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

Food Service Establishment License (Risk Category Type X, Y or Z)

The Jackson County Health Department's Food Program page states that food service establishments "must be licensed through our office" and that "A license is valid from May 1 through the following April 30"; renewal applications are typically sent out mid-to-late March and must be paid by April 30. The county's FY2026 Fee Schedule lists the food service establishment license fee "based on Risk Category X, Y, Z for license year beginning 5/1/2026": Type X $638, Type Y $838 and Type Z $988. Each figure is a combined total of an $8 technology fee, the county local fee ($600, $800 or $950) and the $30 State of Michigan fee. The schedule adds a late fee for applications received after April 30: "Add 25% to total outstanding due each month." Under the Plan Review/Licensing page, the county's food coordinator assigns the restaurant type after plan documents are approved; the fees for that type are paid, a license application is submitted and a pre-opening inspection follows. At least one person per establishment must hold ServSafe Manager certification. The schedule as a whole is headed as effective October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026, but the food license block is stated for the license year beginning May 1, 2026, which runs through April 30, 2027.

Food Service Plan Review

The Jackson County Health Department's Plan Review/Licensing for Restaurants & STFUs page states: "All documents must be completed and submitted with appropriate fees. After the food coordinator approves documents, a restaurant type will be assigned." The page provides a Plan Review Application, Plan Review Manual and Plan Review Worksheet for restaurants, and STFU plan submittal instructions, an STFU SOP worksheet and the STFU & Mobile plan review application for special transitory food units. After the license fees and application are turned in, a pre-opening inspection is conducted. The county's published Environmental Health fee schedule is the FY2026 schedule, in effect October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026; no FY2027 schedule is published on the county website. The Environmental Health page states: "Before making an online payment, please call Environmental Health at (517) 788-4433 to confirm the correct payment amount."

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 Jackson County Mi

• Temporary Food Establishment License — Jackson County Health Department, Environmental Health Division, The Temporary Food Establishments page states "(Fees vary)". The county's published Environmental Health fee schedule is the FY2026 schedule, in effect October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026; no FY2027 schedule is published on the county website. Contact Jackson County Environmental Health at (517) 788-4433 or ehealth@mijackson.org for the current amount., up to two weeks at a fixed location. Also required for food trucks and restaurants; what it involves is set out on the restaurants 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.