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

Fixed Food Service Establishment License (Category 1, 2 or 3)

A fixed food service establishment in Ingham County is licensed by the Ingham County Health Department's Environmental Health division. The department's fee schedule places each facility in Category 1 (examples: take-out pizza only, concessions, coffee shop, donuts, ice cream, bar with limited or no potentially hazardous foods), Category 2 (full service without alcohol, fast food, catering) or Category 3 (full service with alcohol, fine dining, institutional), with the category determined by the area inspector based on the facility's operations. The annual license is $500, $835 or $1,180 by category, and a seasonal license (a fixed facility operating 9 months or less in the calendar year) is $355. Full plan review is $1,255 / $1,745 / $2,500, minimal plan review $800 / $980 / $1,500 and new owner/evaluation $665 / $935 / $1,365. The figure is from Ingham County Board of Commissioners Resolution #25-334 (adopted June 24, 2025), which set the Health Department's current rates effective October 1, 2025 with no end date; the Health Department's live Permits & Licensing page links its 2025-2026 Food and Facilities Fee Schedule, which lists the same amounts. The schedule's footnote states that the fees include the State of Michigan fee of $30.00 for fixed, seasonal and mobile licenses. It also lists a $170 late fee from the first business day following April 30, $1,020 for construction or remodelling without approval, $645 for a plan re-evaluation or re-submission, $195 for an enforcement follow-up inspection, and $835 for a new owner operating without a new license; the schedule states that the license is non-transferable on a change of ownership.

Food Service Establishment License

The agriculture department does not license restaurants and says so: food service establishments, including restaurants, cafes, bars, catering kitchens, food trucks and temporary units, are licensed by local health departments. Its own application form tells you to contact the local health department for the fee. The state's part is a small embedded component the local schedule collects — $30 on a fixed or mobile license, $44 on a temporary one — and the rest is the county's. The counties do not even measure the same thing: Detroit, Oakland and Macomb band by seats while Washtenaw bands by floor area, so a sixty-seat restaurant pays $398 in Oakland and $898 in Washtenaw. Every license expires on 30 April. The state steps back in only where a business also serves unpackaged food with customer seating inside a retail store, which becomes an extended retail food establishment licensed by the state at $471.

Shared with other businesses in Ingham County

• Temporary Food License — Ingham County Health Department, Environmental Health, $100 per event, single location, up to 14 consecutive days (includes the $9 State of Michigan fee), per event; issued for a single location for a maximum of 14 consecutive days. Also required for restaurants and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the food trucks page.
• Retail Food Establishment License — Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, $73–$471 a year, by establishment type, annual — the license year runs 1 May to 30 April. Also required for retail stores and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the food trucks page.
• Certified Food Safety Manager — Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, No fee, certificates are typically valid five years, set by the certifying provider. Also required for restaurants and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.