Daycare / Child Care Center Permit Requirements in Rapid City, SD

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. South Dakota Department of Revenue - Sales Tax License

   Any business with a physical presence in South Dakota must be licensed for sales tax collection, and South Dakota taxes services as well as tangible personal property and products transferred electronically. The state sales and use tax rate is 4.2 percent (reduced from 4.5 percent), and municipal sales and use tax of generally 1 to 2 percent applies where the purchaser receives the product or service. Remote sellers and marketplace providers with more than $100,000 in gross sales into South Dakota in the previous or current calendar year must also license and remit. Register using the Department of Revenue's online Tax License Application.

   Official government source

   Free - there is no fee for a South Dakota sales tax license·Apply online through the Tax License Application; the license is typically issued within a few business days

   Free - there is no fee for a South Dakota sales tax license

   Apply online through the Tax License Application; the license is typically issued within a few business days

2. South Dakota Child Care Provider Background Screening

   Federal law (45 CFR 98.43) requires all registered and licensed child care providers, and informal and in-home providers receiving Child Care and Development Fund money, to complete in-state and out-of-state background screenings covering staff, volunteers, and household members age 18 and over. In-state screenings cover the SD central registry of child abuse and neglect, the SD sex offender registry, an NCIC check, and a state criminal record repository search; out-of-state central registry and criminal record checks are required for every state a person has lived in during the previous five years. In-state screenings must be repeated every five years.

   Official government source

   Free to the provider - SD DSS states providers do not need to submit payment and that 'DSS will pay any fees required'; the central registry and state repository searches carry no fee·A central registry screening averages 5-7 business days from receipt; out-of-state screenings take longer and vary by state

   Free to the provider - SD DSS states providers do not need to submit payment and that 'DSS will pay any fees required'; the central registry and state repository searches carry no fee

   A central registry screening averages 5-7 business days from receipt; out-of-state screenings take longer and vary by state

1. South Dakota Department of Social Services - Child Care License

   Child care centers and group family day care programs in South Dakota must be licensed before operating, regardless of funding source, by the Department of Social Services' Office of Licensing and Accreditation / Child Care Services (800-227-3020). The governing law is SDCL ch. 26-6 (Children's Homes and Welfare Agencies), with health and safety rules in ARSD 67:42:17 (child care licensing) and construction requirements in ARSD 61:15:05 (day care centers) and ARSD 61:15:06 (group family). Licensing requires a floor plan review, background screening for everyone 18 and older in the program, compliance with staff-to-child ratios, and health and fire safety inspections; programs are inspected each year. The licensing process is started through the OLA Provider Portal.

   Official government source

   SD DSS publishes no child care license application fee, and the state pays for the required background screenings - the department states that providers 'do not need to submit payment if there is a fee indicated. DSS will pay any fees required.' The South Dakota central registry and criminal record repository searches are themselves free.·Background screening results are returned in an average of 5-7 business days. Overall licensing time depends on floor plan review, background screening, and passing health and fire safety inspections; contact Child Care Services at 800-227-3020 for current timelines.

   SD DSS publishes no child care license application fee, and the state pays for the required background screenings - the department states that providers 'do not need to submit payment if there is a fee indicated. DSS will pay any fees required.' The South Dakota central registry and criminal record repository searches are themselves free.

   Background screening results are returned in an average of 5-7 business days. Overall licensing time depends on floor plan review, background screening, and passing health and fire safety inspections; contact Child Care Services at 800-227-3020 for current timelines.

2. City of Rapid City - No General Business License for Most Businesses

   Rapid City does not require a general business license. The city's own licensing page states that the Finance Office requires a business license only for these types: Adult Oriented Business, Central Station Service, Ice Cream Vendor, Pawn / Precious Metals and Gems / Second Hand, Refuse Hauling, Security, Sidewalk Vending, Taxi, Transportation Network, or Alcohol Related Business/Event (Finance Office, 605-394-4143). It adds explicitly that if you do not have one of these businesses, the Finance Office does not require you to have a business license through their office, and refers other business licensing questions to the Department of Revenue at 605-394-2332. Contractor licenses, building permits, plan review, inspections, and air quality permits are handled separately by Building Services at 605-394-4120. A South Dakota sales tax license from the Department of Revenue is required and is free.

   Official government source

   $0 for most businesses - no general business license exists. A license fee applies only to the enumerated categories above; contact the Finance Office at 605-394-4143 for those amounts.·N/A for most businesses - there is nothing to file. For an enumerated license type, contact the Finance Office at 605-394-4143.

   $0 for most businesses - no general business license exists. A license fee applies only to the enumerated categories above; contact the Finance Office at 605-394-4143 for those amounts.

   N/A for most businesses - there is nothing to file. For an enumerated license type, contact the Finance Office at 605-394-4143.

3. City of Rapid City Building and Fire Safety Inspection

   A child care center in Rapid City is inspected by the City of Rapid City Building Services Division (300 Sixth Street, 605-394-4120), which handles plans examination, building code enforcement, permitting, and inspections, together with the Rapid City Fire Department for fire and life-safety items. Pennington County has no inspection role inside city limits. These inspections support the state child care license issued by SD Department of Social Services, which sets the program's health and safety requirements; ADA accessibility is a federal obligation, not a city permit.

   Official government source

   Any associated building or change-of-occupancy permit is priced by the City's published commercial building permit fee schedule; fees scale with the valuation of the work·Contact Building Services (605-394-4120) for current plan review and inspection scheduling

   Any associated building or change-of-occupancy permit is priced by the City's published commercial building permit fee schedule; fees scale with the valuation of the work

   Contact Building Services (605-394-4120) for current plan review and inspection scheduling

Official Sources

• South Dakota Department of Social Services — Child Care Facility License
• City of Rapid City Finance Department

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