14 permits · verified 2026-09-05
What permits do you need to open a restaurant in Jacksonville?
In short
A restaurant in Jacksonville, FL has 8 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 6 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City of Jacksonville Building Inspection Division charges $112 new certificate of use or relocation of business for the certificate of use. 7 of the 14 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-05 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a restaurant in Jacksonville
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local Business Tax Receipt — Cafes, Restaurants and Other Eating Establishments | Duval County Tax Collector, Business Tax Division | $18.75–$75 a year, banded by seating — $18.75 for 30 seats or fewer, $37.50 for 31 to 74, $56.25 for 75 to 149, $75.00 for 150 or more; a drive-in eating establishment pays a further $60 on top of whichever seating tier applies | annual — every receipt expires 30 September, per Florida Statutes chapter 205 | 2026-09-05 |
| Restaurant Food Licensing — State DBPR License Applies (Jacksonville)only if it applies to you | Florida Department of Health in Duval County, Food Hygiene Program | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-05 |
| Food Service Employee Training and Manager Certification | Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Division of Hotels and Restaurants | No fee | employee training 3 years; manager certification 5 years | 2026-09-03 |
| 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 | 2026-09-03 |
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 Jacksonville
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fire Safety Inspection | Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, Fire Prevention Division | Varies — formula on the Jacksonville page | recurring; exact cadence for ordinary commercial premises is not stated on the published schedule (only the food-truck inspection is explicitly labelled annual — see the separate food-truck record) | 2026-09-05 |
| Commercial Building Permit | City of Jacksonville Building Inspection Division | Varies — formula on the Jacksonville page | not applicable — one-time permit per project | 2026-09-05 |
| Sign Permit | City of Jacksonville Building Inspection Division | Varies — formula on the Jacksonville page | not applicable — one-time permit; the bond stays in effect while the sign exists | 2026-09-05 |
| Certificate of Use | City of Jacksonville Building Inspection Division | $112 new certificate of use or relocation of business | not a renewable or expiring document under normal operation | 2026-09-05 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
FL registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations | $125 one-time filing | no expiry, but an annual report is due every year by 1 May | 2026-09-03 |
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations | $70 one-time filing | no expiry, but an annual report is due every year by 1 May | 2026-09-03 |
| Annual Report (LLC)only if it applies to you | Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations | Varies — formula on the FL page | annual, due by 1 May | 2026-09-03 |
| Annual Report (Corporation)only if it applies to you | Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations | Varies — formula on the FL page | annual, due by 1 May | 2026-09-03 |
| Business Tax Application (Sales and Use Tax)only if it applies to you | Florida Department of Revenue | No fee — no fee to register | no fixed expiry | 2026-09-03 |
| Local Business Tax Receipt | Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations | No fee | annual — every receipt expires on 30 September | 2026-09-03 |
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 Jacksonville?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 14 records listed for a restaurant in Jacksonville, FL, 8 apply to every business of this type and 6 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 8 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $112.00. That is a floor, not a total. 7 of the 14 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 3 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:
Local Business Tax Receipt — Cafes, Restaurants and Other Eating Establishments: $18.75–$75 a year, banded by seating — $18.75 for 30 seats or fewer, $37.50 for 31 to 74, $56.25 for 75 to 149, $75.00 for 150 or more; a drive-in eating establishment pays a further $60 on top of whichever seating tier applies
Public Food Service Establishment License: $242–$357 per year, banded by seating, plus a $50 application fee
The other 5 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Jacksonville permits page and the FL state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Jacksonville?
Permits for a restaurant in Jacksonville, FL come from 7 separate offices: Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, Fire Prevention Division, Duval County Tax Collector, Business Tax Division, City of Jacksonville Building Inspection Division, Florida Department of Health in Duval County, Food Hygiene Program, Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations, Florida Department of Revenue, Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Division of Hotels and Restaurants. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, Fire Prevention DivisionIssues 1 permit on this page: Fire Safety Inspection(904) 255-8320www.jacksonville.gov/departments/public-works/building-inspection-division/fire-and-rescue-plan-review-procedures
- Duval County Tax Collector, Business Tax DivisionIssues 1 permit on this page: Local Business Tax Receipt — Cafes, Restaurants and Other Eating Establishments231 E. Forsyth St., Room 130, Jacksonville, FL 32202 · (904) 255-5700taxcollector.jacksonville.gov/taxes/local-business-tax
- City of Jacksonville Building Inspection DivisionIssues 3 permits on this page: Commercial Building Permit, Sign Permit, Certificate of UseEd Ball Building, 214 N. Hogan St., Jacksonville, FL 32202 · (904) 255-8500www.jacksonville.gov/departments/public-works/building-inspection-division
- Florida Department of Health in Duval County, Food Hygiene ProgramIssues 1 permit on this page: Restaurant Food Licensing — State DBPR License Applies (Jacksonville)921 N. Davis St., Jacksonville, FL 32209 · 904-253-1280duval.floridahealth.gov/programs-and-services/environmental-health/food-hygiene
- Florida Department of State, Division of CorporationsIssues 5 permits on this page, including Articles of Organization (LLC), Articles of Incorporation, Annual Report (LLC)efile.sunbiz.org
- Florida Department of RevenueIssues 1 permit on this page: Business Tax Application (Sales and Use Tax)floridarevenue.com/taxes/eservices/Pages/registration.aspx
- Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Division of Hotels and RestaurantsIssues 2 permits on this page: Food Service Employee Training and Manager Certification, Public Food Service Establishment Licensewww.myfloridalicense.com
What does a restaurant need in Jacksonville that other businesses do not?
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 Jacksonville
- Local Business Tax Receipt — Cafes, Restaurants and Other Eating Establishments — Duval County Tax Collector, Business Tax Division, $18.75–$75 a year, banded by seating — $18.75 for 30 seats or fewer, $37.50 for 31 to 74, $56.25 for 75 to 149, $75.00 for 150 or more; a drive-in eating establishment pays a further $60 on top of whichever seating tier applies, annual — every receipt expires 30 September, per Florida Statutes chapter 205. Also required for coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
- Restaurant Food Licensing — State DBPR License Applies (Jacksonville) — Florida Department of Health in Duval County, Food Hygiene Program, 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.
The other 4 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Jacksonville, FL; what each one involves is set out on the Jacksonville permits page. The 6 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across FL and are covered on the FL state page.
How does a restaurant compare with other businesses in Jacksonville?
A restaurant and a coffee shop in Jacksonville, FL need exactly the same 4 permits beyond the ones every business needs.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a restaurant | Only a restaurant needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee shops | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Food trucks | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Auto repair shops | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| Childcare centres | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| Contractors and trades | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| Fitness studios | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| Retail stores | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| Salons and barbers | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| Veterinary clinics | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
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 Jacksonville permits page and the FL state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Florida Statutes section 509.049 — food service employee training, valid three years, within 60 days of employmentThe Florida Senate · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
Related
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.