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10 permits · verified 2026-09-05

What permits do you need to open a childcare centre in Virginia Beach?

In short

A childcare centre in Virginia Beach, VA has 6 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 4 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City of Virginia Beach Planning & Community Development, Permits and Inspections charges $75 flat for the certificate of occupancy. 6 of the 10 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 Virginia Beach

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
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 Virginia Beach

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Business, Professional and Occupational License (BPOL)City of Virginia Beach, Office of the Commissioner of the RevenueVaries — formula on the Virginia Beach pageannual2026-09-05
Certificate of OccupancyCity of Virginia Beach Planning & Community Development, Permits and Inspections$75 flatissued once per qualifying occupancy2026-09-05
Commercial Building/Alteration PermitCity of Virginia Beach Planning & Community Development, Permits and InspectionsVaries — formula on the Virginia Beach pageone-time, per project2026-09-05
Fire Inspection FeeVirginia Beach Fire Prevention Bureau$50 per inspectionrecurring2026-09-05

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

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 Virginia Beach?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 10 records listed for a childcare centre in Virginia Beach, VA, 6 apply to every business of this type and 4 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 10 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 Virginia Beach permits page and the VA state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Virginia Beach?

Permits for a childcare centre in Virginia Beach, VA come from 6 separate offices: City of Virginia Beach, Office of the Commissioner of the Revenue, City of Virginia Beach Planning & Community Development, Permits and Inspections, Virginia Beach Fire Prevention Bureau, 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 Virginia Beach that other businesses do not?

1 of the 1 permit particular to a childcare centre here applies to no other business type we cover in Virginia Beach: 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.

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

The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A childcare centre also needs Child Day Programme License. A auto repair shop needs Automotive Repair Licensing — Commonwealth of Virginia position, which a childcare centre does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Virginia Beach, VA, compared with a childcare centre
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a childcare centreOnly a childcare centre needsOnly it needs
Auto repair shops1011
Coffee shops4014
Contractors and trades2012
Fitness studios0010
Food trucks2012
Restaurants4014
Retail stores0010
Salons and barbers1011
Veterinary clinics2012

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 Virginia Beach permits page and the VA state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. 8VAC20-821-150 — child day programme licensing fees by capacityVirginia Department of Education · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
  2. 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.