Licensing Fee Information

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Does Community Care Licensing Division (CCLD) Charge Fees? 

A major component of the Community Care Licensing Division (CCLD) program budget is now funded through the collection of licensing fees. This offsets the General Fund expenditure and allows the division to maintain its critical functions.

This is detailed in SB 1104 chapter 229 amending Health & Safety Code 1523.1.

What Are The Fees CCLD Charges?

• Annual Fee Schedule              Administrator Certification Fees
• Annual Fee - A standard fee charged to all facilities except Foster Family Homes and Sub-FFAs. As per statute, Certified Family Home fees are considered an Annual Fee, late Certified Family Home fees will be charged a late fee based off of the Foster Family Agency Annual Fee. However if the Certified Family Home is certified under a Sub-FFA, no late fee applies because at this time, Sub-FFAs are not charged a late fee.
• Application Fee - A standard fee charged to all new facilities paid at the time of applying for a new facility license. Foster Family Homes are not charged an application fee.
• Change of Capacity Fee - $25.00 fee when an existing licensee seeks to either increase or decrease the licensed capacity of the facility.
• Change of Location Fee - 50% of an established application fee when an existing licensee moves the facility to a new address.
• Change of Corporate status Fee - 50% of an established application fee when a corporate licensee changes who has the authority to select a majority of the board of directors.
• Orientation Fee - A fee will be charged to each person attending one of the Department sponsored orientations. The orientation fee is $25.00 per person for Family Child Care Homes and $50,00 for all other licensing categories (except Foster Family Homes, which continue to have no fee).
• Probation Monitoring Fee - 100% of the annual fee, in addition to the annual fee for that category and capacity for each year a license has been placed on probation as a result of a stipulation or decision and order pursuant to the administrative adjudication procedures of the Administrative Procedures Act. This fee will be added to the licensees' annual billing. Foster Family Homes do not get charged a probation fee because they do not have an annual fee.
• Late Fee - A late fee that represents an additional 50% of the established annual fee when the licensee fails to pay the annual licensing fee on or before the facility anniversary date as indicated by the date payment is received by the Cashier.
• Dishonored Check Fee (aka Administrative Fee) - A fee to cover any costs incurred by the Department for processing payments including, but not limited to, dishonored check charges ($25 fee), charges for credit and debt transactions, and postage due charges. Again, this fee will be added to the licensees' annual billing.

Who Do I Contact Regarding A Question About My Bill?

Contact your Regional Offices; they will provide all fee resolution customer service:

• Adult Care Program
• Child Care Program
• Children's Residential Program
• Senior Care Program

DID YOU KNOW: CDSS account processing applies payments to the most outstanding debt, whether your payment was intended for a particular transaction or not.

Order in which the payment is applied:

1. CFH or Annual Fee (if either fee is unpaid or only partially paid, a late fee will be incurred)
2.  Dishonored Check
   
3.  Probation Fees
4.  Change in Capacity
5.  Change of Location
6.  Corporate Status Fee 
7.  Late Fee

How Can I Avoid A Late Fee?

• Submit your payment prior to your anniversary date.
• If paying by mail, allow enough time for the U.S. Postal Service to process, as this may cause delays.
• Always write the facility number clearly on the payment.

Is There Anything Special I Must Do When Paying A Civil Penalty?

• Write the Invoice number on the check, and include a copy of the invoice to ensure the check is properly applied as a civil penalty, otherwise the transaction may get mis-associated in our records.
• Please Note: You will not receive a bill for a Civil Penalty. However, you will receive a Civil Penalty Assessment/Invoice from your Regional Office.
• Civil Penalties must be paid even if you close your facility.
• Civil Penalties can be paid in installments.
• Currently, Civil Penalties may not be paid on-line.

Can I Get A Refund?

• It is the CCLD's policy that fees cannot be waived and cannot be refunded once they have been paid, unless there is documented proof of a Department error or a genuine overpayment.
• If you can prove a legitimate claim, contact your Regional Office to begin the refund request process.

What Fees Can Be Waived?

• There are no provisions for waiving any assessed fees.
• The licensee is responsible for payment of the full amount of any fees assessed.

Can I Pay My Annual Fees In Installments?

• There are no provisions for accepting partial payments.
• If the full payment is not received by the due date (anniversary), the licensee is subject to late fees based on the original annual assessment, not on the outstanding balance.

What Fees Are FFA-Sub Offices Required To Pay?

• FFA sub-offices are not required to pay an annual fee, change of location fee or any other fee that is based on the annual fee.
• At this time, sub-offices are only required to pay the annual charge of $88 for each CFH associated to the sub-office at the time of billing.

Do I Have To Pay An Annual Fee If I Had A Change of Location?

• Yes, this fee is in addition to the annual fee. The regional office shall collect the fee at the time the application for the change of location is received.
• If the facility has outstanding fees at the time of a change of location, the old billing history will transfer to the new facility, additionally the billing effective date will remain the same as the original facility.
• If the facility does NOT have outstanding fee balances, a new billing effective date will be assigned based on the license effective date.

Can Fees be Paid Online?

• Currently, only the Annual Fees can be paid on-line.
•  Your bill will contain the web site address, your PIN number, the amount due to CDSS, and the date payment is due.
• Yes, by clicking the Pay On-line button at the top of this page.
• Direct link : https://www.ccld.dss.ca.gov/facilitybill/default.aspx

Can I Consolidate My Billing If I Operate Multiple Facilities?

• The Consolidated Billing Program is ONLY available for Child Care Centers at this time.
• Under the Consolidated Billing Program, the designated primary facility will receive a combined bill that reflects the annual fees required for each secondary facility based on capacity.
• Please contact your Regional Office to request any changes to your Consolidated Billing (includes adding or removing facilities).
• If you are already on the Consolidated Billing Program and you open up a new facility, you must request to have that new site added.