in addition to their own) in a single-family detached house, and in either case may have one nonresident helper present between 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Care above those thresholds, up to twelve children plus the provider's own, and/or additional helpers, requires a Special Permit from the Board of Zoning Appeals or, in the PDH, PRC, PDC, PRM, PTC or PCC districts, a Special Exception from the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors — each of which carries its own separate application fee outside the scope of this by-right zoning-threshold record.

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.

The other 4 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Fairfax County, VA; what each one involves is set out on the Fairfax County 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 Fairfax County?

The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A childcare centre also needs Family Child Care Home Permit, Family Child Care By-Right Zoning Threshold and Child Day Programme License. A auto repair shop needs Vehicle Repair and Maintenance, Light, Zoning Use Classification and Automotive Repair Licensing — Commonwealth of Virginia position, which a childcare centre does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Fairfax County, VA, compared with a childcare centre
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a childcare centreOnly a childcare centre needsOnly it needs
Auto repair shops2032
Coffee shops6036
Contractors and trades3033
Fitness studios2032
Food trucks5035
Restaurants6036
Retail stores1031
Salons and barbers1031
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 Fairfax County permits page and the VA state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Fairfax County Office for Children — Apply for a PermitFairfax County Office for Children · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
  2. Fairfax County Zoning Evaluation Division — Additional Application Reference for Home Day Care FacilitiesFairfax County Department of Planning and Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
  3. 8VAC20-821-150 — child day programme licensing fees by capacityVirginia Department of Education · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
  4. 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.