What permits do you need to open a restaurant in Broward County?

Unincorporated-Area Alcoholic Beverage Zoning Layer (separation distances)

No separate fee applies to this zoning layer; compliance is checked as part of the Certificate of Use process, whose own fee is recorded as a separate requirement. An establishment selling or dispensing alcohol, or allowing on-premises consumption, in UNINCORPORATED Broward must sit at least 500 lineal feet from another alcoholic beverage establishment and at least 1,000 lineal feet from any educational center, place of worship or child care center, under §39-196, on top of the state ABT license required under Fla. Stat. Ch. 561/562. Distance is measured as a straight line between the nearest building points and must be certified by a Florida-registered surveyor; exceptions exist for hotels, motels, resorts and convention centers, and for permitted outdoor events, and §39-197 grandfathers an existing establishment if a school, church or child care center later locates within 1,000 feet of it. Do not confuse this with Broward's separate Adult Entertainment Code distance rules (Ch. 20, Art. XVI), a different ordinance that happens to use similar-sounding numbers. This layer applies only in unincorporated Broward; each incorporated city sets its own alcohol-zoning rules, or none, instead. Separately, Broward County Code §3-1 sets hours of sale for establishments outside incorporated municipalities at roughly 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. on weekdays and Saturdays and noon to 3 a.m. on Sundays.

Food Service Employee Training and Manager Certification

Florida sets no price for either qualification — training is bought from private providers the Department has approved, so no amount is shown here because the state charges none. Two separate obligations sit behind that. Every food service employee must be trained within 60 days of being hired, and the certification lasts three years. Separately, each licensed establishment must have at least one certified food protection manager, whose certification lasts five years, and where four or more employees are working with food at one time a certified manager must be physically present. Beware one figure that circulates as though it were a card price: the statute lets the Department charge the certifying organisation no more than $5 per certified test. That is what the regulator bills the exam provider, not what a worker pays. Temporary food service vendors and vending machine operators are exempt from the manager requirement.

Shared with other businesses in Broward County

• Hazardous Materials License — Broward County Resilient Environment Department, Environmental Permitting Division (EPD), Broward County Code §27-356 cross-references a separately adopted Environmental Permitting Division fee schedule for this license rather than stating a dollar figure directly in the exemption section, §27-354. Contact the Resilient Environment Department's Environmental Permitting Division for the amount currently set by that schedule., confirm the license term with the issuing division. Also required for auto repair shops, veterinary clinics and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the veterinary clinics page.
• Storage Tank Facility License — Broward County Resilient Environment Department, Environmental Permitting Division (EPD), Broward County Code Ch. 27, Art. X, §27-306 governs this license but does not itself state a dollar figure. Contact the Resilient Environment Department's Environmental Permitting Division for the current fee., confirm the license term with the issuing division. Also required for auto repair shops and contractors and trades; what it involves is set out on the auto repair shops page.
• Industrial Pretreatment / Fats-Oils-Grease (FOG) Discharge Compliance — Broward County Water and Wastewater Services, Industrial Pretreatment Program, Broward County Code Ch. 34, Art. VI (Wastewater Discharge Standards), §34-138 et seq. sets discharge standards and a compliance obligation for facilities with grease interceptors or traps; contact Broward County Water and Wastewater Services for any associated permit or inspection fee., confirm the license term with the issuing division. Also required for coffee shops and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
• Restaurant / Coffee Shop Food-Safety Permit — State Preemption under Fla. Stat. §509.032 (Broward) — Broward County Consumer Protection Division, No fee, not applicable. Also required for coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
• Public Food Service Establishment License — Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Division of Hotels and Restaurants, $242–$357 per year, banded by seating, plus a $50 application fee, annual, on a staggered renewal schedule. Also required for coffee shops and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.