Daycare / Child Care Center Permit Requirements in Wichita, KS

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. Kansas Department of Revenue — Retailer's Sales Tax License

   Required for all businesses selling tangible personal property or taxable services in Kansas. Kansas charges a 6.5% state sales tax; local jurisdictions may impose additional taxes. Register with the Kansas Department of Revenue.

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online)

   Free

   Immediate (online)

2. Kansas Child Care Background Check Requirement

   Under K.S.A. 65-516 no one may maintain a child care facility where an employee, resident, volunteer or household member has a disqualifying criminal or child-abuse-registry record. The state runs both a Kansas record check and a fingerprint-based national (FBI) criminal history check for staff, volunteers and, in a family child care home, everyone residing there. Child care licensing and these checks moved from KDHE to the Kansas Office of Early Childhood effective July 1, 2026, so applications and fingerprint submissions now go through KOEC.

   Official government source

   The fingerprint fee is fixed by rule and regulation on a cost-recovery basis under K.S.A. 65-516(g) — the statute sets no dollar figure and the amount is charged per person. Confirm the current amount with the Kansas Office of Early Childhood before budgeting for a staff roster.·Not published as a fixed turnaround. Fingerprints must clear before a person may work unsupervised, so submit them well before a planned opening or hire date.

   The fingerprint fee is fixed by rule and regulation on a cost-recovery basis under K.S.A. 65-516(g) — the statute sets no dollar figure and the amount is charged per person. Confirm the current amount with the Kansas Office of Early Childhood before budgeting for a staff roster.

   Not published as a fixed turnaround. Fingerprints must clear before a person may work unsupervised, so submit them well before a planned opening or hire date.

1. Kansas Office of Early Childhood — Child Care Facility License

   Child care centers in Kansas are licensed by the Kansas Office of Early Childhood, which took over child care licensing from KDHE on July 1, 2026 under 2025 House Bill 2045; KDHE's own page now redirects providers to KOEC. Licensing covers fingerprint background checks for staff, health and fire safety inspections, and staff-to-child ratios.

   Official government source

   No annual license fee — K.S.A. 65-505 charges an annual fee only for maternity centers, child placement agencies and resource and referral agencies, not for child care facilities. A $48 comprehensive fingerprint background check applies per covered staff member (reinstated Jan. 1, 2026).·Apply at least 90 days before your anticipated opening date, which is the lead time the licensing program asks providers to allow.

   No annual license fee — K.S.A. 65-505 charges an annual fee only for maternity centers, child placement agencies and resource and referral agencies, not for child care facilities. A $48 comprehensive fingerprint background check applies per covered staff member (reinstated Jan. 1, 2026).

   Apply at least 90 days before your anticipated opening date, which is the lead time the licensing program asks providers to allow.

2. City of Wichita — No General Business License for Most Businesses

   Wichita does not require a general business license. The city's own Business Licenses page states it 'does not require a standard business license for all businesses that operate within the City limits — only for certain businesses,' and lists those categories: adult entertainment, advertising, animals, cemeteries, entertainment, lodging and residential (including Home Occupation and short-term rentals), sales and services (liquor, massage therapy, mobile food vendor, pawnbroker, precious metal dealer, secondhand dealer, tobacco, transient merchant and similar), security, special events, transportation, and wells. Businesses outside those categories need no city business license. Two things this does not cover: contractors and building permits go through MABCD, the joint City of Wichita/Sedgwick County building department, and state occupational licenses (cosmetology, barbering, real estate, insurance) apply regardless of city licensing.

   Official government source

   No fee for business types the city does not license. Published examples for those it does: Home Occupation $35/year, mobile food vendor $350/year per vehicle ($50 per special event per vehicle), massage therapist $75 per 2 years, massage therapy business $200 per 2 years. MABCD trade certificates are $35.·Not applicable for unlicensed business types. Wichita advises about 2 weeks for a Home Occupation renewal and 30 days for massage licenses; MABCD says contractor license review can take up to two weeks.

   No fee for business types the city does not license. Published examples for those it does: Home Occupation $35/year, mobile food vendor $350/year per vehicle ($50 per special event per vehicle), massage therapist $75 per 2 years, massage therapy business $200 per 2 years. MABCD trade certificates are $35.

   Not applicable for unlicensed business types. Wichita advises about 2 weeks for a Home Occupation renewal and 30 days for massage licenses; MABCD says contractor license review can take up to two weeks.

3. Wichita / Sedgwick County MABCD — Building and Fire Safety Inspection for a Child Care Center

   A child care center in Wichita must satisfy local building and fire code before opening, through MABCD, the joint City of Wichita/Sedgwick County building department. Expect review of construction standards, accessibility, means of egress, fire suppression and occupancy limits, plus a Certificate of Occupancy for the use. This is separate from and additional to the state child care licence, which since July 1, 2026 is issued by the Kansas Office of Early Childhood rather than KDHE. Any buildout requires building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits from MABCD, pulled by MABCD-licensed contractors.

   Official government source

   MABCD sets charges by published fee table rather than a flat inspection fee: building work under Table B, electrical under Table I, mechanical under Table K, plumbing under Table H, with a $25 annual operating permit fee. MABCD's Building Plan/Permit Fee Calculator gives an estimate for a specific project.·MABCD publishes no fixed inspection turnaround; review time depends on the scope of the buildout. Its one published benchmark is that contractor licence applications can take up to two weeks to review.

   MABCD sets charges by published fee table rather than a flat inspection fee: building work under Table B, electrical under Table I, mechanical under Table K, plumbing under Table H, with a $25 annual operating permit fee. MABCD's Building Plan/Permit Fee Calculator gives an estimate for a specific project.

   MABCD publishes no fixed inspection turnaround; review time depends on the scope of the buildout. Its one published benchmark is that contractor licence applications can take up to two weeks to review.

Official Sources

• Kansas Department of Health and Environment — Child Care Facility License
• City of Wichita City Treasurer

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