What permits do you need to open a coffee shop in Anne Arundel County?

Food Service Facility License

Every restaurant, coffee shop and permanently sited food truck or mobile unit operating in Anne Arundel County needs a Food Service Facility License from the Department of Health, Food Protection Services, 3 Harry S. Truman Pkwy, Annapolis. The permanent-license fee is set by priority tier — High Priority $590, Moderate Priority $395, Low Priority $195 a year — with reduced fees for an operation running less than 4 months (High/Moderate, $395) or less than 6 months (Moderate, $195); a new Mobile Food Unit's permanent license is $395. Structural Plan Review, required before construction, remodeling or a change of ownership, is billed separately at $750 for High or Moderate Priority facilities and $500 for Low Priority facilities, and a HACCP Plan Review is a further $750. A nonprofit organization pays no fee on providing proof of its IRS tax-exempt status. The license expires the last day of February every year, printed verbatim on the county's own current application form.

Alcohol License — Class B Beer and Light Wine (Hotel/Restaurant)

A restaurant or coffee shop in Anne Arundel County serving only beer and light wine, on- and off-premises, needs a Class B beer and light wine license from the Board of License Commissioners, at $480 a year, read directly from the current text of Md. Code, Alcoholic Beverages and Cannabis Article §11-802(d). 2024 Senate Bill 1046 proposed raising this fee to $648, but that bill was withdrawn by its sponsor on April 5, 2024, and never took effect, so $480 remains the current fee. A business wanting to add hard liquor instead needs the Class B beer, wine and liquor license recorded separately for Anne Arundel County.

Alcohol License — Class B Beer, Wine and Liquor (Restaurant)

A restaurant or coffee shop serving beer, wine and liquor on- or off-premises in Anne Arundel County needs a Class B beer, wine and liquor license from the county's Board of License Commissioners, at $1,080 a year, read directly from the current text of Md. Code, Alcoholic Beverages and Cannabis Article §11-902(e), the Anne Arundel-specific title of the statute. 2024 Senate Bill 1046 proposed raising this fee to $1,458, but the bill was withdrawn by its own sponsor on April 5, 2024, and never took effect, per the Maryland General Assembly's own bill-status page; $1,080 remains the current fee. This license comes from the state Alcoholic Beverages and Cannabis Article rather than the county's own Code, administered locally by the Board of License Commissioners.

Alcohol License — Other Retail Classes (Class A, Class D, Class H)

Anne Arundel County's Board of License Commissioners also issues several narrower retail alcohol license classes relevant to restaurants and coffee shops, all read directly from the current text of the Md. Code, Alcoholic Beverages and Cannabis Article's Anne Arundel County title: a Class A light wine license at $60 a year, a Class A beer and light wine license at $240 a year, a Class A beer, wine and liquor license (available only to an establishment meeting the drugstore-restricted eligibility rules of §11-901(c)) at $720 a year, a Class D beer, wine and liquor license at $1,200 a year (or $1,080 a year for a limited, on-premises-only Class D license), and a Class H beer, wine and liquor license at $960 a year. 2024 Senate Bill 1046 proposed increasing each of these fees by a similar proportion, but the bill was withdrawn by its sponsor on April 5, 2024, and never took effect, so the figures above remain current law. Which class applies depends on the specific business's intended alcohol service; a full-service restaurant wanting on- and off-premises beer, wine and liquor would instead use the Class B license recorded separately for Anne Arundel County.

Temporary Food Service Facility License

A restaurant, coffee shop or food truck operating a temporary food stand at a one-off event in Anne Arundel County needs a Temporary Food Service Facility License from the Department of Health, Food Protection Services, for each event. The fee is $114.00 for a High or Moderate Priority facility and $35.00 for a Low Priority facility, per the county's own current application instructions; a late penalty of $22.80 (High/Moderate) or $7.00 (Low) applies if the application is received less than two weeks before the event. This license is separate from the annual Food Service Facility License recorded separately for Anne Arundel County, which covers a permanently sited restaurant, coffee shop or mobile unit rather than a single event.

Certified Food Service Manager

No state fee and, unusually, no statewide requirement either — the retail food regulations contain no manager certification provision at all, only a duty that employees be trained for their assigned work. Certification is a county matter where it exists: Montgomery charges $50 for a card valid five years, Howard $37 for one it accepts for three, and the exam itself comes from an accredited provider at that provider's price. This is a watch item rather than a settled position. The health department's own October 2025 fact sheet lists a certified food protection manager on site during all hours of operation among the new requirements it proposes to adopt with the federal food code, which would replace the county patchwork with a statewide mandate. No adoption date has been set.

Shared with other businesses in Anne Arundel County

• Trader's License — Clerk of the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County, $15–$800 a year, by 21 statutory tiers keyed to the value of the applicant's stock-in-trade (Md. Code, Business Regulation Article §17-1807(c)(2)): $15 at the lowest tier (stock-in-trade value up to $1,000), rising through $18, $20, $25, $30, $40, $50, $65, $80, $100, $125, $150, $200, $250, $300, $350, $400 and $500 at intermediate tiers, up to $800 at the highest tier (stock-in-trade value over $750,000), annual (Md. Code, Bus. Reg. §§ 17-1806 and 17-1807, the provisions cited here, state no renewal date). Also required for retail stores, restaurants, salons and barbers, auto repair shops, fitness studios and veterinary clinics; what it involves is set out on the auto repair shops page.
• Food Service Facility License — Maryland Department of Health, Office of Food Protection, $100–$525 a year, set by the county health department — there is no state fee, 1 year from issue unless local law says otherwise. Also required for restaurants and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.