10 published records
Business licenses and permits in St. Joseph County, Indiana
St. Joseph County, Indiana, seat South Bend; population 273,744 (U.S. Census Bureau 2024 estimate). The St. Joseph County Department of Health licenses retail food establishments, mobile and temporary food operations, public and semi-public pools and spas, and commercial septic systems and wells under the County Code, with fees set in the code's Appendix: Schedule of Fines and Fees; the food chapter applies throughout the county, inside the cities and towns as well. Building, electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits are issued by the joint St. Joseph County/City of South Bend Building Department, which also runs the county's building contractor registration and electrical and HVAC contractor licenses; its 2026 fee schedule describes its jurisdiction as the City of South Bend and the unincorporated county (including Wyatt, Granger, Terre Coupe and Crumstown), plus building trades in Indian Village, Lakeville, North Liberty, Osceola and Roseland, which issue their own improvement location permits and enforce their own zoning, and lists Mishawaka, New Carlisle and Walkerton as having their own departments. Zoning in the unincorporated county runs through improvement location permits under County Code chapter 154. Under the U.S. Census Bureau's 2020 place file the county has nine incorporated places: the cities of South Bend and Mishawaka and the towns of Indian Village, Lakeville, New Carlisle, North Liberty, Osceola, Roseland and Walkerton; Granger and Notre Dame are unincorporated. Each city and town runs its own license, building and zoning rules, which stack on the county and state records.
What are you opening in St. Joseph County?
- RestaurantsFull-service restaurants carry the densest permit load of any small business: food, fire, occupancy, waste, and usually alcohol.See the full permit list
- Coffee shopsCafés are permitted as food service establishments even where no cooking happens, and the plan review step catches most operators by surprise.See the full permit list
- Retail storesRetail is the lightest common permit load, but the sales tax permit and the certificate of occupancy are non-negotiable in every jurisdiction.See the full permit list
- Salons and barbersPersonal care is licensed at state board level as well as locally, so the shop license and the practitioner licenses are separate obligations.See the full permit list
- Food trucksMobile food is the one category with no certificate of occupancy — but it gains a commissary agreement, and the unit itself is inspected rather than the premises.See the full permit list
- Fitness studiosPrepaid memberships trigger state registration and often a surety bond, which catches operators who budgeted only for the fit-out.See the full permit list
- Childcare centresThe heaviest permit load of any small business: state agency licensing, per-person background checks, and a stricter fire standard than ordinary commercial use.See the full permit list
- Contractors and tradesLicensed at state board level rather than locally, and the only common category with no premises permits at all — the bond is usually the long pole.See the full permit list
- Auto repair shopsOrdinary commercial permitting plus an environmental layer: waste oil, solvents and stormwater are each registered separately.See the full permit list
- Veterinary clinicsA state facility permit, controlled substances registration at both state and federal level, and a medical waste manifest — none of which a general business license covers.See the full permit list
Permits that apply to every type of business in St. Joseph County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Improvement Location Permit (zoning, unincorporated St. Joseph County)only if it applies to you | St. Joseph County Area Plan Commission and Zoning Administrator | Improvement location permit fees are set in the County Code Appendix: Schedule of Fines and Fees; contact the Area Plan Commission or the Building Department for the amount that applies to a given project. | valid for the longer of one year after issuance or the length of any required building permit obtained within that year; extensions totalling no more than six months (County Code 154.596(B)) | 2026-10-15 |
| Commercial Septic System and Commercial Well Permits (St. Joseph County Department of Health)only if it applies to you | St. Joseph County Department of Health | Environmental Unit Fee Schedule: commercial septic (new and replacement construction) $375; commercial septic repair $138; commercial well (new and replacement construction) $225. | per installation or repair | 2026-10-15 |
| Building, Electrical, Plumbing and HVAC Permits and Certificate of Occupancy (St. Joseph County/City of South Bend Building Department)only if it applies to you | St. Joseph County/City of South Bend Building Department | Permit fees are charged by the Building Department under County Code chapter 150 and the County Code Appendix: Schedule of Fines and Fees, by type and size of work; contact the St. Joseph County/City of South Bend Building Department for the amount for a given project. The department's 2026 schedule states that where work proceeds without a required permit, "THE PERMIT FEES SHALL BE TRIPLED AS A PENALTY." | valid when work starts within six months of issuance and is completed within one year; up to two six-month extensions on request (County Code 150.16) | 2026-10-15 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
What do these permits involve in St. Joseph County?
Improvement Location Permit (zoning, unincorporated St. Joseph County)
St. Joseph County Code 154.596(A) provides that no building, structure, improvement, sign or use of land may be altered, changed, enlarged, placed, erected or located unless it conforms to the zoning chapter and an improvement location permit has been issued. Under the section's opening paragraph, a building permit issued by the county building department that includes the establishment of a use, or the alteration, placement or erection of a building, structure, improvement or sign that increases its height, area or bulk, constitutes the improvement location permit, and the building permit application must include the site, landscape, lighting, elevation or sign plans needed to check compliance. Under 154.596(C)(2) the zoning administrator may take up to 15 business days to study an application for commercial/mixed use, industrial or special exception buildings, uses and signs; a use authorised by variance also needs the Board of Zoning Appeals' written approval and compliance with its conditions (154.596(C)(3)). The permit is valid for the longer of one year or the length of a building permit obtained within that year, and extensions may not total more than six months (154.596(B)). County Code 32.02 establishes area planning under IC 36-7-4. This record covers the unincorporated county; a site inside a city or town follows that municipality's zoning process.
Commercial Septic System and Commercial Well Permits (St. Joseph County Department of Health)
A business site in St. Joseph County that is not on a public sewer or public water system and installs, replaces or repairs a commercial septic system, or drills a commercial well, goes through the St. Joseph County Department of Health's Environmental Unit; a site on public sewer and water has no septic or well permit. As set in the Environmental Unit Fee Schedule of the County Code Appendix: Schedule of Fines and Fees (Ord. 94-19 of December 3, 2019, as amended through Ord. 61-25 of October 14, 2025), a commercial septic system for new or replacement construction costs $375 and a commercial septic repair $138, and a commercial well for new or replacement construction costs $225. The same schedule sets separate registration fees for septic and well drilling contractors, which the Department of Health's Permit Deadlines page lists as due by January 31. For food businesses, County Code 117.03(D)(2) adds that a retail food service/store establishment with a private septic system must comply with all state and county regulations. Contact the Department of Health at (574) 235-9750.
Building, Electrical, Plumbing and HVAC Permits and Certificate of Occupancy (St. Joseph County/City of South Bend Building Department)
St. Joseph County Code 151.05(A) provides that no construction, extension, repair, alteration or demolition of any building or structure, including building, plumbing, heating, air conditioning, ventilating, electrical, brick and masonry work, "having a total project contract price or estimated cost of more than $500.00" may start until the building commissioner has issued a permit, on plans, specifications and a plot plan filed and approved first. Painting, and repair or maintenance costing no more than 15% of the building's value without substantial structural change, need no permit (151.05(B)). Under 151.06 a certificate of occupancy is required for new non-residential structures and for non-residential structures with renovations over $10,000 (except renovations involving life safety issues), and such a building may not be used or occupied until it is issued. Under 150.16 a permit is valid when work starts within six months and is completed within one year, with up to two six-month extensions. The 2026 permit fee schedule of the St. Joseph County/City of South Bend Building Department describes the department's jurisdiction as the City of South Bend and the unincorporated county, including Wyatt, Granger, Terre Coupe and Crumstown; in Indian Village, Lakeville, North Liberty, Osceola and Roseland it handles building, electrical, plumbing and HVAC codes after the town approves the work and issues an improvement location permit; Mishawaka, New Carlisle and Walkerton have their own departments. Contact the Building Department for the fee for a given project.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- St. Joseph County Code of Ordinances, Appendix: Schedule of Fines and Fees (current to Sep 23, 2026)St. Joseph County, Indiana (codified by Municode) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15
- St. Joseph County Code 154.596, Improvement location permitsSt. Joseph County, Indiana (codified by Municode) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15
- St. Joseph County Code 32.02, Area Planning DepartmentSt. Joseph County, Indiana (codified by Municode) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15
- St. Joseph County Code chapter 117, St. Joseph County Food Establishments (Ord. 49-05; Ord. 22-25, 4-8-2025)St. Joseph County, Indiana (codified by Municode) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15
- St. Joseph County Code chapter 150, General Provisions; Licensing; Registration RequirementsSt. Joseph County, Indiana (codified by Municode) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15
- St. Joseph County Code chapter 151, Building CodesSt. Joseph County, Indiana (codified by Municode) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15
- St. Joseph County/City of South Bend Building Department, Permit Fee Schedule 2026 (jurisdiction section)St. Joseph County/City of South Bend Building Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15
- Building Permits pageCity of South Bend, Indiana · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15
Who issues business permits in St. Joseph County?
Permitting in St. Joseph County is split across 4 agencies we hold records for, with tax registration handled at state level. No single office issues everything, which is why an opening usually means filing in several places rather than one.
St. Joseph County issuing agencies
- St. Joseph County Department of HealthRetail food service/store, mobile, annual temporary and temporary food establishment permits and food plan review throughout St. Joseph County (County Code chapter 117) · Public and semi-public swimming pool and spa permits (County Code chapter 95; 410 IAC 6-2.1) · Septic system and well drilling permits (Environmental Unit)6 permits
- St. Joseph County/City of South Bend Building DepartmentBuilding, electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits and certificates of occupancy for the City of South Bend and unincorporated St. Joseph County (County Code chapters 150 and 151) · Building, electrical, plumbing and HVAC code jurisdiction in Indian Village, Lakeville, North Liberty, Osceola and Roseland, after the town issues its improvement location permit · Building contractor pre-licensing registration, electrical and HVAC contractor licenses, and excavator, sewer cleaner, plumbing contractor, demolition and sign contractor registrations2 permits
- Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission — St. Joseph County Local Alcoholic Beverage BoardLocal board hearings for St. Joseph County, listed by the ATC at the St. Joseph County-City Building, 227 W. Jefferson Blvd, South Bend, on the 4th Tuesday of the month at 9:00 a.m.1 permit
- St. Joseph County Area Plan Commission and Zoning AdministratorImprovement location permits under County Code 154.596 for unincorporated St. Joseph County · Area planning under County Code 32.02, which adopts the area planning provisions of IC 36-7-41 permit
Other Indiana jurisdictions we cover
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.