13 permits · verified 2026-10-12
What permits do you need to open a restaurant in Sussex County De?
In short
A restaurant in Sussex County De, DE has 3 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 10 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations charges $110 one-time filing for the certificate of formation (llc). 6 of the 13 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-12 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a restaurant in Sussex County De
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Building Sewer Connection Permit and Grease/Oil-Water Interceptors (County sewer and water districts)only if it applies to you | Sussex County Engineering, Utility Permits Division | The permit fee is not published on the Utility Permits page or in Chapter 110, Article VIII; contact the Utility Permits Division, (302) 855-7719, for the current amount. | per connection; the signed permit is issued on final completion and testing | 2026-10-12 |
| Certified Food Protection Manager | Delaware Division of Public Health, Office of Food Protection | No fee | set by the accrediting program rather than by state regulation | 2026-09-04 |
| Food Establishment Permit | Delaware Division of Public Health, Office of Food Protection | $100 a year for a public eating place; ice manufacturers, food processors and vending machine locations pay $30 | annual, non-refundable | 2026-09-04 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
Local permits that apply to every type of business in Sussex County De
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sussex County Building Permit (countywide, including inside municipalities)only if it applies to you | Sussex County Assessment Division, Building Permit Office | Varies — formula on the Sussex County De page | Sussex County Code §52-22C: a permit becomes invalid unless the authorised work is commenced within 12 months after issuance, or if the work is suspended or abandoned for 12 months after it is commenced; one twelve-month extension is allowed | 2026-10-12 |
| Building Code Plan Review, Inspections and Certificate of Compliance/Occupancy (unincorporated Sussex County and 14 towns)only if it applies to you | Sussex County Building Code Office | Varies — formula on the Sussex County De page | Sussex County Code §52-22C: a permit becomes invalid unless the authorised work is commenced within 12 months after issuance, or if the work is suspended or abandoned for 12 months after it is commenced; one twelve-month extension is allowed | 2026-10-12 |
| Zoning Certificate of Compliance, Site Plan Review and Special Use Exceptions (unincorporated Sussex County)only if it applies to you | Sussex County Planning & Zoning | Varies — formula on the Sussex County De page | certificate of compliance: issued once for the use; site plan and Board of Adjustment approvals per application | 2026-10-12 |
| Sign Permit (unincorporated Sussex County)only if it applies to you | Sussex County Planning & Zoning | Varies — formula on the Sussex County De page | per sign; annual or one-time fees as Chapter 62, Article III provides | 2026-10-12 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
DE registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate of Formation (LLC)only if it applies to you | Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations | $110 one-time filing | perpetual, but a flat $300 tax is owed every year | 2026-09-04 |
| Certificate of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations | $109 minimum one-time filing; rises with a larger authorized-share structure | perpetual, but an annual report and franchise tax are due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| LLC Annual Taxonly if it applies to you | Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations | $300 a year, flat | annual — due every June 1 | 2026-09-04 |
| Business License | Delaware Division of Revenue | $75 a year for most classifications, $90 for general retailers; each additional location adds $25 or $40 | annual, expiring December 31 — a 3-year license may be bought after the first year at exactly three times the annual fee | 2026-09-04 |
| Annual Report and Franchise Taxonly if it applies to you | Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations | Varies — formula on the DE page | annual — due every March 1 | 2026-09-04 |
| Sales Tax Permit — Delaware position (gross receipts tax instead)only if it applies to you | Delaware Division of Revenue | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-04 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
How much does it actually cost to permit a restaurant in Sussex County De?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 13 records listed for a restaurant in Sussex County De, DE, 3 apply to every business of this type and 10 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.
Of the 3 that always apply, 2 carry a flat fee, coming to $175.00. That is a floor, not a total. 6 of the 13 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 2 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:
Building Sewer Connection Permit and Grease/Oil-Water Interceptors (County sewer and water districts): The permit fee is not published on the Utility Permits page or in Chapter 110, Article VIII; contact the Utility Permits Division, (302) 855-7719, for the current amount.
The other 5 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Sussex County De permits page and the DE state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Sussex County De?
Permits for a restaurant in Sussex County De, DE come from 7 separate offices: Sussex County Assessment Division, Building Permit Office, Sussex County Building Code Office, Sussex County Planning & Zoning, Sussex County Engineering, Utility Permits Division, Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations, Delaware Division of Public Health, Office of Food Protection, Delaware Division of Revenue. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- Sussex County Assessment Division, Building Permit OfficeIssues 1 permit on this page: Sussex County Building Permit (countywide, including inside municipalities)County Administrative Offices, 2 The Circle, Georgetown, DE 19947 · (302) 855-7720sussexcountyde.gov/building-permits-and-licenses
- Sussex County Building Code OfficeIssues 1 permit on this page: Building Code Plan Review, Inspections and Certificate of Compliance/Occupancy (unincorporated Sussex County and 14 towns)2 The Circle, Georgetown, DE 19947 · (302) 855-7860sussexcountyde.gov/building-code
- Sussex County Planning & ZoningIssues 2 permits on this page: Zoning Certificate of Compliance, Site Plan Review and Special Use Exceptions (unincorporated Sussex County), Sign Permit (unincorporated Sussex County)2 The Circle (P.O. Box 417), Georgetown, DE 19947 · (302) 855-7878sussexcountyde.gov/planning-zoning
- Sussex County Engineering, Utility Permits DivisionIssues 1 permit on this page: Building Sewer Connection Permit and Grease/Oil-Water Interceptors (County sewer and water districts)Sussex County Administrative Office Building, 3rd Floor, Room 324, 2 The Circle, P.O. Box 589, Georgetown, DE 19947 · (302) 855-7719sussexcountyde.gov/utility-permits
- Delaware Department of State, Division of CorporationsIssues 4 permits on this page: Certificate of Formation (LLC), Certificate of Incorporation, LLC Annual Tax, Annual Report and Franchise TaxPO Box 898, Dover, DE 19903 · (302) 739-3073corp.delaware.gov
- Delaware Division of Public Health, Office of Food ProtectionIssues 2 permits on this page: Certified Food Protection Manager, Food Establishment Permit417 Federal Street, Dover, DE 19901 · (302) 744-4546dhss.delaware.gov/dph/homepage/about/sections/hsp/licenses-and-permits/food-protection
- Delaware Division of RevenueIssues 2 permits on this page: Business License, Sales Tax Permit — Delaware position (gross receipts tax instead)820 North French Street, Wilmington, DE 19801 · (302) 577-8200revenue.delaware.gov
What does a restaurant need in Sussex County De that other businesses do not?
Building Sewer Connection Permit and Grease/Oil-Water Interceptors (County sewer and water districts)
Sussex County Code Chapter 110, Article VIII applies to every water service pipe and building sewer installation connected to County-owned systems. A plumber doing this work must hold a State of Delaware Master Plumber license and must first apply to the Sussex County Engineer for the required permit, signed by the plumber and the building owner; the work is inspected (with 24 hours' notice and an open-trench inspection) and the signed permit is issued on final completion. The article requires that "All food-processing establishments discharging into the sewer system through a building sewer shall capture as much grease as possible within the confines of their business" and "shall install, maintain, and use grease traps, grease interceptors or other comparable devices"; the Engineer may make unannounced inspections of food-processing establishments during operating hours. "Oil-water interceptors shall be required for all commercial, storage or repair garages; gasoline stations with grease racks, grease pits or wash racks; all car washes". The county's Utility Permits page states that the Utility Permits Division issues permits and schedules inspections for all sewer and water connections in the sewer and water districts. The permit fee is not published on that page or in the article; contact the Division at (302) 855-7719. A property outside the County sewer and water districts has no County connection permit.
Shared with other businesses in Sussex County De
- Certified Food Protection Manager — Delaware Division of Public Health, Office of Food Protection, No fee, set by the accrediting program rather than by state regulation. Also required for coffee shops and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
- Food Establishment Permit — Delaware Division of Public Health, Office of Food Protection, $100 a year for a public eating place; ice manufacturers, food processors and vending machine locations pay $30, annual, non-refundable. Also required for coffee shops and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
The other 4 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Sussex County De, DE; what each one involves is set out on the Sussex County De permits page. The 6 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across DE and are covered on the DE state page.
How does a restaurant compare with other businesses in Sussex County De?
The closest match is a coffee shop, which shares 3 of these permits. A coffee shop needs Temporary Removable Vendor Permit (food trucks and vendor stands, unincorporated Sussex County), which a restaurant does not.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a restaurant | Only a restaurant needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee shops | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Food trucks | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Auto repair shops | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Contractors and trades | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Childcare centres | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Fitness studios | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Retail stores | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Salons and barbers | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Veterinary clinics | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
Sources
Every figure for the permits explained on this page was read from one of these government pages on the date shown. Sources for the permits shared with other businesses are listed with their explanations on the coffee shops page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Sussex County De permits page and the DE state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Utility Permits pageSussex County Engineering Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-12
- Sussex County Code Chapter 110, Article VIII (Building Sewers and Water Service Lines)Sussex County, Delaware (via ecode360) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-12
Related
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.