Daycare / Child Care Center Permit Requirements in Oklahoma City, OK

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. Oklahoma Tax Commission — Sales Tax Permit

   Required for any vendor selling taxable goods or services in Oklahoma. Register with the Oklahoma Tax Commission online through OkTAP. Oklahoma levies 4.5% state sales tax; cities and counties add their own local rates on top, so the combined rate depends on the delivery address — look it up on the OTC rate charts rather than assuming a statewide maximum.

   Official government source

   $20 for a three-year permit, plus $10 for each additional place of business (also valid three years), per 68 O.S. Sec 1364(A) and (E). Registration is not free.·Apply online via OkTAP. An initial application may be issued a probationary permit effective six (6) months that automatically renews for an additional thirty (30) months unless the Tax Commission gives written notice of refusal (68 O.S. Sec 1364(B)).

   $20 for a three-year permit, plus $10 for each additional place of business (also valid three years), per 68 O.S. Sec 1364(A) and (E). Registration is not free.

   Apply online via OkTAP. An initial application may be issued a probationary permit effective six (6) months that automatically renews for an additional thirty (30) months unless the Tax Commission gives written notice of refusal (68 O.S. Sec 1364(B)).

2. Oklahoma Child Care Background Check Requirement (Oklahoma Human Services)

   All staff, volunteers, and household members (for family child care homes) at Oklahoma child care programs must clear background checks arranged through Oklahoma Human Services (OKDHS): an OSBI Oklahoma criminal history check, a national fingerprint-based FBI check, the Child Care Restricted Registry, and sex-offender and child-abuse registry checks. Fees are paid to OSBI and the fingerprint vendor, not to OKDHS.

   Official government source

   Background-check fees are set by OSBI and the fingerprint vendor and are not published by OKDHS; OKDHS charges no child care licensing fee. Confirm current per-person amounts with OKDHS Child Care Services (405-522-5050).·Not published; confirm current background-check turnaround with OKDHS Child Care Services (405-522-5050).

   Background-check fees are set by OSBI and the fingerprint vendor and are not published by OKDHS; OKDHS charges no child care licensing fee. Confirm current per-person amounts with OKDHS Child Care Services (405-522-5050).

   Not published; confirm current background-check turnaround with OKDHS Child Care Services (405-522-5050).

1. Oklahoma Human Services — Child Care Facility License

   Child care centers in Oklahoma must be licensed by Oklahoma Human Services (OKDHS) Child Care Services under the Oklahoma Child Care Facilities Licensing Act (10 O.S. §401-410, enacted 1963). Licensure requires background checks on staff, volunteers and household members, health and fire safety inspections, staff-to-child ratio compliance, and regular monitoring visits by licensing staff.

   Official government source

   OKDHS publishes no application or licensing fee for child care facility licensure. Background-check costs are set by OSBI and the fingerprint vendor, not by OKDHS. Confirm with OKDHS Child Care Services (405-521-3561 or 844-834-8314).·Not published by OKDHS; confirm current licensing timelines with Child Care Services (405-521-3561 or 844-834-8314).

   OKDHS publishes no application or licensing fee for child care facility licensure. Background-check costs are set by OSBI and the fingerprint vendor, not by OKDHS. Confirm with OKDHS Child Care Services (405-521-3561 or 844-834-8314).

   Not published by OKDHS; confirm current licensing timelines with Child Care Services (405-521-3561 or 844-834-8314).

2. City of Oklahoma City — Business Licensing (category-specific; no general business license)

   Oklahoma City does not require a general business license and has no 'Business Development Department.' The Business Licensing division (Development Services) licenses only an enumerated list of categories: advertising, airport/heliport, amusement, auction sales, beverage bottling, charitable solicitation, coin-operated devices, commercial vehicle parking, day care and day camp, dry cleaning, employment agency, food service establishment, hotel/motel, kennel, massage establishment, mobile home park, outdoor sellers, pawnbroker, used auto dealer, used merchandise, and vehicle food and frozen dessert sales. Most business types — including real estate, personal training, contracting trades (which instead require Contractor Registration), pest control, home bakery, landscaping, pressure washing, yoga and fitness studios, salons and barber shops, handyman, cleaning services, auto repair, photography, notary, pet sitting, and tutoring — need no City of Oklahoma City business license.

   Official government source

   Varies by category — for example Kennel $100/year, Massage Establishment $200/year, Food Service Establishment $140/year, Day Care and Day Camp $92.50 plus $1 per child, Hotel/Motel $110.40, Pawnbroker $80, Coin-Operated Device $50. Business types outside the licensed list pay nothing.·Varies by license category; confirm with the City of Oklahoma City Business Licensing division (Development Services, 405-297-2900).

   Varies by category — for example Kennel $100/year, Massage Establishment $200/year, Food Service Establishment $140/year, Day Care and Day Camp $92.50 plus $1 per child, Hotel/Motel $110.40, Pawnbroker $80, Coin-Operated Device $50. Business types outside the licensed list pay nothing.

   Varies by license category; confirm with the City of Oklahoma City Business Licensing division (Development Services, 405-297-2900).

3. City of Oklahoma City Building and Fire Safety Inspection

   Child care centers in a commercial space in Oklahoma City must pass building plan review and inspections (life safety, ADA accessibility, fire suppression) through City of Oklahoma City Development Services, with fire inspection by the Oklahoma City Fire Department. A separate City Day Care and Day Camp license also applies. Child-proofing and program standards are set by Oklahoma Human Services (OKDHS) child care licensing. Oklahoma County has no inspection role inside city limits.

   Official government source

   No flat inspection fee is published; inspection costs are part of OKC permit fees, which vary by project — confirm with OKC Development Services (405-297-2900). The City's Day Care and Day Camp license is $92.50 per year plus $1 per child.·Varies with plan review and inspection scheduling; confirm with OKC Development Services (405-297-2900).

   No flat inspection fee is published; inspection costs are part of OKC permit fees, which vary by project — confirm with OKC Development Services (405-297-2900). The City's Day Care and Day Camp license is $92.50 per year plus $1 per child.

   Varies with plan review and inspection scheduling; confirm with OKC Development Services (405-297-2900).

Official Sources

• Oklahoma Department of Human Services — Child Care Facility License
• City of Oklahoma City Business Development Department

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