Summer, Day, Overnight, Traveling or Municipal Camps for Children

About Apply After You Apply Operating & Renewing

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Before you submit your application

All new permit and permit renewal applications must be submitted to the NYC Department of Health at least 90 days before the date the camp starts.

The camp shall be on a commercial property, such as a community center, church/synagogue, or public/private school building. Applicants are required to submit a valid Certificate of Occupancy (CO) or Letter of No Objection (LNO) from the NYC Department of Buildings. The CO or LNO must be current during the camp operating period.

An LNO may indicate the maximum number of campers allowed, age groups, as well as a specific date range. A CO will indicate the maximum number of persons allowed as well as the use and occupancy group classification. Acceptable groups may include:

A-1, F1A	Theatres
A-2, F-4	Banquets, dance halls, spaces that have food service
A-3, F-1B or F-3	Arcades, galleries, dance halls, gymnasiums, indoor tennis, indoor pools, houses of worship, auditoriums
A-4, F-1B	Rinks, arenas, pools
A-5, F-2	Amusement parks, stadiums, grandstands/bleachers
E, G	Schools, academies
I-2,	Camps for people with disabilities
I-4, H-2	Camps with more than two children under the age of 2 years, more than four persons of any age incapable of self-evacuation; and
R-1, J-1	Camps with overnight provision, school dorms

Certificate of Occupancy/Letter of No Objection

A valid F-07/W-07 Certificate of Fitness from the NYC Fire Department (FDNY) is required for directors/designated staff to conduct fire drills. All camps must pass an FDNY inspection.

All operators should review NYC Health Code Article 48 to understand the rules for operating a summer camp and how to comply.

Refer to the Requirements Checklist for basic documentation and other requirements needed to apply for any permit from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), some of which depend on the type of business that will be given the permit.

Requirements Checklist

Non-profit programs may have their application fee waived by submitting proof of 501(c)(3) Exemption or Municipal Exemption and a letter confirming that you are in good standing with the US Treasury Department. See the 501(c)(3) Organizations Exemption Requirements.

List of Permit Fees. More info

The Summer Camp Permit Fee is $200 for the period of May 15th to September 15th for traveling camps, and from June 1st to September 15th for all other camps.
There is no fee for a summer camp operated by a not-for-profit organization. You must provide proof of 501(c)(3) tax exemption and a letter confirming that you are in good standing with the US Treasury Department.
There is a $114 fee for the Food Protection Course (for supervisors, where food is prepared). The online course is free of charge but the final exam must be taken in person; there is a $24.60 fee for the exam.
There is no fee for the 4-Hour Food Protection Course for Soup Kitchen & Summer Camp Workers. This is required for camp workers who serve food that is not prepared on the camp premises, or if they receive food under the USDA Summer Feeding program.

Information on registration for food protection courses can be found by going online to www.nyc.gov/healthacademy, or by calling 311.

List of accepted payment methods for the permit fee. More info

Payment is made online. Only credit and debit cards are accepted.

Ready to Apply?

Apply Online

Steps to apply online:

Register for an Account online at the Permit and License Center by clicking Apply Online below. Once the page opens, find and click "Register for an Account."

- If you already have an account, skip to step 2.

Follow the steps below:

Login to your account at NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Permit and License Center
Click "Apply New/Link PIN"
Click "Click here to Apply New or Link PIN"
Read and accept the terms and click "Continue"
Click on the "Child Care" drop down arrow
FOR PROFIT Programs: Select "Summer Camp (CAMP) Permit Process"
NON-PROFIT Programs: Select "Summer Camp (CAMP) Fee Exempt Permit Process"
Complete all required fields in Steps 1-4
When prompted to (in Step 5) click the check box under the red text, then click "upload document" to upload a copy of your government ID.
Complete the remaining steps until record is created.

After completing all the steps online, you will receive a confirmation e-mail. A new record with an 8-digit Record ID/Accela number will appear in your My Records tab.

You can continue the next steps in "After you Apply" and submit the rest of your application.

Note: if you log back in and see "resume application" next to your record, that means you have not completed all the steps. You must complete all the steps so that a new record can be created the next day.