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 South Dakota 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 annual 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 the Secretary of State’s online business services. The articles name a registered agent with a South Dakota street address. The 2025 law added $5 to the annual report fee; a late report adds a $50 penalty before the LLC is administratively dissolved.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Needed whenever the business trades under any name other than the owner’s legal name or the LLC’s registered name. File online with the Secretary of State, or on paper with any county register of deeds. Registration gives no exclusive right to the name.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Needed to hire, to open a business bank account and for the state tax license. Issued at once online.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Register for taxOpens after step 1
Apply online before the first sale and post the license. South Dakota has no personal or corporate income tax, so there is no state withholding account. Besides the state sales tax, most cities add up to 2% municipal sales tax, and many add a 1% municipal gross receipts tax on prepared food, alcohol, lodging and admissions, which restaurants and bars collect on the same return. Business Tax Division: 1-800-829-9188.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Ask the city finance office before signing the lease whether your use needs a local license. The same office takes the alcohol license application and sets its local fee.
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; a change of use needs building permits, a fire inspection and the certificate of occupancy, and the Department of Health and the city both ask for it before the food or alcohol license is issued.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Get the permits for your kind of businessOpens after step 3
Care for 13 or more children must be licensed by the Department; smaller programs register. Request the application packet, complete the orientation, then apply with the zoning approval, the fire inspection, the floor plan, written policies including an emergency plan and the director’s qualifications; fingerprint background checks cover the owner, director and every staff member before the licensing visit. Child Care Services: 605-566-4382 or 800-227-3020.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Before the first hireOpens after step 4
Register within the first quarter you pay wages. Report each new hire and rehire within 20 days of the first day of work. No South Dakota law requires an employer to carry workers’ compensation insurance, but the Department strongly recommends it: an uninsured employer loses its defenses and can be sued by an injured worker for damages, or for medical costs and double benefits (SDCL 62-3-11). Rate notices for the next year are mailed by the end of October.
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
Secretary of State filing fee schedule and annual report instructions; 2025 House Bill 1024 (annual report fee increase, July 1, 2025); Secretary of State business name registration instructions (SDCL 37-11); IRS EIN page; Department of Revenue tax license application and sales and use tax guide (2026); bars and restaurants tax facts (July 2026); Governor’s Office of Economic Development licensing and registering guide; municipal ordinances; Municipal zoning and building ordinances; South Dakota Municipal League; SDCL 26-6; ARSD 67:42 (child care licensing rules, amended July 2023); Department of Social Services Child Care Services; Department of Labor and Regulation reemployment assistance for businesses pages and FAQ (2026 wage base and new employer rates); new hire reporting requirements; Division of Workers’ Compensation; 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 annual report, fictitious business name (dba) registration, employer identification number (ein), sales tax license, municipal business license, where the city requires one and zoning approval, building permit and certificate of occupancy, and 2 more.
South Dakota Secretary of State, Internal Revenue Service, South Dakota Department of Revenue, Your city finance office, Your city or county planning and building departments and South Dakota Department of Social Services, and 1 more.
With articles of organization (llc) and the annual report (South Dakota Secretary of State), then fictitious business name (dba) registration. 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 South Dakota (2026) | DoorWorthy
