8 licenses, permits and registrations, in the order to get them, each with the agency, the fee and the official page, and what the Census counts of daycares in Indiana say.
Draft. These 8 rows were drafted from the agencies' own pages in October 2026 and 1 still waits to be confirmed against the agency; one carries a note on what to check. Open the official page before you pay anything.
8 licenses, permits and registrations, in the order to get them
Step 1 of 5Set up the business. Now: Articles of organization (LLC) and the business entity report
0 of 8 items done. Each step opens when the one before it is complete. Progress stays on this device. Members keep a dated, noted plan for each saved location in the workspace.
1Set up the business0 of 3
File through INBiz. The articles name a registered agent with an Indiana street address. Indiana has no annual report and no franchise tax; miss the two-year report and the LLC is marked delinquent and then administratively dissolved.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Needed when an LLC or corporation trades under any name other than its registered one. A sole proprietor files the certificate with the county recorder instead, at the recorder’s fee.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Needed to hire, to open a business bank account and for the INBiz tax registration. Issued at once online.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Register for taxOpens after step 1
Register before the first sale and post the certificate at each location. Indiana sales tax is a flat 7% with no local add-on, but many counties levy a 1% or 2% food and beverage tax on restaurant sales that is filed with the state return. Employers also withhold county income tax by the employee’s county of residence.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Indianapolis and most other Indiana cities issue no general storefront license, so the state registrations and the health, alcohol and building approvals are the whole list for most types. Ask the clerk whether an ordinance covers your trade (food, alcohol, pet sales, peddling) before signing the lease.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Approve the spaceOpens after step 2
Confirm the zoning allows your use before signing. Indiana is unusual: any commercial construction, alteration or change of use needs a construction design release from the state fire and building division before the local building permit is issued, so plans are filed with the state first. The local building department inspects and issues the certificate of occupancy, which the health department and the alcohol board both ask for.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Get the permits for your kind of businessOpens after step 3
A center is care for children in a building that is not a residence (a home licensing track covers up to 16 children in a home). Apply with the zoning approval, the certificate of occupancy, the fire and health approvals, the floor plan and the director’s qualifications; fingerprint background checks cover every staff member before the licensing visit. Operating without a license carries a civil penalty of up to $100 a day.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Before the first hireOpens after step 4
Workers’ compensation insurance is required for every employer from the first employee, with no minimum headcount, and the Board fines uninsured employers. Register with DWD once wages are paid, and report each new hire within 20 days.
The free location checkWho lives and works around an address, the daycares already there and the traffic on its road, from public records.
The full reportWhether the rules allow a daycare at that address, the rent it supports, what has opened and closed nearby, and the questions to settle before signing.
No account. The daycare check reads public records at the address itself.
Sources and dates
INBiz business entity report page and State Form 48725 (revised January 2026); Secretary of State filing fee pages; INBiz fee calculator; Indiana Code 23-0.5-3-4 (assumed business names); IRS EIN page; Department of Revenue INTIME business guide and new and small business handbook; form BT-1; Indiana Code 6-2.5-8-1; IN.gov business guide; municipal ordinances; Indiana Code 22-15-3 and 675 IAC 12-6 (construction design release); Indiana Building Code; locality ordinances; Indiana Code 12-17.2-4 (regulation of child care centers); 470 IAC 3-4.7 (child care center rules); State Form 23138 (center license application); Department of Workforce Development employer pages (2026 new employer rate and wage base); Indiana Code 22-3-2 (Worker’s Compensation Act); Indiana New Hire Reporting Center; U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023; U.S. Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics. Fees are as published by each agency on the date checked; cities add their own.
Questions about opening here.
8 items, in order: articles of organization (llc) and the business entity report, certificate of assumed business name (dba), employer identification number (ein), business tax application (bt-1): registered retail merchant certificate, withholding account, local business license and zoning approval, state construction design release and certificate of occupancy, and 2 more.
Indiana Secretary of State, Internal Revenue Service, Indiana Department of Revenue, Your city or town clerk, Your city or county planning and building departments and Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, and 1 more.
With articles of organization (llc) and the business entity report (Indiana Secretary of State, Business Services Division (INBiz)), then certificate of assumed business name (dba). The steps run structure, tax, space, permits and employer, in that order.
Each item's fee, renewal cycle and official page are shown to members, as the agency published them on the date checked. Cities and counties add their own fees.
How to open a daycare in Indiana (2026) | DoorWorthy
