Suffolk County
Suffolk County Office/Division of Consumer Affairs (Dept. of Labor, Licensing and Consumer Affairs)
In short
Suffolk County Office/Division of Consumer Affairs (Dept. of Labor, Licensing and Consumer Affairs) issues 15 permits we publish for Suffolk County, last verified 2026-09-28. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.
What this agency issues
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Veterinary Practice Licensing — State License Applies (Suffolk County)only if it applies to you | Suffolk County Office/Division of Consumer Affairs (Dept. of Labor, Licensing and Consumer Affairs) | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-28 |
| Item Pricing Compliance (Chapter 542) | Suffolk County Office/Division of Consumer Affairs (Dept. of Labor, Licensing and Consumer Affairs) | No fee | not applicable — an ongoing compliance obligation, not a licensed or permitted activity | 2026-09-28 |
| Restaurant and Food Service Establishment Compliance Obligations (Chapter 700) | Suffolk County Office/Division of Consumer Affairs (Dept. of Labor, Licensing and Consumer Affairs) | No fee | not applicable — an ongoing compliance obligation, not a licensed or permitted activity, separate from the SCDHS Food Establishment Permit | 2026-09-28 |
| Home Improvement Contractor License (Chapter 563, Article II) | Suffolk County Office/Division of Consumer Affairs (Dept. of Labor, Licensing and Consumer Affairs) | $200 application fee, plus a $200/year license fee on a 2-year (24-month) license cycle — $400 for the full term — reduced to $100/year ($200 for the full term) for a licensee with net income under $20,000. A salesman identification card costs $50/year. A temporary license costs $50. | 2 years (24-month cycle) | 2026-09-28 |
| Other Chapter 563 Licensed Trades (Home Appliance Repair, Painting, Sign Hangers) | Suffolk County Office/Division of Consumer Affairs (Dept. of Labor, Licensing and Consumer Affairs) | Suffolk County separately licenses Home Appliance Repair businesses (Art. III, §563-26-35), Commercial and Industrial Painting contractors (Art. VIII, §563-90-103), and Sign Hangers (Art. X, §563-119-124) under Chapter 563, each with its own license-fee schedule administered by Consumer Affairs. The Painting article's license-term section is codified at §563-95, but the specific fee amounts for these three articles are not stated in the Chapter 563 article listing cited here. | varies by trade article; contact Suffolk County Consumer Affairs for each article's term | 2026-09-28 |
| General Business License — Suffolk County positiononly if it applies to you | Suffolk County Office/Division of Consumer Affairs (Dept. of Labor, Licensing and Consumer Affairs) | No fee | not applicable — the county's Guide for Business lists no general county-wide business license | 2026-09-28 |
| Home Improvement Contractor Restitution Fund Fee | Suffolk County Office/Division of Consumer Affairs (Dept. of Labor, Licensing and Consumer Affairs) | $100 one-time, paid at initial license application and again at each renewal under Article II | one-time payment, due at initial license application and again at each renewal | 2026-09-28 |
| Electricians and Plumbers License (Chapter 563, Article XI) | Suffolk County Office/Division of Consumer Affairs (Dept. of Labor, Licensing and Consumer Affairs) | Master's certificate: $200 initial, $400 biennial renewal. Restricted license: $100 initial, $200 biennial renewal. Electrical inspection agency: $200 initial, $400 biennial renewal. | 2 years | 2026-09-28 |
| Septic Industry Business License / 'Liquid Waste License' (Chapter 563, Article VII) | Suffolk County Office/Division of Consumer Affairs (Dept. of Labor, Licensing and Consumer Affairs) | License fee $200/year. Application fee $200, nonrefundable, waived for the first endorsement per 2-year license period. Endorsement fee $200 per endorsement. Duplicate license $25. Supplementary/additional-location license $50. Transfer/assignment $25. | 2 years, expiring at the end of the 24th month, renewable with 8-12 hours of continuing education depending on endorsement | 2026-09-28 |
| Swimming Pool Maintenance/Service Business Registration (Chapter 769) | Suffolk County Office/Division of Consumer Affairs (Dept. of Labor, Licensing and Consumer Affairs) | $100 a year | 2-year registration | 2026-09-28 |
| Salon / Cosmetology Licensing — State License Applies (Suffolk County)only if it applies to you | Suffolk County Office/Division of Consumer Affairs (Dept. of Labor, Licensing and Consumer Affairs) | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-28 |
| Fitness Studio / Gym Licensing — Suffolk County positiononly if it applies to you | Suffolk County Office/Division of Consumer Affairs (Dept. of Labor, Licensing and Consumer Affairs) | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-28 |
| Childcare Licensing — State OCFS License Applies (Suffolk County)only if it applies to you | Suffolk County Office/Division of Consumer Affairs (Dept. of Labor, Licensing and Consumer Affairs) | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-28 |
| Auto Repair Licensing — State DMV Registration Applies (Suffolk County)only if it applies to you | Suffolk County Office/Division of Consumer Affairs (Dept. of Labor, Licensing and Consumer Affairs) | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-28 |
| Alcohol Licensing — State Liquor Authority Applies (Suffolk County)only if it applies to you | Suffolk County Office/Division of Consumer Affairs (Dept. of Labor, Licensing and Consumer Affairs) | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-28 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
About each permit
Veterinary Practice Licensing — State License Applies (Suffolk County)
No fee applies at the county level. Chapter 563's 11-article licensed-occupations list names no veterinary category, and the county's 'Guide for Business' does not list veterinary practices among county-licensed occupations; veterinary practice is licensed by New York State's Education Dept., Board for Veterinary Medicine. SCDHS's Bureau of Public Health Protection separately runs a Zoonotic Disease program covering animal bites/rabies reporting, petting zoos, and animal shelters/rescues, 631-852-5999 — a public-health reporting and control function, not a licensing requirement for veterinary clinics as businesses. Dog and kennel licensing in New York is typically a town/village function under Ag & Markets Law, consistent with the general town/village licensing pattern described in the county's Guide for Business, and is not listed here as a county-level requirement.
Item Pricing Compliance (Chapter 542)
A Suffolk County retail store must display the individual item price on every UPC-bearing stock-keeping unit it offers for sale — a countywide compliance obligation enforced by Consumer Affairs, not a license or permit and carrying no application and no fee. Chapter 542 exempts small or inexpensive items below a set threshold, vending-machine sales, and loose produce sold by weight from the item-pricing requirement. Suffolk County Code Chapter 563's enumerated list of licensed occupations contains no general-retail category, so this item-pricing rule is a separate, real county-level labeling and pricing-disclosure obligation on retail stores, not a licensing-to-operate requirement. A store selling only items outside Chapter 542's UPC-and-price-tag scope, or only through the chapter's own exemptions, has no obligation under it to document.
Restaurant and Food Service Establishment Compliance Obligations (Chapter 700)
Beyond the SCDHS Food Establishment Permit listed separately, Suffolk County Code Chapter 700 adds a separate, real set of county-level compliance obligations on restaurants and food service establishments, organized into three articles: Disclosure of Prices, Food Allergies, and Single-Use Beverage Straws and Stirrers. As listed in the County Code, Chapter 700 attaches no license, permit, or fee to itself — it is a standing compliance obligation, not a licensed activity, so no fee applies. This page summarizes Chapter 700 at the level of its three article titles; the specific rules (for example, exact menu-disclosure wording or which allergens must be flagged) are set out in the articles themselves. A restaurant or coffee shop operator should read Chapter 700 directly on the county's code publisher or contact Consumer Affairs for the current requirements under each of its three articles before relying on the SCDHS food permit alone as the full extent of county-level food-business regulation.
Home Improvement Contractor License (Chapter 563, Article II)
Anyone performing home improvement contracting on residential property in Suffolk County — repair, remodeling, alteration, conversion, modernization, home raising/elevating, and specifically including painting, carpentry, fencing, roofing, siding, pool construction/installation, landscaping, and arboriculture — must hold this Consumer Affairs license. Exemptions cover employees of licensed contractors (other than salesmen), licensed architects and professional engineers acting within their licensed scope, and retail/clerical/administrative employees. Scope is confirmed countywide, with no town/village exemption language found in Article II's text — a direct contrast with Article XI's Electricians and Plumbers municipal opt-out clause, listed separately. A separate, one-time $100 Home Improvement Contractor Restitution Fund fee also applies at licensure and renewal; it is codified in a different chapter (517, not 563) and is listed as its own requirement.
Other Chapter 563 Licensed Trades (Home Appliance Repair, Painting, Sign Hangers)
A general contracting business in Suffolk County may touch three further Chapter 563 trade licenses beyond Home Improvement Contractors (Art. II), Electricians and Plumbers (Art. XI), and Septic Industry Businesses (Art. VII), each listed as its own requirement: Home Appliance Repair (Art. III), Commercial and Industrial Painting (Art. VIII), and Sign Hangers (Art. X). Each article's section range within Chapter 563 is taken from the code's own full article listing, and the Painting article's license-term provision is codified at §563-95; the dollar fee amounts for these three trades are not stated in that article listing. A contractor practicing any of these three specific trades should contact Consumer Affairs directly, 631-853-4600, or review the relevant article on the county's code publisher, for the current license fee and term before applying.
General Business License — Suffolk County position
No fee applies. The county's own 'Guide for Business' names no general business license to operate; under 'Suffolk County Licenses or Permits' it names county-level licensing only for appliance repair shops, auctioneers, contractors, electricians, plumbers, precious metal dealers, and secondhand dealers — a short, named list, not a general registration. Zoning, building permits, Certificates of Occupancy, and any general municipal business license come instead from the TOWN or VILLAGE where the business sits (Suffolk has 10 towns and 30 incorporated villages, and the Guide states that under state law each town and village may require its own permits). Chapter 563's own article list (Art. I-XI) names specific occupations and contains no general-business or catch-all licensing category. A business may still need a NYS sales tax Certificate of Authority and, if trading under an assumed name, a Suffolk County Clerk D/B/A filing (listed separately) — neither is a business operating license.
Home Improvement Contractor Restitution Fund Fee
Every Home Improvement Contractor licensed or renewing under Chapter 563, Article II must also pay a one-time $100 Restitution Fund fee, on or after January 1, 1999. This fee is easy to mis-cite: it sits in Suffolk County Code §517-2B, inside Chapter 517 ('Home Improvement and Repair') — a wholly separate chapter from the Article II licensing provisions in Chapter 563 — not a subsection of Article II itself. The fund was created by Local Law No. 34-1987, with the $100 amount set later by Local Law No. 2-1999. This is a mandatory, fixed, one-time payment each time a Home Improvement Contractor license is issued or renewed, distinct from and in addition to the $200 application fee and the $200/year (or $100/year reduced-income) license fee listed under the Home Improvement Contractor License requirement.
Electricians and Plumbers License (Chapter 563, Article XI)
This license requires an applicant to show at least 7 years' experience within the past 10 years in the electrical or plumbing trade. Its reach is countywide EXCEPT within any town or village that had already enacted its own electrical/plumbing licensing law before the county law, or that enacts one afterward — Article XI's own text states this municipal-exemption clause directly, and several Suffolk towns are known to run their own electrical licensing boards under it. The county has not published a list of exactly which of the 10 towns or 30 villages currently maintain a competing local law, so a contractor should confirm directly with the specific town or village clerk where the work will be performed whether county or municipal electrical/plumbing licensing controls there, rather than assuming this county license alone is sufficient everywhere. This is a genuine structural contrast with the Septic Industry Businesses license (Article VII, listed separately), which carries no such municipal-exemption clause and applies countywide without exception.
Septic Industry Business License / 'Liquid Waste License' (Chapter 563, Article VII)
A business performing septic industry work in Suffolk County needs this 'Liquid Waste License,' priced at $200/year, plus a $200 nonrefundable application fee (waived for the first endorsement in a given 2-year period), $200 per additional endorsement, $25 for a duplicate license, $50 for a supplementary or additional-location license, and $25 to transfer or assign the license. The license runs for a 2-year term expiring at the end of the 24th month, with renewal requiring 8 to 12 hours of continuing education depending on the endorsement held. Its scope is confirmed COUNTYWIDE with NO municipal exemption clause: §563-78 exempts only government employees performing agency work, not any town or village generally — a confirmed structural contrast with Article XI's Electricians and Plumbers license, which does carry a municipal opt-out clause, listed separately.
Swimming Pool Maintenance/Service Business Registration (Chapter 769)
A business that services or maintains swimming pools — as distinct from a business that constructs or installs them, which falls instead under the Home Improvement Contractor license's pool-construction/installation coverage (Chapter 563, Article II, listed separately) — needs this separate Chapter 769 registration, codified outside Chapter 563 entirely but enforced by the same Consumer Affairs office. The registration costs $100 a year on a 2-year registration term and requires the business to hold a certificate such as an APSP Certified Maintenance Specialist credential or its equivalent. Operating a pool-maintenance/service business without this registration carries a penalty of up to $5,000 and up to one year's imprisonment. This requirement is drawn from a single-source retrieval (corroborated once, not yet independently re-confirmed a second time); the $100/year and 2-year figures should get a routine second check before being treated as permanently fixed, though the registration requirement itself is solidly established.
Salon / Cosmetology Licensing — State License Applies (Suffolk County)
No fee applies at the county level. The county's own 'Guide for Business' names 'beauty shops' as needing a New York State permit, in the same sentence that lists auto repair shops, food establishments, and day care centers as state-permitted, and its list of Suffolk County licensed occupations names no salon category; Chapter 563's 11-article licensed-occupations list likewise names no hair, nail, or skin salon. Cosmetology, barbering, nail specialty, and esthetics licensing is a New York State Dept. of State function. A salon offering tattooing, piercing, or other body art needs a separate, conditional SCDHS Body Art Establishment permit, listed as its own requirement — that permit is not a substitute for or equivalent to state cosmetology licensing, and applies only to the body-art side of a business, not to ordinary hair, nail, or skin services.
Fitness Studio / Gym Licensing — Suffolk County position
No fee applies. Chapter 563's 11-article licensed-occupations list names no fitness, gym, or athletic-facility article, and the Consumer Affairs application list carries no fitness category either. The county's own 'Guide for Business' does not mention fitness studios or gyms; its list of county-licensed occupations is appliance repair shops, auctioneers, contractors, electricians, plumbers, precious metal dealers and second hand dealers. A fitness studio operating a swimming pool, spa, or hot tub needs the separate SCDHS pool/bathing permit for public pools and bathing facilities (Sanitary Code Article 7), listed as its own requirement; a fitness studio without a pool needs no county-level SCDHS permit under that program.
Childcare Licensing — State OCFS License Applies (Suffolk County)
No fee applies at the county level. The county's own 'Guide for Business' lists day care centers among businesses needing a New York State permit, and its list of county-licensed occupations names no childcare category. Licensing for Group Family Day Care, Small/Child Day Care Centers, and Registered Providers is run entirely by New York State OCFS, and any program serving 3 or more children for 3 or more hours a day on a regular basis must be licensed or registered directly through OCFS, not the county. The county's Dept. of Social Services runs a related but distinct 'Legally Exempt Provider Enrollment' function, registering informal or exempt caregivers so families can access childcare subsidy eligibility — a subsidy-administration function, not a licensing requirement to operate. A childcare business that also operates a state-defined 'camp,' such as a summer day-camp program, has a separate, conditional SCDHS Children's Camp permit requirement, listed as its own requirement.
Auto Repair Licensing — State DMV Registration Applies (Suffolk County)
No fee applies at the county level. The county's own 'Guide for Business' names auto repair shops among businesses needing a New York State permit, and Chapter 563's 11-article licensed-occupations list names no auto-repair, motor-vehicle-repair-shop, or salvage/dismantler category. The county's own 'Guide for Business' names auto repair shops as needing a New York State permit — the NYS DMV Certificate of Registration for motor vehicle repair shops under NY Vehicle & Traffic Law Article 12-A, and vehicle dismantler registration under VTL Article 5 if applicable — in the same document that separately lists what IS county-licensed. The same Guide that lists what Suffolk County licenses attributes auto-repair licensing to the state tier.
Alcohol Licensing — State Liquor Authority Applies (Suffolk County)
No fee applies at the county level. NY liquor licensing is run by the New York State Liquor Authority, and Consumer Affairs' own Licensing/Enforcement page makes no mention of liquor or alcohol licensing authority; its stated mission is complaint resolution, code enforcement, restitution, and 'licensing specific businesses.' Suffolk is not one of New York City's five boroughs, so NYC's community-board review process does not apply. A restaurant, coffee shop, or retail store serving or selling alcohol in Suffolk County needs a state SLA license, not a county one.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Suffolk County
- Phone
- 631-853-4600
Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.
Sources
Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- 'Guide for Business, Suffolk County' (Suffolk County Dept. of Economic Development & Planning), mirrored on a Suffolk town's own site — states town/village licensing is separate from the county, names auto repair shops, beauty shops, food establishments, and day care centers as NYS-permitted, and lists appliance repair shops, auctioneers, contractors, electricians, plumbers, precious metal dealers, and secondhand dealers as the county-licensed occupationsSuffolk County Dept. of Economic Development & Planning (via Town of Babylon) · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
- Child care licensing and registration for providersNew York State Office of Children and Family Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
- Child Care Services FAQs — describes the county DSS's Legally Exempt Provider Enrollment function as subsidy-eligibility administration, not a license to operateSuffolk County Dept. of Social Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
- Consumer Affairs Applications and Forms — hosts CA-L01a, the Home Improvement License Law application/guideSuffolk County Office of Consumer Affairs · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
- Consumer Affairs Licensing & Enforcement — states the division's mission as complaint resolution, code enforcement, restitution, and 'licensing specific businesses'; contains no mention of liquor/alcohol licensing authority; also the practical enforcement point for the Item Pricing chapterSuffolk County Office of Consumer Affairs · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
- Suffolk County Code §517-2B (Chapter 517, 'Home Improvement and Repair') — Home Improvement Contractor Restitution Fund one-time $100 fee, fund created by L.L. No. 34-1987, fee set by L.L. No. 2-1999General Code Publishing Corp. (ecode360.com) · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
- Suffolk County Code Chapter 563, 'Licensed Occupations' — full article listing (Art. I-XI, exact section ranges)General Code Publishing Corp. (ecode360.com) · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
- Suffolk County Code Chapter 563, Article I, 'Provisions Applicable to All Licenses' (§563-1-15.1)General Code Publishing Corp. (ecode360.com) · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
- Suffolk County Code Chapter 563, Article II, 'Home Improvement Contractors' (§563-16-25) — §563-17 license requirement, §563-19 feesGeneral Code Publishing Corp. (ecode360.com) · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
- Suffolk County Code Chapter 563, Article XI, 'Electricians and Plumbers' (§563-125-140) — includes the municipal-exemption clauseGeneral Code Publishing Corp. (ecode360.com) · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
- Suffolk County Code Chapter 769, Swimming Pool Maintenance/Service Business RegistrationGeneral Code Publishing Corp. (ecode360.com) · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
- Suffolk County Code on ecode360.com — used here as the citation for Chapter 563, Article VII ('Septic Industry Businesses,' full text and fee schedule, corroborated across two independent fetches), and as the general code-library reference for Chapter 542 ('Item Pricing') and Chapter 700 ('Restaurants and Food Service Establishments'), whose individual chapter URLs were not separately captured; only Chapter 700's table of contents, not its full article text, was retrievedGeneral Code Publishing Corp. (ecode360.com) · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
- Suffolk County Office/Division of Consumer Affairs — home pageSuffolk County Office of Consumer Affairs · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
- Unofficial third-party mirror of the Suffolk County Code, used only to corroborate §563-17, §563-19, and §563-95 (lower confidence than ecode360.com; corroboration only, never a sole citation)elaws.us · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
Other offices serving Suffolk County
The full permit list for this jurisdiction
Industry permit lists that include this agency
- Restaurants in Suffolk County
- Coffee shops in Suffolk County
- Retail stores in Suffolk County
- Salons and barbers in Suffolk County
- Food trucks in Suffolk County
- Fitness studios in Suffolk County
- Childcare centres in Suffolk County
- Contractors and trades in Suffolk County
- Auto repair shops in Suffolk County
- Veterinary clinics in Suffolk County
New York jurisdictions
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.