9 permits · verified 2026-09-05
What permits do you need to open a childcare centre in Spokane?
In short
A childcare centre in Spokane, WA has 6 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 3 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City of Spokane Development Services Center charges $254 per inspection for the family home child care capacity inspection. 4 of the 9 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 Spokane
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family Home Child Care Capacity Inspection | City of Spokane Development Services Center | $254 per inspection | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-09-05 |
| Child Care Centre License | Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families | $125 a year for the first twelve children plus $12 for each additional child; a family home pays a flat $30 | an initial license of six months, extendable to two years, then a non-expiring license with an annual fee | 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 Spokane
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Registration | City of Spokane, Taxes and Licenses | Varies — formula on the Spokane page | annual | 2026-09-05 |
| Certificate of Occupancy | City of Spokane Development Services Center | Varies — formula on the Spokane page | issued once per qualifying occupancy; a temporary certificate is time-limited | 2026-09-05 |
| Commercial Building Permit | City of Spokane Development Services Center | Varies — formula on the Spokane page | one-time, per project | 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.
WA registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | Washington Secretary of State, Corporations and Charities Division | $180 one-time filing on paper; $200 online | no expiry, but a $70 annual report is due each year | 2026-09-03 |
| Certificate of Formation (LLC)only if it applies to you | Washington Secretary of State, Corporations and Charities Division | $180 one-time filing on paper; $200 online | no expiry, but a $70 annual report is due each year | 2026-09-03 |
| Annual Reportonly if it applies to you | Washington Secretary of State, Corporations and Charities Division | $70 a year | annual — due the last day of the month the entity was formed or registered | 2026-09-03 |
| Washington State Business License | Washington State Department of Revenue, Business Licensing Service | $50 to open, plus each endorsement's own fee; $5 a year to renew | annual — one expiration date governs every endorsement on the license | 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 Spokane?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 9 records listed for a childcare centre in Spokane, WA, 6 apply to every business of this type and 3 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 $304.00. That is a floor, not a total. 4 of the 9 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 0 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:
Child Care Centre License: $125 a year for the first twelve children plus $12 for each additional child; a family home pays a flat $30
The other 3 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Spokane permits page and the WA state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Spokane?
Permits for a childcare centre in Spokane, WA come from 5 separate offices: City of Spokane, Taxes and Licenses, City of Spokane Development Services Center, Washington Secretary of State, Corporations and Charities Division, Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families, Washington State Department of Revenue, Business Licensing Service. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- City of Spokane, Taxes and LicensesIssues 1 permit on this page: Business Registration(509) 625-6070my.spokanecity.org/business/doing-business/licenses
- City of Spokane Development Services CenterIssues 3 permits on this page: Certificate of Occupancy, Commercial Building Permit, Family Home Child Care Capacity Inspection(509) 625-6300my.spokanecity.org/business/commercial
- Washington Secretary of State, Corporations and Charities DivisionIssues 3 permits on this page: Articles of Incorporation, Certificate of Formation (LLC), Annual ReportPO Box 40234, Olympia, WA 98504-0234 · (360) 725-0377www.sos.wa.gov/corporations-charities/business-entities
- Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and FamiliesIssues 1 permit on this page: Child Care Centre License1500 Jefferson Street SE, Olympia, WA 98501 · (800) 723-4831dcyf.wa.gov/services/early-learning-providers/licensed-provider
- Washington State Department of Revenue, Business Licensing ServiceIssues 1 permit on this page: Washington State Business LicensePO Box 9034, Olympia, WA 98507-9034 · (360) 705-6705dor.wa.gov/open-business/apply-business-license
What does a childcare centre need in Spokane 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 Spokane: Family Home Child Care Capacity Inspection and Child Care Centre License.
Family Home Child Care Capacity Inspection
Ordinance C36742 (September 2025) removed Spokane's former conditional-use-permit requirement for daycare/childcare centers ahead of Washington's SB 5509 mandate, allowing them by right in residential and commercial zones — the City's own announcement of the underlying proposal described it as ending 'a costly conditional use permit process for those seeking to open childcare centers in some residential zones,' with the goal of allowing 'childcare centers outright in all residential and commercial zones across the city.' The Development Fee Schedule's only capacity-inspection line item for this use is priced and titled for a family home provider; the schedule publishes no separate line item for a standalone child care center's capacity inspection.
Child Care Centre License
A centre pays $125 for the first twelve children and $12 for each one after, every year; a family home pays a flat $30 whatever its size. That flat-versus-scaled split is the whole structural difference between the two. The fee is non-refundable, due with the initial application and then thirty days before the license anniversary, and missing the anniversary is fatal rather than merely late — the license expires and a new application is required. The department publishes none of these amounts on its own pages; the administrative code is the only primary source. Child care is not one of the endorsements the statewide business license can carry, so it is a separate application.
The other 3 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Spokane, WA; what each one involves is set out on the Spokane permits page. The 4 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across WA and are covered on the WA state page.
How does a childcare centre compare with other businesses in Spokane?
The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A childcare centre also needs Family Home Child Care Capacity Inspection and Child Care Centre License. A auto repair shop needs Sign Permit, Fire Safety Site Inspection and Automotive Repair Shop Licensing — Washington Auto Repair Act (RCW 46.71), 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 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| Contractors and trades | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Fitness studios | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Food trucks | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Restaurants | 6 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| Retail stores | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Salons and barbers | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 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 Spokane permits page and the WA state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- City of Spokane — Development Fee Schedule, effective January 1, 2026City of Spokane · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-05
- City of Spokane Official Gazette, September 24, 2025 — Ordinance C36742, daycare and childcare centre permittingCity of Spokane · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-05
- City of Spokane news release — Mayor Brown Pushes for Easier Path to Open Childcare Facilities, July 28, 2025City of Spokane, Office of the Mayor · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
- WAC 110-300-0401 — early learning programme license feesWashington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families · 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.