Daycare / Child Care Center Permit Requirements in Stamford, 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, 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; the fee does not vary with capacity.

   Official government source

   $500 per four-year license for a child care center; $250 for a group child care home·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

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

2. Stamford Certificate of Occupancy and category-specific permits (no general business license)

   Stamford requires no general business license, and Connecticut has no statewide one - so nothing is issued annually to be displayed at the place of business. What Stamford does require is a Certificate of Occupancy for the premises from the Building Department, plus whichever category-specific permits fit the business. The city's Permits and Licenses catalogue lists Building Department permits (building, demolition, zoning, signs, temporary tents, contractor registration), Engineering excavation and obstruction permits, and Department of Health licences (annual food establishment, retail food store, mobile food establishment, cosmetology, massage establishment, hotel/motel, public pool, multiple family dwelling, rooming house, refuse trucks). Note the Building Department sits under Operations; Economic Development is a separate office that issues no permits.

   Official government source

   No general business license fee exists; Building, Engineering and Health permit fees are set per category by Stamford's adopted fee schedules·A building permit must be issued or refused within 30 days of application (CGS Sec. 29-263(a)); Health Department licences such as food and cosmetology run annually and require plan review and inspection before issuance

   No general business license fee exists; Building, Engineering and Health permit fees are set per category by Stamford's adopted fee schedules

   A building permit must be issued or refused within 30 days of application (CGS Sec. 29-263(a)); Health Department licences such as food and cosmetology run annually and require plan review and inspection before issuance

3. Stamford Building and Fire Marshal Inspection (child care center)

   Connecticut abolished county government in 1960, so there is no Fairfield County building or fire authority - a child care centre in Stamford is inspected by the city's own Building Department and Fire Marshal's Office. 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 plans for Fire Safety Code compliance covering fire suppression, alarms, egress and occupant load, which is what 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 Stamford's adopted fee schedules 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 Stamford's adopted fee schedules 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 Stamford Department of Building, Land Use & Economic Development

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