Daycare / Child Care Center Permit Requirements in Hartford, CT

1. EIN (Employer Identification Number)

   Required if you have employees or operate as an LLC or corporation. Free from the IRS.

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online application)

   Free

   Immediate (online application)

1. Connecticut Department of Revenue Services — Sales Tax Permit

   Required for all businesses selling tangible personal property or taxable services in Connecticut. Connecticut charges a 6.35% state sales tax and taxes certain services (broader base than many states). Register with the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services via myconneCT; a $100 registration fee applies.

   Official government source

   $100 (registration fee)·Immediate (online via myconneCT)

   $100 (registration fee)

   Immediate (online via myconneCT)

2. Connecticut comprehensive background check for child care staff and household members

   Connecticut child care licensing is administered by the Office of Early Childhood, not the Department of Public Health. CGS Sec. 19a-80(c) requires every prospective employee of a licensed child care centre or group child care home who cares for children or has unsupervised access to them to submit to comprehensive background checks, and CGS Sec. 19a-87b imposes the same on family child care home licensees, their assistants and substitutes, and household members. The checks comprise a fingerprint-based state criminal history records check through the State Police Bureau of Identification and a national FBI check under CGS Sec. 29-17a, plus a search of the state child abuse and neglect registry maintained under CGS Sec. 17a-101k. No prospective employee may begin work until the federal requirements at 45 CFR 98.43(d)(4) are satisfied.

   Official government source

   Under CGS Sec. 29-17a the applicant pays whatever DESPP charges for the state records check plus the FBI's own fee for the national check; an optional expedited service costs an additional $50. No single flat statutory amount applies.·Fingerprints must be submitted and the checks completed before the person may begin working with children; OEC also requires the child abuse registry check as part of the same clearance

   Under CGS Sec. 29-17a the applicant pays whatever DESPP charges for the state records check plus the FBI's own fee for the national check; an optional expedited service costs an additional $50. No single flat statutory amount applies.

   Fingerprints must be submitted and the checks completed before the person may begin working with children; OEC also requires the child abuse registry check as part of the same clearance

1. Connecticut Office of Early Childhood - Child Care Center License

   Child care centers in Connecticut must be licensed by the Office of Early Childhood's Division of Licensing. Requirements include comprehensive background checks for staff, health and fire inspections, staff-to-child ratio compliance and extensive documentation. Under CGS Sec. 19a-80 the license is issued for a four-year term. Hartford also requires a fire department Day-Care Centers operational permit ($50).

   Official government source

   $500 per four-year license for a child care center; $250 for a group child care home; $50 Hartford fire operational permit·The license runs four years and is issued once inspections and background checks are complete

   $500 per four-year license for a child care center; $250 for a group child care home; $50 Hartford fire operational permit

   The license runs four years and is issued once inspections and background checks are complete

2. No general Hartford business license (category-specific licenses only)

   Hartford does not require a general business license. The Licenses & Inspections Division licenses only specific regulated categories - food establishments, mobile vendors, laundromats, amusement devices, parking lots and similar activities. Service businesses such as plumbing, salons, tutoring, pet sitting or photography are not licensed by the city, though they may need a state license, zoning approval, or a certificate of occupancy for commercial space.

   Official government source

   No fee - Hartford issues no general business license·Not applicable

   No fee - Hartford issues no general business license

   Not applicable

3. City of Hartford Building and Fire Marshal Inspection (child care center)

   Connecticut abolished county government in 1960, so there is no Hartford County building or fire authority - a child care centre in Hartford is inspected by the city's own Fire Marshal's Office (Fire Prevention Division) and by Development Services for building code compliance. The building official reviews the space for State Building Code compliance including accessibility and issues the Certificate of Occupancy under CGS Sec. 29-265; the fire marshal reviews for Fire Safety Code compliance covering fire suppression, alarms, egress and occupant load, which drives the child-proofing and evacuation arrangements. These local approvals are prerequisites to, not substitutes for, licensure of the centre by the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood, which requires its own local fire and health clearances as part of the licence application.

   Official government source

   Building permit and inspection fees are set by Hartford's adopted Development Services fee schedule and scale with the declared value of construction; a state code-education fee is added to every Connecticut building permit per $1,000 of that value (CGS Sec. 29-263(b))·A building permit must be issued or refused within 30 days of application (CGS Sec. 29-263(a)); fire marshal plan review runs in parallel and the Certificate of Occupancy follows the final inspections

   Building permit and inspection fees are set by Hartford's adopted Development Services fee schedule and scale with the declared value of construction; a state code-education fee is added to every Connecticut building permit per $1,000 of that value (CGS Sec. 29-263(b))

   A building permit must be issued or refused within 30 days of application (CGS Sec. 29-263(a)); fire marshal plan review runs in parallel and the Certificate of Occupancy follows the final inspections

Official Sources

• Connecticut Office of Early Childhood — Child Care Center License
• City of Hartford Licenses and Inspections Division

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