12 permits · verified 2026-09-10
What permits do you need to open a restaurant in Des Moines?
In short
A restaurant in Des Moines, IA has 5 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 7 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City of Des Moines Development Services Department, Permit and Development Center charges $51.50 flat for the certificate of occupancy. 2 of the 12 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-10 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a restaurant in Des Moines
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sign Permit | City of Des Moines Neighborhood Services Department, Zoning Enforcement Division | No fee | one-time, per sign | 2026-09-10 |
| Food Establishment License | Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing | $150 a year for gross sales under $100,000, rising to $300 and then $400 as sales climb | annual | 2026-09-04 |
| Certified Food Protection Manageronly if it applies to you | Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing | No fee | not stated in Iowa's own rule text | 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 Des Moines
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Business License — City of Des Moines positiononly if it applies to you | City of Des Moines, City Clerk's Office | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-10 |
| Certificate of Occupancy | City of Des Moines Development Services Department, Permit and Development Center | $51.50 flat | one-time, no expiration | 2026-09-10 |
| Zoning Verification Letteronly if it applies to you | City of Des Moines Neighborhood Services Department, Zoning Enforcement Division | No fee | one-time, no stated expiration | 2026-09-10 |
| Building Permit (Commercial) | City of Des Moines Development Services Department, Permit and Development Center | Varies — formula on the Des Moines page | one-time, per project | 2026-09-10 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
IA registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | Iowa Secretary of State, Business Services Division | $50 one-time filing | perpetual, but a biennial report is due every two years | 2026-09-04 |
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | Iowa Secretary of State, Business Services Division | $50 one-time filing | perpetual, but a biennial report is due every two years | 2026-09-04 |
| Sales Tax Permit | Iowa Department of Revenue | No fee | no expiration — stays effective until cancelled or revoked | 2026-09-04 |
| General Business License — Iowa positiononly if it applies to you | Iowa Economic Development Authority, Business License Information Center | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-04 |
| Biennial Reportonly if it applies to you | Iowa Secretary of State, Business Services Division | Varies — formula on the IA page | an LLC files between 1 January and 1 April of every odd year; a corporation files in the same window of every even year | 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 Des Moines?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 12 records listed for a restaurant in Des Moines, IA, 5 apply to every business of this type and 7 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 5 that always apply, 2 carry a flat fee, coming to $201.50. That is a floor, not a total. 2 of the 12 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 6 have no fee published at all.
The other 2 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Des Moines permits page and the IA state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Des Moines?
Permits for a restaurant in Des Moines, IA come from 7 separate offices: City of Des Moines, City Clerk's Office, City of Des Moines Development Services Department, Permit and Development Center, City of Des Moines Neighborhood Services Department, Zoning Enforcement Division, Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing, Iowa Secretary of State, Business Services Division, Iowa Department of Revenue, Iowa Economic Development Authority, Business License Information Center. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- City of Des Moines, City Clerk's OfficeIssues 1 permit on this page: General Business License — City of Des Moines position1200 Locust Street, Des Moines, IA 50309 · (515) 283-4209www.dsm.city/departments/city_clerk/business_licenses_permits.php
- City of Des Moines Development Services Department, Permit and Development CenterIssues 2 permits on this page: Certificate of Occupancy, Building Permit (Commercial)T.M. Franklin Cownie City Administration Building, 1200 Locust Street, Des Moines, IA 50309 · (515) 283-4200www.dsm.city/departments/development_services/permit_development_center/index.php
- City of Des Moines Neighborhood Services Department, Zoning Enforcement DivisionIssues 2 permits on this page: Sign Permit, Zoning Verification Letter1200 Locust Street, Des Moines, IA 50309 · (515) 283-4207www.dsm.city/departments/neighborhood_services/zoning_enforcement.php
- Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and LicensingIssues 2 permits on this page: Food Establishment License, Certified Food Protection Manager6200 Park Avenue, Suite 100, Des Moines, IA 50321 · (515) 281-3425dial.iowa.gov
- Iowa Secretary of State, Business Services DivisionIssues 3 permits on this page: Certificate of Organization (LLC), Articles of Incorporation, Biennial Report321 East 12th Street, Des Moines, IA 50319 · (515) 281-5204sos.iowa.gov/business
- Iowa Department of RevenueIssues 1 permit on this page: Sales Tax Permit1305 East Walnut Street, Des Moines, IA 50319 · (515) 281-3114revenue.iowa.gov/permits-licensing/business-permit-registration
- Iowa Economic Development Authority, Business License Information CenterIssues 1 permit on this page: General Business License — Iowa position1963 Bell Avenue, Suite 200, Des Moines, IA 50315 · (515) 348-6200opportunityiowa.gov/business/small-business-entrepreneurs/small-business-resources/business-license-information-center
What does a restaurant need in Des Moines that other businesses do not?
Sign Permit
The ordinance itself states the permit fee is 'in the amount set in the Schedule of Fees adopted by the city council by resolution.' That resolution's dollar figure sits outside the codified text: the Permit and Development Center's complete fee schedule (effective 1 January 2026, all seven pages of it) carries no sign-permit line item, and the Zoning Enforcement Division's own page, which administers sign permits, names no fee either. The permit itself is mandatory for essentially every sign exceeding one square foot; only a short list of exemptions (identification signs under one square foot, vehicle-mounted signs, government flags, real-estate signs under six square feet, and similar minor cases) avoids it entirely. Confirm the current fee directly with Zoning Enforcement (515-283-4207) before budgeting for a sign.
Certified Food Protection Manager
No state fee, because Iowa runs no certification programme of its own — the credential comes from an accredited private provider at that provider's price, and the state rule addresses only who must hold one, not what it costs. A single certified food protection manager covers an establishment, and a newly licensed facility has six months from licensure to comply. Several categories are exempt outright: an establishment selling only prepackaged food, a temporary or farmers market establishment, one that prepares no food at all, and one selling only commercially prepared items that need no temperature control for safety. This is a manager-level requirement rather than a card required of every employee — Iowa's rule addresses only the person in charge.
Shared with other businesses in Des Moines
- Food Establishment License — Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing, $150 a year for gross sales under $100,000, rising to $300 and then $400 as sales climb, annual. 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 Des Moines, IA; what each one involves is set out on the Des Moines permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across IA and are covered on the IA state page.
How does a restaurant compare with other businesses in Des Moines?
A restaurant and a coffee shop in Des Moines, IA need exactly the same 3 permits beyond the ones every business needs.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a restaurant | Only a restaurant needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee shops | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Food trucks | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Retail stores | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Fitness studios | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Salons and barbers | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Veterinary clinics | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Auto repair shops | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Childcare centres | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Contractors and trades | 4 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
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 Des Moines permits page and the IA state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Code of Ordinances, Chapter 26 — Buildings and Building Regulations (2023 updates, markup version), including the sign-permit requirement (§ 26-802), the electrical/mechanical/plumbing contractor-license sections (§§ 26-450, 26-550, 26-670) and the general permit-fee provisions (§§ 26-135–26-143)City of Des Moines · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-10
- Zoning Enforcement Division — confirming it issues sign, sound and home-occupation permits and zoning verification letters, with no fee schedule published on or linked from the pageCity of Des Moines, Neighborhood Services Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-10
- Iowa Administrative Code 481, chapter 31 — the certified food protection manager requirement and its exemptionsIowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
Related
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.