13 permits · verified 2026-09-14
What permits do you need to open a childcare centre in Burlington?
In short
A childcare centre in Burlington, VT has 5 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 8 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Vermont Secretary of State, Corporations Division charges $155 one-time filing for the articles of organization (llc). 5 of the 13 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-14 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a childcare centre in Burlington
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Child Care Facility — State-Licensed; City Zoning Only (Burlington)only if it applies to you | City of Burlington Department of Permitting and Inspections | No fee | not applicable at city level | 2026-09-14 |
| Child Care License | Vermont Department for Children and Families, Child Development Division | No fee | 3 years; confirm with the Child Development Division | 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 Burlington
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Business License — Burlington Position (24 V.S.A. § 2291)only if it applies to you | City of Burlington Clerk/Treasurer's Office | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-14 |
| Conditional Use Permit / Variance / Development Review Board Applicationonly if it applies to you | City of Burlington Department of Permitting and Inspections | Varies — formula on the Burlington page | one-time per application | 2026-09-14 |
| Zoning Permit (required for change of use, not only construction) | City of Burlington Department of Permitting and Inspections | Varies — formula on the Burlington page | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-09-14 |
| Zoning Certificate of Occupancy | City of Burlington Department of Permitting and Inspections | Varies — formula on the Burlington page | one-time; a temporary certificate is time-limited by its own terms | 2026-09-14 |
| Building Permit | City of Burlington Department of Permitting and Inspections | Varies — formula on the Burlington page | a building permit becomes invalid after three years under Code §8-27 | 2026-09-14 |
| Fire and Life Safety Inspection | City of Burlington Office of the City Fire Marshal | Varies — formula on the Burlington page | per inspection cycle | 2026-09-14 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
VT 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 | Vermont Secretary of State, Corporations Division | $155 one-time filing | perpetual, but an annual report is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | Vermont Secretary of State, Corporations Division | $155 one-time filing | perpetual, but an annual report is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| LLC Annual Reportonly if it applies to you | Vermont Secretary of State, Corporations Division | $45 a year | annual — due within 3 months after the entity's own fiscal year end, roughly March 31 for a calendar-year filer | 2026-09-04 |
| Corporation Annual Reportonly if it applies to you | Vermont Secretary of State, Corporations Division | $60 a year | annual — due within two and a half months after the entity's own fiscal year end, roughly March 15 for a calendar-year filer | 2026-09-04 |
| General Business License — Vermont Secretary of State Fee Scheduleonly if it applies to you | Vermont Secretary of State, Corporations Division | No fee | not applicable | 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 Burlington?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 13 records listed for a childcare centre in Burlington, VT, 5 apply to every business of this type and 8 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.
5 of the 13 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 4 have no fee published at all.
The other 5 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Burlington permits page and the VT state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Burlington?
Permits for a childcare centre in Burlington, VT come from 5 separate offices: City of Burlington Clerk/Treasurer's Office, City of Burlington Department of Permitting and Inspections, City of Burlington Office of the City Fire Marshal, Vermont Secretary of State, Corporations Division, Vermont Department for Children and Families, Child Development Division. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- City of Burlington Clerk/Treasurer's OfficeIssues 1 permit on this page: General Business License — Burlington Position (24 V.S.A. § 2291)149 Church Street, Burlington, VT 05401 · (802) 865-7000www.burlingtonvt.gov/1064/Business-Licenses
- City of Burlington Department of Permitting and InspectionsIssues 5 permits on this page, including Child Care Facility — State-Licensed; City Zoning Only (Burlington), Conditional Use Permit / Variance / Development Review Board Application, Zoning Permit (required for change of use, not only construction)645 Pine Street, Burlington, VT 05401 · (802) 863-0442www.burlingtonvt.gov/558/Permit-Fees
- City of Burlington Office of the City Fire MarshalIssues 1 permit on this page: Fire and Life Safety Inspection132 North Avenue, Burlington, VT 05401 · (802) 864-5577www.burlingtonvt.gov/181
- Vermont Secretary of State, Corporations DivisionIssues 5 permits on this page, including Articles of Organization (LLC), Articles of Incorporation, LLC Annual Report128 State Street, Montpelier, VT 05633 · (802) 828-2386sos.vermont.gov/business-services
- Vermont Department for Children and Families, Child Development DivisionIssues 1 permit on this page: Child Care License280 State Drive, NOB 1 North, Waterbury, VT 05671 · 1-800-649-2642dcf.vermont.gov/cdd
What does a childcare centre need in Burlington that other businesses do not?
2 of the 2 permits particular to a childcare centre here apply to no other business type we cover in Burlington: Child Care Facility — State-Licensed; City Zoning Only (Burlington) and Child Care License.
Child Care Facility — State-Licensed; City Zoning Only (Burlington)
No city fee applies: the Clerk/Treasurer's Business Licenses page lists only cannabis, liquor, peddler and taxi licenses, and childcare is licensed by the Vermont Department for Children and Families Child Development Division. The City's involvement is zoning only: the CDO use table carries rows for 'Daycare' and 'Daycare – Family Home,' so the questions a Burlington operator faces are whether the use is permitted outright or conditional in the district, and whether the space needs a change-of-use zoning permit and a zoning certificate of occupancy. Where the use is conditional the $195.00 conditional use fee applies on top of the $122.00 zoning permit. A childcare facility is also subject to the fire and life safety inspection listed elsewhere for this jurisdiction, whose first inspection and first re-inspection are free of charge.
Child Care License
No fee, because Vermont's own permit handbook states plainly that the Child Development Division does not charge for processing a child care application, for any facility size or type. A license is required for anyone providing care to children from more than two families.
The other 6 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Burlington, VT; what each one involves is set out on the Burlington permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across VT and are covered on the VT state page.
How does a childcare centre compare with other businesses in Burlington?
The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A childcare centre also needs Child Care Facility — State-Licensed; City Zoning Only (Burlington) and Child Care License. A auto repair shop needs Sign Permit, Auto Repair Shop — City Zoning and Permits Only (Burlington) and Auto Repair Shop Permits — Vermont DEC Small Business Fact Sheet, which a childcare centre does not.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a childcare centre | Only a childcare centre needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auto repair shops | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Coffee shops | 5 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| Contractors and trades | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Fitness studios | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Food trucks | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Restaurants | 5 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| Retail stores | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Salons and barbers | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Veterinary clinics | 3 | 0 | 2 | 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 that apply to every type of business are listed on the Burlington permits page and the VT state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Business Licenses — the Clerk/Treasurer's own current index, listing the only four licenses the City issues (cannabis, liquor, peddler, taxi) and establishing that Burlington has no general business licenseCity of Burlington · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-14
- City of Burlington FY2027 Fee Schedule, effective July 1, 2026 — zoning permits, sign permits, conditional use and variance fees, Development Review Board fees, zoning certificates of occupancy and the $15.00 state-mandated filing feeCity of Burlington Department of Permitting and Inspections · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-14
- State of Vermont Permit and License Information, Sheet 57 — child care licensing, confirming no feeVermont Department of Environmental Conservation · 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.