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14 permits · verified 2026-09-06

What permits do you need to open a restaurant in Gaithersburg?

In short

A restaurant in Gaithersburg, MD has 10 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 4 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City of Gaithersburg Planning & Code Administration charges $150 application fee, plus a 10% automation fee on the total for the use and occupancy permit. 6 of the 14 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-06 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a restaurant in Gaithersburg

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Sign PermitCity of Gaithersburg Planning & Code Administration$1.75 per sq ft, $55 minimum, for a permanent non-electric or a temporary sign; a permanent electric sign is the same rate plus $90.one-time, per sign2026-09-06
Food Service Facility LicenseMontgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, Licensure and Regulatory Services$100–$525 a year, by risk type — Type D (non-profit) $100, Type E $130, Type A $200, Type B $375, Type C $525annual2026-09-06
Fire System Registration and PermitsCity of Gaithersburg Fire MarshalFire System Registration Report application fee $75/system, plus a $20/report late fee if 31 or more days expired. Fire Alarm Permit: $18/device, $125 minimum. Sprinkler Permit: $5/sprinkler head, $125 minimum, plus $150 per hydraulic calculation. An Electrical Safety License carries no charge.annual registration; permits one-time per installation2026-09-06
Certified Food Service Manager LicenseMontgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, Licensure and Regulatory Services$50 license fee; $10 for a duplicate certification card or licenseper the underlying exam's validity period2026-09-06
Food Service Facility LicenseMaryland Department of Health, Office of Food Protection$100–$525 a year, set by the county health department — there is no state fee1 year from issue unless local law says otherwise2026-09-03
Certified Food Service Manageronly if it applies to youMaryland Department of Health, Office of Food ProtectionNo feeno state period; three to five years where a county requires a card2026-09-03

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 Gaithersburg

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Commercial Construction/Improvement PermitCity of Gaithersburg Planning & Code AdministrationVaries — formula on the Gaithersburg pageone-time, per project2026-09-06
Use and Occupancy PermitCity of Gaithersburg Planning & Code Administration$150 application fee, plus a 10% automation fee on the totalissued once per qualifying occupancy2026-09-06
Trader's LicenseClerk of the Circuit Court for Montgomery County$15 a year, flatannual2026-09-06

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

MD registrations that apply to every type of business

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Trader's LicenseComptroller of Maryland, State License BureauVaries — formula on the MD page1 May to 30 April, whenever it is bought2026-09-03
Sales and Use Tax LicenseComptroller of Maryland, Revenue Administration DivisionNo feeno expiry — effective until surrendered or revoked2026-09-03
Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youMaryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation, Corporate Charter Division$100 one-time filingperpetual, but a $300 annual report is due every 15 April2026-09-03
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youMaryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation, Corporate Charter Division$120 one-time minimum — $100 filing plus a $20 organization and capitalization feeperpetual, but a $300 annual report is due every 15 April2026-09-03
Annual Reportonly if it applies to youMaryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation, Corporate Charter Division$300 a yearannual — due 15 April, extendable to 15 June2026-09-03

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 Gaithersburg?

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 Gaithersburg, MD, 10 apply to every business of this type and 4 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 10 that always apply, 3 carry a flat fee, coming to $215.00. That is a floor, not a total. 6 of the 14 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 2 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

Sign Permit: $1.75 per sq ft, $55 minimum, for a permanent non-electric or a temporary sign; a permanent electric sign is the same rate plus $90.

Food Service Facility License: $100–$525 a year, by risk type — Type D (non-profit) $100, Type E $130, Type A $200, Type B $375, Type C $525

Fire System Registration and Permits: Fire System Registration Report application fee $75/system, plus a $20/report late fee if 31 or more days expired. Fire Alarm Permit: $18/device, $125 minimum. Sprinkler Permit: $5/sprinkler head, $125 minimum, plus $150 per hydraulic calculation. An Electrical Safety License carries no charge.

Food Service Facility License: $100–$525 a year, set by the county health department — there is no state fee

The other 2 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Gaithersburg permits page and the MD state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Gaithersburg?

Permits for a restaurant in Gaithersburg, MD come from 8 separate offices: City of Gaithersburg Planning & Code Administration, Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, Licensure and Regulatory Services, City of Gaithersburg Fire Marshal, Clerk of the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, Comptroller of Maryland, State License Bureau, Comptroller of Maryland, Revenue Administration Division, Maryland Department of Health, Office of Food Protection, Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation, Corporate Charter Division. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.

What does a restaurant need in Gaithersburg that other businesses do not?

Certified Food Service Manager License

A certified food service manager must be in immediate control whenever the facility is operating; Montgomery County requires a proctored, in-person exam rather than an online-only certification.

Food Service Facility License

The state health department writes the regulations and licenses only processing, warehousing and dairy; retail food service belongs to the twenty-four local health departments, and the statute says the county governing body sets the fee schedule and the money is paid to the county. Both examples band by risk rather than size. Montgomery charges $200 for a low-priority facility, $375 for moderate and $525 for high, with a $100 non-profit rate and a $100 late fee, and its licenses expire on 31 January. Howard charges $415, $325 and $100 on the same three tiers, adds a ten per cent technology surcharge to everything, and prices plan review separately at up to $485. Statutory caps exist only in odd corners — a mobile reciprocity license cannot exceed $300, and seasonal on-farm processing $70 outside four jurisdictions.

Shared with other businesses in Gaithersburg

  • Sign Permit — City of Gaithersburg Planning & Code Administration, $1.75 per sq ft, $55 minimum, for a permanent non-electric or a temporary sign; a permanent electric sign is the same rate plus $90., one-time, per sign. Also required for coffee shops, retail stores, salons and barbers, fitness studios, auto repair shops and veterinary clinics; what it involves is set out on the fitness studios page.
  • Food Service Facility License — Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, Licensure and Regulatory Services, $100–$525 a year, by risk type — Type D (non-profit) $100, Type E $130, Type A $200, Type B $375, Type C $525, annual. Also required for coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
  • Fire System Registration and Permits — City of Gaithersburg Fire Marshal, Fire System Registration Report application fee $75/system, plus a $20/report late fee if 31 or more days expired. Fire Alarm Permit: $18/device, $125 minimum. Sprinkler Permit: $5/sprinkler head, $125 minimum, plus $150 per hydraulic calculation. An Electrical Safety License carries no charge., annual registration; permits one-time per installation. Also required for coffee shops, retail stores, salons and barbers, fitness studios, auto repair shops and veterinary clinics; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
  • Certified Food Service Manager — Maryland Department of Health, Office of Food Protection, No fee, no state period; three to five years where a county requires a card. Also required for coffee shops and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.

The other 3 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Gaithersburg, MD; what each one involves is set out on the Gaithersburg permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across MD and are covered on the MD state page.

How does a restaurant compare with other businesses in Gaithersburg?

A restaurant and a coffee shop in Gaithersburg, MD need exactly the same 6 permits beyond the ones every business needs.

Permits particular to each business type in Gaithersburg, MD, compared with a restaurant
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a restaurantOnly a restaurant needsOnly it needs
Coffee shops6600
Fitness studios2240
Retail stores2240
Food trucks3241
Veterinary clinics3241
Auto repair shops4242
Salons and barbers4242
Childcare centres2062
Contractors and trades1061

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 fitness studios page, coffee shops page and retail stores page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Gaithersburg permits page and the MD state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Montgomery County DHHS, Licensure and Regulatory Services — Fee ScheduleMontgomery County Department of Health and Human Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-06
  2. Maryland Health-General section 21-308 — county governing bodies set the food establishment license fee scheduleMaryland General Assembly · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
  3. COMAR 10.15.03.28 — a food service facility license must be obtained from the approving authorityMaryland Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
  4. Montgomery County Licensure and Regulatory Services — fee scheduleMontgomery County, Maryland · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
  5. Howard County Health Department — environmental health fee scheduleHoward County, Maryland · 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.