9 published records
Business licenses and permits in Baltimore, Maryland
An independent city, not part of any county, since separating from Baltimore County in 1851. The trader's license is issued through the Circuit Court for Baltimore City. The food-facility annual license fee is delegated to the Health Commissioner with no published schedule found; only plan-review, reinspection, and temporary-event fees are published.
What are you opening in Baltimore?
- 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 Baltimore
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Use and Occupancy Permit | Baltimore City Department of Housing & Community Development, Permits Office | $45 per use, per building or part of a building | issued once per qualifying occupancy | 2026-09-06 |
| Commercial Building Permit | Baltimore City Department of Housing & Community Development, Permits Office | New commercial construction/addition: $20 per 1,000 cubic feet (or fraction) of adjusted gross volume, minimum $250 (new building) or $150 (addition). Commercial alteration/repair: $0.35 per sq ft (or fraction) of affected gross floor area, minimum $150. A tenant fit-out (new demising wall or new-tenant shell space) is billed differently — $12 per $1,000 (or fraction) of estimated cost, minimum $150. A citywide permit tax of 5% of the final cost applies to every permit issued. | one-time, per project | 2026-09-06 |
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 Baltimore?
Use and Occupancy Permit
A general minimum fee of $25 applies where no other fee is specified elsewhere in section 109.
Commercial Building Permit
A secondary source (a non-official blog) states the tenant-demising-wall fee is area-based ('$10 per 100 sq ft') — the current official code shows it is actually cost-based ($12/$1,000, min $150); the code figure is used here.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Baltimore City Building Code, section 109, Fees (2024 Edition, as amended by Ordinance 24-437 and Ordinance 24-341)City of Baltimore · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-06
Who issues business permits in Baltimore?
Permitting in Baltimore is split across 5 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.
Baltimore issuing agencies
- Baltimore City Department of Housing & Community Development, Permits OfficeUse and Occupancy Permit · Commercial building permits · Sign permits3 permits
- Baltimore City Health Department, Bureau of Environmental HealthFood service facility permits3 permits
- Baltimore City Department of Transportation, Street and Mobile VendingMobile food vending license1 permit
- Baltimore City Office of Animal ControlCommercial animal facility license1 permit
- Circuit Court for Baltimore City, Land Records & Licenses DivisionTrader's license1 permit
Other Maryland 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.