NAICS 722511

What permits does a restaurant need?

In short

We hold 3828 verified records for a restaurant across 477 jurisdictions, counting statewide registrations, a median of 7 per place. The most widely required is the food service establishment permit, held in 378 of them, with a median fee of $265. The exact set depends on your city and county, so the table below shows the spread rather than a single national figure.

The permits a restaurant usually carries

Each row groups the permits of one type, whatever the local name. 2549 differently named permits fall into 266 types; the 25 most widely required are shown here.

Permit types this business carries, with how many covered jurisdictions require each, the middle half of published fees, the median fee and the usual renewal term
Permit type	Jurisdictions	Typical fee (middle half)	Median fee	Usual term
Food service establishment permitalways applies in 298 of 378	378	$150 – $525	$265	annual
General business licensealways applies in 118 of 271	271	$50 – $180	$100	not applicable
Sign permitalways applies in 68 of 213	213	$50 – $280	$100	one-time, per sign
Certificate of occupancyalways applies in 159 of 203	203	$75 – $215	$112	issued once per qualifying occupancy
Temporary food establishment permitalways applies in 10 of 153	153	$52 – $175.50	$75	per event
Commercial alteration permitalways applies in 95 of 151	151	$60 – $160	$100	one-time, per project
Building permitalways applies in 46 of 137	137	$75 – $1,034.16	$500	per permit
Onsite sewage system permitalways applies in 1 of 95	95	$200 – $551	$385	per permit
Alcohol licensealways applies in 1 of 73	73	$25 – $300	$100	annual
Fire inspection permitalways applies in 21 of 70	70	$75 – $175	$100	annual
Food manager certificationalways applies in 38 of 66	66	$10 – $100	$50	5 years
Zoning verification letteralways applies in 3 of 58	58	$50 – $200	$100	one-time, per request
Sales and use tax permitalways applies in 45 of 57	57	$0 – $50	$20	not applicable
Food establishment plan reviewalways applies in 19 of 56	56	$157.50 – $425	$273	per project (one-time)
Conditional use permitdepends on premises or set-up	52	$350 – $6,487	$1,200	one-time per application
New commercial construction permitalways applies in 30 of 51	51	$100 – $1,000	$276.75	not stated in the published fee schedule
Fire inspection certificatealways applies in 32 of 49	49	$50 – $195	$100	annual
Alcohol local approvalalways applies in 1 of 44	44	$75 – $110	$80	license year May 1 to April 30; Class C November 1 to October 31 (Neb. Rev. Stat. 53-124(10))
Site plan review permitalways applies in 2 of 39	39	$100 – $520	$291	one-time, per application
Fire protection system permitalways applies in 13 of 36	36	$100 – $268.56	$200	per permit
Zoning permitalways applies in 8 of 32	32	$50 – $750	$225	per application
Plan review feealways applies in 12 of 29	29	$171 – $1,020	$640	one-time, per project
Floodplain development permitdepends on premises or set-up	28	$50 – $150	$150	per project
Food handler trainingalways applies in 26 of 28	28	$10 – $20	$15	not stated in the published schedule
Fire operational permitalways applies in 3 of 27	27	$83 – $256	$150	annual

241 further permit types are each held in fewer jurisdictions. They are listed, with their fees and sources, on the page for each jurisdiction below.

Do the requirements change between cities?

Substantially. 2 permit types are held in at least half of the 477 jurisdictions we cover for a restaurant; the other 264 appear in fewer. The categories of permit are broadly consistent nationally, but the issuing agency, the fee, the renewal term and the filing order all change at city and county level. This is why a national checklist is a starting point rather than an answer.

Food service establishment permit: 305 published fees, from $0 to $35,750. Half fall between $150 and $525, and the median is $265.

General business license: 254 published fees, from $0 to $550,000. Half fall between $50 and $180, and the median is $100.

Sign permit: 80 published fees, from $5 to $2,471. Half fall between $50 and $280, and the median is $100.

Restaurants by state

We publish a full permit list for a restaurant in 426 jurisdictions across 50 states and DC. Each state page lists them all.

Restaurants by city

Showing the 12 jurisdictions where we publish the most. See all 426.

Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.