Nevada Daycare License Processing Time

The 90-Day Window

Nevada operates on a strict 90-day licensing timeline. Once DWSS Child Care Licensing accepts your initial application through the ALiS portal, every prerequisite — background clearances, fire inspection, health permits, training certifications, and the physical home survey — must be completed within 90 calendar days.

Miss the deadline and your application is automatically withdrawn. All processing fees you've paid are forfeited, and you'd need to start the entire process over with a new application and new fees.

Treat this as a hard administrative deadline. Do not assume an extension for personal circumstances, contractor delays, or background check backlogs.

What Actually Takes the Longest

The biggest timeline risk isn't paperwork — it's the fingerprint-based background check. The Nevada Department of Public Safety (DPS) Criminal History Repository processes fingerprint results through both state and FBI databases, and the typical turnaround is four to eight weeks.

That's half your 90-day window consumed by a single process you can't control or accelerate. Every adult household member aged 18 and older must clear, and if anyone lived outside Nevada in the last five years, you're also waiting on an out-of-state background check.

The implication is clear: submit fingerprints as early as possible. Experienced providers schedule NABS registration and LiveScan appointments within days of filing their ALiS application, often before the home is physically ready for the survey. The background check can process in the background while you handle everything else.

A Realistic Timeline

Here's how the 90 days typically break down for providers who sequence tasks efficiently:

Weeks 1–2 (before you apply): Complete the LAP orientation through NEATS, register your business on SilverFlume, get TB tests for all household adults, and secure landlord or HOA approval. None of this requires an active application — front-loading it before day one gives you maximum runway.

Week 3 (day 1 of your window): Submit your ALiS application and pay the license fee. This starts the 90-day clock.

Weeks 3–4: Register all household adults in NABS and schedule fingerprinting at a LiveScan vendor. This needs to happen immediately — every day you wait is a day added to your background check wait.

Weeks 4–6: Schedule and complete your local fire inspection and health permit (SNHD in Clark County, NNPH in Washoe, state sanitarians in rural areas). Upload clearance certificates to ALiS as they arrive.

Weeks 5–8: Complete Nevada Registry-approved preservice training, including in-person pediatric CPR and First Aid. Finalize physical home setup — fencing, childproofing, safety equipment, evacuation plan.

Weeks 7–10: Background check results return from DPS. If there are no issues, your surveyor can now schedule the final physical inspection.

Weeks 10–12: On-site physical survey with your DWSS surveyor. If deficiencies are cited, submit a written Plan of Correction. Once accepted, your license is issued.

What Causes Delays

Beyond background checks, the most common delay triggers are:

Late fire or health inspections. If your local fire department or health district has a backlog, scheduling the inspection can take weeks. Apply for these inspections the same week you submit your ALiS application.

Physical space failures. If the surveyor measures your indoor play area and you're short on the 35 square feet per child requirement, you'll need to reconfigure rooms or reduce your licensed capacity. This is hard to fix quickly.

Missing training documentation. An expired CPR certification, a training course that wasn't Nevada Registry-approved, or an online-only CPR class (which the state rejects) all create last-minute scrambles. Verify that every course meets state requirements before you enroll.

Household changes. If a new adult moves into your home mid-application, they must be registered in NABS and fingerprinted before your survey can proceed. An unexpected roommate change can add four to eight weeks to your timeline.

Pre-Application Preparation Matters

The most effective strategy for completing the 90-day window comfortably is doing as much as possible before you submit the application. The LAP orientation, SilverFlume registration, TB tests, landlord/HOA clearance, and even initial home modifications can all happen before day one. Providers who front-load this preparation often complete the licensing process in 60–75 days rather than running up against the 90-day limit.

For a day-by-day sequencing system designed to keep every task ahead of the 90-day clock, the Nevada Home Daycare Licensing Guide maps each deadline against the tasks that depend on it.

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