Daycare / Child Care Center Permit Requirements in Concord, NH

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. New Hampshire — No Sales Tax

   New Hampshire has no state sales tax and no local sales taxes, so businesses need no sales tax permit or resale registration for sales tax purposes. Businesses may instead owe the Business Enterprise Tax and the Business Profits Tax, both administered by the NH Department of Revenue Administration; BET paid can be credited against BPT. Restaurants, caterers and lodging operators separately collect the Meals and Rooms (Rentals) Tax and must hold a DRA license for it. Filing and payment are handled through DRA's Granite Tax Connect portal.

   Official government source

   No fee to register for business taxes with DRA. For taxable periods beginning on or after January 1, 2025, a BET return is due from any enterprise with more than $298,000 in gross receipts or an enterprise value tax base above $298,000; the BET rate is 0.55%·Immediate — registration and filing are done online through Granite Tax Connect

   No fee to register for business taxes with DRA. For taxable periods beginning on or after January 1, 2025, a BET return is due from any enterprise with more than $298,000 in gross receipts or an enterprise value tax base above $298,000; the BET rate is 0.55%

   Immediate — registration and filing are done online through Granite Tax Connect

2. New Hampshire Child Care Background Record Check

   The DHHS Child Care Licensing Unit requires a comprehensive Background Record Check for all child care staff, substitutes, other employees, volunteers who may be alone with children or counted in ratios, and household members aged 18 or older, submitted through the NH Connections (NHCIS) portal. The check covers a NH criminal record check, the state Abuse and Neglect Registry, the NH Sex Offender Registry, a national FBI criminal history check requiring LiveScan fingerprints, the National Sex Offender Registry, and out-of-state checks for every state lived in during the past five years.

   Official government source

   $27.00 per person for the NH Criminal History Record Information check, payable to "State of NH - Criminal Records," plus the LiveScan vendor's fingerprinting fee·The Child Care Licensing Unit makes its determination when all results are back or 45 days after a complete submission, whichever comes first

   $27.00 per person for the NH Criminal History Record Information check, payable to "State of NH - Criminal Records," plus the LiveScan vendor's fingerprinting fee

   The Child Care Licensing Unit makes its determination when all results are back or 45 days after a complete submission, whichever comes first

1. New Hampshire DHHS Child Care Licensing Unit — Child Care License

   Child care programs in New Hampshire must be licensed by the DHHS Child Care Licensing Unit, which licenses seven categories: family child care homes, family group child care homes, group child care centers, child care nurseries, school age programs, night care programs and residential child care programs. Licensure requires a complete application package, background record checks through the NH Connections Portal, on-site evaluation, and compliance with health, fire safety and staff-to-child ratio rules.

   Official government source

   License fees are set by DHHS rule and vary by program category; confirm the current amount with the Child Care Licensing Unit (603-271-9025)·Confirm current processing time with the Child Care Licensing Unit

   License fees are set by DHHS rule and vary by program category; confirm the current amount with the Child Care Licensing Unit (603-271-9025)

   Confirm current processing time with the Child Care Licensing Unit

2. City of Concord — No General Business License

   Concord does not require a general business license, and the City Clerk does not run a business-licensing program (the Clerk handles dog licensing, vital records and elections). Licensing that does exist is administered by the Code Administration Division's Health and Licensing Services and is limited to specific activities — food service establishments, tattoo parlors and artists, peddlers and vendors, pawnbrokers and secondhand dealers, entertainment and places of amusement, taxicabs, junk dealers, charitable solicitation and special events. Check the City's Permits and Licenses page for what applies to your trade.

   Official government source

   No general business license fee. Activity-specific licenses carry their own fees, most with a $30 non-refundable application fee (for example a food service license is $74 to $534 per year by class, and a tattoo establishment is $158 per year)·Not applicable — there is no general business license to apply for

   No general business license fee. Activity-specific licenses carry their own fees, most with a $30 non-refundable application fee (for example a food service license is $74 to $534 per year by class, and a tattoo establishment is $158 per year)

   Not applicable — there is no general business license to apply for

3. City of Concord — Building and Fire Safety Inspection (child care)

   Child care centers in Concord must pass building and fire-safety inspections covering egress, fire suppression, accessibility and child-proofing, coordinated through the City's Code Administration Division and Fire Prevention; Merrimack County has no inspection role. New or newly licensed day care facilities in buildings built before 1978 also need lead-safety certification under RSA 130-A:5-d.

   Official government source

   $115 per life safety inspection for licensure; any construction or fit-up work adds a $30 building permit application fee plus $7.60 per $1,000 of estimated cost·Confirm scheduling with Concord Code Administration (603-225-8580)

   $115 per life safety inspection for licensure; any construction or fit-up work adds a $30 building permit application fee plus $7.60 per $1,000 of estimated cost

   Confirm scheduling with Concord Code Administration (603-225-8580)

Official Sources

• New Hampshire Division for Children, Youth and Families — Child Care License
• City of Concord City Clerk

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