Home Daycare Permit Requirements in Detroit, MI

1. EIN (Employer Identification Number)

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

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online)

   Free

   Immediate (online)

1. MI Child Care Licensing Bureau - Family Child Care Home License

   Required by MiLEAP's Child Care Licensing Bureau (CCLB) for home daycare providers under the Child Care Organizations Act (PA 116 of 1973). A Family Child Care Home license covers 1-6 unrelated minor children; caring for 7-12 unrelated children requires a separate Group Child Care Home license. The process includes zoning approval, environmental health and fire safety inspections, background checks (child care background check program), CPR/First Aid training, and pre-service training hours.

   Official government source

   $50.00 non-refundable application fee (Family Home, 1-6 children); $100.00 for a Group Home (7-12 children)·3 to 6 months on average

   $50.00 non-refundable application fee (Family Home, 1-6 children); $100.00 for a Group Home (7-12 children)

   3 to 6 months on average

2. Group Child Care Home License (7-12 children)

   A provider caring for 7 to 12 unrelated children in a home must hold a Group Child Care Home license. The licensing agency is the Child Care Licensing Bureau (CCLB) within the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP) — not LARA's Bureau of Community and Health Systems, which no longer administers child care licensing. Licensing is governed by Public Act 116 of 1973 and the Licensing Rules for Family and Group Child Care Homes. Apply online through MiLogin (paper applications are available). Required steps include fingerprinting and a comprehensive Child Care Background Check for the applicant/licensee, child care staff members, child care assistants, unsupervised volunteers, and adult household members; documentation that radon does not exceed 4 picocuries per liter in the lowest level of the home; a self-paced licensing orientation; and, where the home has a private well or septic system, an environmental health inspection requested from and paid to the local health authority using form CCL-1787-CC. Zoning approval may also be required.

   Official government source

   $100.00 application fee for a Group Home (7-12 unrelated children), non-refundable — a Family Home (1-6 unrelated children) is $50.00. The license is not free. Additional out-of-pocket costs are separate and paid to other parties: fingerprinting and background checks, radon testing, and the local health department's environmental health inspection fee if the home has a private well or septic system.·MiLEAP states the licensing process takes 3 to 6 months on average. Background check instructions are issued only after the application and fee are submitted, and the orientation comes after all required documentation is reviewed and approved, so the sequence is gated rather than parallel.

   $100.00 application fee for a Group Home (7-12 unrelated children), non-refundable — a Family Home (1-6 unrelated children) is $50.00. The license is not free. Additional out-of-pocket costs are separate and paid to other parties: fingerprinting and background checks, radon testing, and the local health department's environmental health inspection fee if the home has a private well or septic system.

   MiLEAP states the licensing process takes 3 to 6 months on average. Background check instructions are issued only after the application and fee are submitted, and the orientation comes after all required documentation is reviewed and approved, so the sequence is gated rather than parallel.

3. Fingerprinting and Comprehensive Child Care Background Check (CCBC)

   Michigan child care licensing does not rely on a name-based ICHAT search. MiLEAP's Child Care Licensing Bureau requires fingerprinting and a comprehensive Child Care Background Check (CCBC) for everyone associated with a licensed home: the applicant/licensee, child care staff members, child care assistants, unsupervised volunteers, and adult household members. The CCBC program is the state's comprehensive background check for licensed child care providers and satisfies the federal Child Care and Development Block Grant background check requirements — a broader review than a Michigan-only criminal history search. MiLEAP directs applicants to www.michigan.gov/ccbc, and states that instructions on how to complete the checks are sent only after the license application and fee have been submitted. ICHAT is a separate Michigan State Police name-based criminal history tool and is not the clearance CCLB requires.

   Official government source

   MiLEAP does not publish the CCBC fingerprinting fee on its licensure pages; the amount is set through the state's background check program and must be confirmed at michigan.gov/ccbc. The published, certain cost at this stage is the license application fee itself — $50.00 for a Family Home or $100.00 for a Group Home, non-refundable.·No separate turnaround is published for the background check. MiLEAP states that background check instructions are issued only after the application and fee are submitted, and that the licensing process as a whole takes 3 to 6 months on average, so the check runs inside that window rather than as a standalone 2-4 week step.

   MiLEAP does not publish the CCBC fingerprinting fee on its licensure pages; the amount is set through the state's background check program and must be confirmed at michigan.gov/ccbc. The published, certain cost at this stage is the license application fee itself — $50.00 for a Family Home or $100.00 for a Group Home, non-refundable.

   No separate turnaround is published for the background check. MiLEAP states that background check instructions are issued only after the application and fee are submitted, and that the licensing process as a whole takes 3 to 6 months on average, so the check runs inside that window rather than as a standalone 2-4 week step.

1. Detroit Zoning Compliance for Home Daycare

   Home daycare operations in Detroit's residential zones must comply with zoning and building-code occupancy rules, verified through BSEED. Under the Michigan Building Code (based on the IBC), small family day-care homes serving five or fewer children are typically classified within the R-3 residential occupancy group; larger group day-care homes generally fall under a different occupancy classification (commonly Group E, or I-4 for young children) and may require a Certificate of Occupancy plus additional fire and building inspections. Confirm your specific classification with Detroit BSEED. State child care licensing itself is handled separately by MiLEAP's Child Care Licensing Bureau, not by the city.

   Official government source

   BSEED zoning verification letter $93 per address/lot; zoning compatibility study $163 per house per lot; zoning consultation $47 per meeting. If the use requires Special Land Use review, the hearing fee is $1,071 and site plan review is $210 (Minor) or $466 (Major); a Certificate of Occupancy, where required, is $147 flat. BSEED Fee Schedule eff. 1/1/2024, mod. 7/18/2025.·Varies with zoning review and, where triggered, Special Land Use hearing scheduling; BSEED publishes no guaranteed turnaround (needs_review)

   BSEED zoning verification letter $93 per address/lot; zoning compatibility study $163 per house per lot; zoning consultation $47 per meeting. If the use requires Special Land Use review, the hearing fee is $1,071 and site plan review is $210 (Minor) or $466 (Major); a Certificate of Occupancy, where required, is $147 flat. BSEED Fee Schedule eff. 1/1/2024, mod. 7/18/2025.

   Varies with zoning review and, where triggered, Special Land Use hearing scheduling; BSEED publishes no guaranteed turnaround (needs_review)

2. Certificate of Occupancy (for larger operations)

   Home-based daycares caring for 7-12 unrelated children are licensed as Group Child Care Homes by MiLEAP's Child Care Licensing Bureau (CCLB) - not LARA - a separate tier from the Family Child Care Home license (1-6 children). If the space is not a private residence, or the work involves construction or a change of use, Detroit BSEED also requires a Certificate of Occupancy confirming the premises meet fire, egress, and building code requirements. MiLEAP requires zoning approval and environmental health inspections for home providers.

   Official government source

   $147 flat Certificate of Occupancy (BSEED Fee Schedule eff. 1/1/2024, mod. 7/18/2025); the MiLEAP Group Child Care Home license fee is $100·Varies by scope of work for the Certificate of Occupancy; MiLEAP states home licensing takes 3 to 6 months on average

   $147 flat Certificate of Occupancy (BSEED Fee Schedule eff. 1/1/2024, mod. 7/18/2025); the MiLEAP Group Child Care Home license fee is $100

   Varies by scope of work for the Certificate of Occupancy; MiLEAP states home licensing takes 3 to 6 months on average

Official Sources

• MI LARA Bureau of Community and Health Systems - Child Care
• MI Department of Education - Office of Great Start
• Detroit BSEED

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