How to Start a Daycare: Licensing Requirements by State

Last updated: August 24, 2026

Child care is one of the most heavily regulated small businesses: a state agency sets the license types (home-based vs. center), the training and background-check requirements, inspections and insurance rules — and every one of those differs from state to state. Each guide below covers what that state’s licensing agency actually requires, in the order you will meet it, with the fees and the source for every figure.

Pick your state

How to Start a Daycare — guides for all 50 states and D.C.

• Alabama
• Alaska
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Florida
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Montana
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New York
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Washington
• Washington, D.C.
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming

What every state guide covers

• Whether the state requires a general business license — and what your city or county requires instead (see the 51-state table).
• Entity registration with the Secretary of State, and the filing fee.
• The daycare’s own licenses and permits — which agency issues them, in what order, and what they cost.
• Insurance the state actually mandates, separated from what is merely advisable.
• Sources — every fee and rule is linked to the agency page or statute it came from.

Related

• Daycare insurance requirements by state — what each state mandates before you open.
• Business license requirements by state — which states require a general license and what the rest require instead.
• Workers’ comp requirements by state — the employee threshold that triggers coverage in each state.