Daycare / Child Care Center Permit Requirements in Evansville, IN

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. Indiana Department of Revenue — Registered Retail Merchant Certificate

   Required for all businesses selling tangible personal property at retail in Indiana. Indiana charges a flat 7% state sales tax with no additional local sales tax. Register online via INBiz.

   Official government source

   $25 one-time registration fee·Immediate (online via INBiz)

   $25 one-time registration fee

   Immediate (online via INBiz)

2. Indiana Background Check Requirement

   All staff, volunteers, and household members (for family daycares) in Indiana child care facilities must undergo criminal background checks through the state and FBI.

   Official government source

   $25–$75 per person·1–4 weeks

   $25–$75 per person

   1–4 weeks

1. Indiana FSSA Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning — Child Care Center License

   Child care centers in Indiana are licensed by FSSA's Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning (OECOSL), not the Division of Child Services, which handles child-welfare investigations. Licensing requires completing Orientation 1 and Orientation 2 provider trainings, submitting the application through I-LEAD, background checks, and passing an onsite OECOSL inspection. Indianapolis/Marion County does not license child care; DBNS issues a letter confirming that for OECOSL.

   Official government source

   OECOSL publishes no license fee for standard child care center licensure·Several months, covering two orientations, the I-LEAD application, background checks and an onsite inspection

   OECOSL publishes no license fee for standard child care center licensure

   Several months, covering two orientations, the I-LEAD application, background checks and an onsite inspection

2. No General Business License in Evansville

   Evansville does not require a general/universal business license for most business types. The City Controller's office issues licenses only for specific activities (e.g., street vending, hotels, pawnbrokers, secondhand dealers) — none apply to a typical service business. Verify zoning compliance and, if applicable, a Certificate of Occupancy with the Area Plan Commission / Building Commission before opening.

   Official government source

   Not applicable (no general license fee)·Not applicable

   Not applicable (no general license fee)

   Not applicable

3. Evansville — Building and Fire Safety Inspections for a Child Care Center

   A child care center in Evansville must pass building inspections from the Evansville-Vanderburgh County Building Commission and a separate fire safety inspection from the Evansville Fire Department's Fire Prevention Division / Code Enforcement Section, which reviews sprinkler, alarm, and suppression plans and inspects during construction. An Evansville Fire Department inspection is required before occupancy of a new commercial structure, and the Building Commission issues the Certificate of Occupancy only once the EFD Final Inspection Checklist and all code compliance inspections are passed; the building may not be occupied until then. Child care licensing itself is a state function, handled by Indiana's Office of Early Childhood and Out of School Learning, not by the city.

   Official government source

   Neither the Building Commission nor the Fire Department publishes a standalone inspection fee — inspections are part of the building permit process, and Building Commission permit fees are set in its published Permit Fee Schedule. Area Plan Commission permits are separate: Change of Business $100, Remodeling $100, new structure or change of use $200 plus $0.05 per sq ft.·Driven by the weekly plan review committee cycle and construction inspection scheduling rather than a fixed window. Submit sprinkler and fire alarm plans complete — incomplete submittals delay review — and note the space cannot be occupied until the Certificate of Occupancy is issued.

   Neither the Building Commission nor the Fire Department publishes a standalone inspection fee — inspections are part of the building permit process, and Building Commission permit fees are set in its published Permit Fee Schedule. Area Plan Commission permits are separate: Change of Business $100, Remodeling $100, new structure or change of use $200 plus $0.05 per sq ft.

   Driven by the weekly plan review committee cycle and construction inspection scheduling rather than a fixed window. Submit sprinkler and fire alarm plans complete — incomplete submittals delay review — and note the space cannot be occupied until the Certificate of Occupancy is issued.

Official Sources

• Indiana Family and Social Services Administration — Child Care Center License
• City of Evansville Department of Metropolitan Development

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