Daycare / Child Care Center Permit Requirements in Lewiston, ME

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. Maine Revenue Services — Sales Tax Registration

   Required for all businesses selling tangible personal property or taxable services in Maine. Maine charges a 5.5% state sales tax (food and lodging have different rates). Register with Maine Revenue Services online.

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online)

   Free

   Immediate (online)

2. Maine Background Check Requirement

   All staff, volunteers, and household members (for family daycares) in Maine child care facilities must undergo criminal background checks (state SBI and FBI, via IdentoGO fingerprinting) coordinated through Maine DHHS Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS). There is no cost to providers.

   Official government source

   Free (no cost to providers)·Results mailed within 21 days of completion; renew every 5 years

   Free (no cost to providers)

   Results mailed within 21 days of completion; renew every 5 years

1. Maine Child Care Facility License (DHHS Office of Child and Family Services)

   Child care centers in Maine must be licensed by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS), under the Child Care Facility Licensing Rule (10-148 CMR Ch. 32). Licensing requires background checks for all staff and household members, a pre-licensing inspection, and compliance with staff-to-child ratio, space and program standards. Applications are filed through the OCFS provider portal.

   Official government source

   $240 application fee for a full license or its biennial renewal; $120 for a provisional or temporary license (10-148 CMR Ch. 32 s.3). Nursery schools pay $10.·Full licenses run two years; allow time for the pre-licensing inspection and background checks before opening

   $240 application fee for a full license or its biennial renewal; $120 for a provisional or temporary license (10-148 CMR Ch. 32 s.3). Nursery schools pay $10.

   Full licenses run two years; allow time for the pre-licensing inspection and background checks before opening

2. City of Lewiston - Selective Business Licensing (City Clerk)

   Lewiston does not require a general business licence or registration, and licensing is run by the City Clerk's Department (207-513-3124), not the Finance Department. The Clerk licenses over 40 specific business types required by Maine statute or city ordinance - among them food service establishments, mobile units and roving diners, massage establishments and therapists, tattoo parlours, lodging houses, flea markets, pawnbrokers, peddlers, second-hand dealers, taxicab companies, junk collectors and adult businesses. Most other trades - cleaning, landscaping, handyman, photography, tutoring, pet sitting, notary, bookkeeping, real estate, insurance, plumbing, electrical and HVAC contracting - are not licensed by the City at all. Most licensed types require inspection by the Fire, Code (Health) or Police departments before issue.

   Official government source

   Fees are published per category in the City's Business License Applications Fees, Penalties and Inspection and Approval Schedule - for example food service establishment $150-$575 by class and size, mobile unit / roving diner $100, massage establishment $110 application plus $195 licence, tattooing $110 plus $195, second-hand dealer $88, peddler $56 in state. Most businesses pay nothing because they are not a licensed category.·File the application at least seven days before you begin operating, and allow time for any required Fire, Code (Health) or Police inspection

   Fees are published per category in the City's Business License Applications Fees, Penalties and Inspection and Approval Schedule - for example food service establishment $150-$575 by class and size, mobile unit / roving diner $100, massage establishment $110 application plus $195 licence, tattooing $110 plus $195, second-hand dealer $88, peddler $56 in state. Most businesses pay nothing because they are not a licensed category.

   File the application at least seven days before you begin operating, and allow time for any required Fire, Code (Health) or Police inspection

3. State Fire Marshal Life Safety Inspection and Lewiston Code Compliance

   Before Maine will license a child care facility, the premises must pass a Life Safety Code inspection by the Department of Public Safety, Office of the State Fire Marshal (or its designee), which also specifies which rooms and floors may be used for child care; that approval is required again at least every two years. A facility for 13 or more children also needs a State Fire Marshal construction permit. Separately, OCFS requires a Zoning and Code Compliance Letter from the municipality, which in Lewiston comes from Planning and Code Enforcement. Androscoggin County has no role.

   Official government source

   No fee is published for the State Fire Marshal life safety inspection; Lewiston charges $40 for a Change of Use permit if the space's use is changing, plus renovation permit fees ($25 base plus $7 per $1,000 of value for commercial work)·Fire Marshal approval must be in hand before OCFS issues the license, and the inspection is repeated at least every two years

   No fee is published for the State Fire Marshal life safety inspection; Lewiston charges $40 for a Change of Use permit if the space's use is changing, plus renovation permit fees ($25 base plus $7 per $1,000 of value for commercial work)

   Fire Marshal approval must be in hand before OCFS issues the license, and the inspection is repeated at least every two years

Official Sources

• Maine Child Care Licensing — Child Care Center License
• City of Lewiston Finance Department

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