Commercial Compliance Hub
Check requirements

16 permits · verified 2026-09-11

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

In short

A childcare centre in Morgantown, WV has 9 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 7 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City of Morgantown, Code Enforcement Office charges $20 one-time zoning review fee, per sign permit application — a separate building permit, with its own fee, is also required for signs costing more than $250 for the sign permit. 3 of the 16 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-11 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a childcare centre in Morgantown

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Home Occupation Permitonly if it applies to youCity of Morgantown, Planning Division (Development Services)No feenot stated in the published fee schedule2026-09-11
Child Care Center Inspection/Plan Review Fee (Monongalia County Health Department)Monongalia County Health Department$72–$222 per facility, banded by licensed enrollment — $72.00 (1-12 children), $150.00 (13-25 children), $222.00 (26 or more children)not stated in the published fee schedule2026-09-11
Conditional Use Permit (Board of Zoning Appeals)only if it applies to youCity of Morgantown, Planning Division (Development Services)$150 one-time, per applicationone-time, per application2026-09-11
Child Care Centre LicenseWest Virginia Department of Human ServicesNo feeup to 2 years — a new service first receives a six-month initial license2026-09-04

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 Morgantown

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Fire and Life Safety Plan Review (Building Permit)Morgantown Fire Department, Fire Marshal's DivisionVaries — formula on the Morgantown pageone-time, per project2026-09-11
Sign Permitonly if it applies to youCity of Morgantown, Code Enforcement Office$20 one-time zoning review fee, per sign permit application — a separate building permit, with its own fee, is also required for signs costing more than $250one-time, per sign permit application2026-09-11
Municipal Business LicenseCity of Morgantown, Finance Department$20 annual, flatannual — fiscal year, expires June 30; renewal due by July 12026-09-11
Business and Occupation (B&O) TaxCity of Morgantown, Finance DepartmentNo feenot stated in the published fee schedule2026-09-11
Municipal Service FeeCity of Morgantown, Finance DepartmentNo feenot stated in the published fee schedule2026-09-11
Certificate of OccupancyCity of Morgantown, Code Enforcement Office$65 one-timeone-time — issued for a new occupancy or a change of business2026-09-11
Fire Marshal Certificate of Occupancy InspectionMorgantown Fire Department, Fire Marshal's Division$50 per inspectionone-time — performed as part of Certificate of Occupancy issuance2026-09-11
Zoning Verification Letteronly if it applies to youCity of Morgantown, Planning Division (Development Services)Varies — formula on the Morgantown pageone-time, per written verification request2026-09-11

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

WV 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 Incorporationonly if it applies to youWest Virginia Secretary of State, Business and Licensing Division$100 one-time filingperpetual, but an annual report is due every year2026-09-04
Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youWest Virginia Secretary of State, Business and Licensing Division$100 one-time filingperpetual, but an annual report is due every year2026-09-04
Annual Reportonly if it applies to youWest Virginia Secretary of State, Business and Licensing Division$25 a year; a late-filed report adds $50 for a profit entity or $25 for a nonprofitannual — filed between 1 January and 30 June of the year after registration2026-09-04
Business Registration CertificateWest Virginia State Tax Division$30 one-time — the certificate never expirespermanent — valid until the business relocates, closes, or the certificate is suspended or revoked2026-09-04

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 Morgantown?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 16 records listed for a childcare centre in Morgantown, WV, 9 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 9 that always apply, 4 carry a flat fee, coming to $165.00. That is a floor, not a total. 3 of the 16 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 4 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

Child Care Center Inspection/Plan Review Fee (Monongalia County Health Department): $72–$222 per facility, banded by licensed enrollment — $72.00 (1-12 children), $150.00 (13-25 children), $222.00 (26 or more children)

The other 2 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Morgantown permits page and the WV state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Morgantown?

Permits for a childcare centre in Morgantown, WV come from 8 separate offices: Morgantown Fire Department, Fire Marshal's Division, City of Morgantown, Planning Division (Development Services), Monongalia County Health Department, City of Morgantown, Code Enforcement Office, City of Morgantown, Finance Department, West Virginia Department of Human Services, West Virginia Secretary of State, Business and Licensing Division, West Virginia State Tax Division. 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 Morgantown that other businesses do not?

2 of the 4 permits particular to a childcare centre here apply to no other business type we cover in Morgantown: Child Care Center Inspection/Plan Review Fee (Monongalia County Health Department) and Child Care Centre License.

Home Occupation Permit

The Planning Division's own current Application Packet states that a Class 1 Home Occupation 'may be granted administratively' and states no fee for it, so no fee applies to a Class 1 Home Occupation. A Class 2 Home Occupation (any home-based business that does not clearly qualify as Class 1) is itself a Conditional Use requiring Board of Zoning Appeals approval, folding into the Conditional Use Application fee recorded separately rather than carrying a fee of its own. Unlike Huntington's own ordinance, which names specific trades in and out by type, Morgantown's own packet draws its Class 1/Class 2 line purely by transaction style — whether the business involves on-premise customer visitation, product display to visitors, or delivery volume beyond two stops per day — rather than by the type of trade itself, so in principle other home-based service businesses could also qualify depending on how they actually operate. The permit is recorded here against childcare (family day care, expressly cross-referenced as a home occupation at Section 1331.06(19)) and salon (a plausible low-customer-contact personal service), the two industries most likely to fit Morgantown's own transaction-style test, without asserting the ordinance itself names or excludes either by trade.

Child Care Center Inspection/Plan Review Fee (Monongalia County Health Department)

This is a local childcare-specific fee, layered on top of West Virginia's own state Child Care Centre License recorded at the state layer. Monongalia County's own current fee schedule states this figure directly, banded by enrollment. This appears on the Department's own general environmental-health fee schedule rather than a page specifically describing a childcare program, so a Morgantown childcare operator should confirm directly with the Department whether this fee applies to an initial facility plan review, a recurring inspection, or both.

Child Care Centre License

No fee, because the governing rule contains no fee provision anywhere in its text for a child care centre license — a genuine absence rather than an unpublished figure. A brand-new service is first issued a six-month initial license before qualifying for the regular license, which then runs for up to two years at the department's discretion, or is downgraded to provisional status if standards slip.

Shared with other businesses in Morgantown

  • Conditional Use Permit (Board of Zoning Appeals) — City of Morgantown, Planning Division (Development Services), $150 one-time, per application, one-time, per application. Also required for auto repair shops, veterinary clinics, retail stores and fitness studios; what it involves is set out on the fitness studios page.

The other 8 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Morgantown, WV; what each one involves is set out on the Morgantown permits page. The 4 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across WV and are covered on the WV state page.

How does a childcare centre compare with other businesses in Morgantown?

The closest match is a retail store, which shares 1 of these permits. A childcare centre also needs Home Occupation Permit, Child Care Center Inspection/Plan Review Fee (Monongalia County Health Department) and Child Care Centre License. A retail store needs nothing here that a childcare centre does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Morgantown, WV, compared with a childcare centre
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a childcare centreOnly a childcare centre needsOnly it needs
Retail stores1130
Fitness studios2131
Auto repair shops3132
Salons and barbers3132
Veterinary clinics3132
Coffee shops3043
Contractors and trades5045
Food trucks4044
Restaurants3043

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 fitness studios page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Morgantown permits page and the WV state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Home Occupation Application Packet — the Planning Department's own current packet, describing Class 1 (administrative, no on-premise customer contact) and Class 2 (conditional use) Home Occupations, with no fee stated anywhere in the packetCity of Morgantown, Planning Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-11
  2. 2019 Planning and Zoning Code, City of Morgantown (current through Ordinance 2025-21) — the City's own complete current zoning text, including Section 1315.03 (subdivision filing fees, referencing the City's own Plan Review and Permitting Fee Schedule), Section 1331.06(19) (Day Care Facility Class 2/3 as a home-occupation conditional use), Table 1369.06.01 (sign permits, the $250 building-permit threshold), Section 1379.02 (Conditional Use filing fee), Section 1381.02 (variance fee), and the Definitions article (Automotive Repair Shop, Veterinary Clinic, Barber Shop/Beauty Salon, Personal Services Establishment, Recreation Facility Commercial Indoor, Kennel Commercial, Home Occupation)City of Morgantown, Planning Division · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-11
  3. Permit Fees and Fees for Service — Fiscal Year 2026-2027 — the Department's own current comprehensive fee schedule, pricing Food Establishment permits by seating band (Plan Review $250.00-$400.00, Permit $150.00-$600.00, plus a $150.00 ABCC add-on), a Mobile Food Unit ($150.00 plan review plus $150.00 permit), and a Child Care Center inspection banded by enrollment ($72.00/$150.00/$222.00)Monongalia County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-11
  4. Environmental Health — the Monongalia County Health Department's own current program page, listing Food Establishment, Mobile Food Unit, and Temporary Food Establishment applications and linking the current Permit Fees and Fees for Service scheduleMonongalia County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-11
  5. 78 CSR 1 — child care centre licensing, up to a two-year termWest Virginia Department of Human Services · 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.