Cook County, IL Building Safety: Childcare Center Rules (2026)

Cook County's Chapter 32 fee schedule lists day care centers as their own line item under "Food establishment; Unincorporated Cook County," distinct from restaurants, taverns, and mobile food units: a $75.00 annual day care center food license and a $300.00 day care center food plan review, alongside a separate $300.00 general food establishment plan review fee. Sec. 38-42 ties Department of Public Health fees for food establishments, including day cares, to this Chapter 32 schedule. Because the category is expressly scoped to unincorporated Cook County, day care centers inside any of the county's 130-plus municipalities, including Chicago, are licensed and inspected by that municipality's own health authority instead.