8 published records
Business licenses and permits in Kent County, Michigan
Kent County, Michigan, seat Grand Rapids; population 673,002 (U.S. Census Bureau 2024 estimate). The county records here run mainly through the Kent County Health Department's Environmental Health division, which licenses and audits food facilities (restaurants, bars, caterers, coffee shops, cafes, mobile food carts and temporary food events), inspects body art facilities, runs the public swimming pool inspection and licensing program, inspects child care facilities and issues septic and well permits. The Kent County Road Commission issues the permit required under MCL 224.19b(1) for work in a county road right-of-way. Liquor licenses are issued by the Michigan Liquor Control Commission, with on-premises applications approved by the local legislative body under MCL 436.1501(2). The county Treasurer's local units page lists 9 cities (Cedar Springs, East Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids, Grandville, Kentwood, Lowell, Rockford, Walker and Wyoming), 5 villages (Caledonia, Casnovia, Kent City, Sand Lake and Sparta) and 21 townships (Ada, Algoma, Alpine, Bowne, Byron, Caledonia, Cannon, Cascade, Courtland, Gaines, Grand Rapids, Grattan, Lowell, Nelson, Oakfield, Plainfield, Solon, Sparta, Spencer, Tyrone and Vergennes). The City of Grand Rapids' own requirements are listed on its city page.
What are you opening in Kent County?
- 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 Kent County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Septic (On-Site Sewage Disposal) and Well (Water Supply) Permits (conditional — premises off public sewer or water)only if it applies to you | Kent County Health Department, Environmental Health | A $50 processing fee applies to all applications cancelled before fieldwork, and failure to show up for an appointment may result in a $75 charge (Health Department Septic & Well page). The permit application fees themselves are not published on that page; contact Kent County Health Department Environmental Health at 616-632-6900 or KCEHmail@kentcountymi.gov for the current amounts. | permits and site evaluations are valid for 2 years and are non-transferable | 2026-10-10 |
| County Road Right-of-Way Permit (Kent County Road Commission)only if it applies to you | Kent County Road Commission | The Kent County Road Commission sets the permit fees. MCL 224.19b(2) allows a county road commission, after a public hearing, to adopt a schedule of fees sufficient to cover only the necessary and actual costs of issuing the permit, reviewing the proposed activity, inspection and related expenses. | per permit, obtained before the work begins | 2026-10-10 |
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 Kent County?
Septic (On-Site Sewage Disposal) and Well (Water Supply) Permits (conditional — premises off public sewer or water)
The Kent County Health Department's Septic & Well page describes a required permit for installation of on-site sewage disposal (septic) systems, with an application that includes a detailed site plan and floor plans for new construction, and a required permit for installation of on-site water supply (well) systems, with a separate non-residential well and septic permit application. A Type II non-community public water supply, one serving 25 or more people at least 60 days a year or with 15 or more service connections, has its own application to install or alter the system. The page states that permits and site evaluations are valid for 2 years and are non-transferable, that a $50 processing fee applies to applications cancelled before fieldwork, that failure to show up for an appointment may result in a $75 charge, and that application fees are non-refundable after 90 days from application or after field activity begins. The record applies to a premises served by its own septic system or well.
County Road Right-of-Way Permit (Kent County Road Commission)
MCL 224.19b(1) states that a person, partnership, association, corporation or governmental entity 'shall not construct, operate, maintain, or remove a facility or perform any other work within the right-of-way of a county road, except sidewalk installation and repair, without first obtaining a permit from the county road commission having jurisdiction over the road', and also from the township, city or village where the road is located when one of its ordinances requires a permit. In Kent County that road commission is the Kent County Road Commission, whose five-member board oversees the 1,979-mile network of county primary and local roads, according to the county's Road Commission Board page; its offices are at 1900 4 Mile Road NW, Walker. A business or contractor adding a driveway onto a county road or doing other work in its right-of-way applies to the Road Commission before the work starts. The adjacent property owner does not need a permit for work incidental to maintaining the right-of-way outside the shoulder and roadway, under the same subsection.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Septic & Well (Permits & Evaluations)Kent County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-10
- MCL 224.19b — working within the right-of-way of a county road; permit requiredMichigan Legislature · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-10
- Road Commission BoardKent County, Michigan · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-10
Who issues business permits in Kent County?
Permitting in Kent County is split across 3 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.
Kent County issuing agencies
- Kent County Health Department, Environmental HealthFood service licensing and auditing of restaurants, concession stands, bars, school lunch programs, catering operations, mobile food carts, coffee shops, cafes and temporary food events, with plan review before construction or remodelling · Body art facility plan review and inspection (at least one inspection a year), alongside the state facility license from MDHHS, and temporary body art facility licenses · Public swimming pool inspection and licensing program · Child care and adult foster care facility sanitation inspections · Septic (on-site sewage disposal) and well (water supply) permits and site evaluations6 permits
- Michigan Liquor Control CommissionState liquor licensing; under MCL 436.1501(2) an on-premises license application must be approved by the local legislative body in which the place of business is located before the commission grants it5 permits
- Kent County Road CommissionFive-member board that, with the Managing Director, oversees the planning, design, construction and maintenance of the 1,979-mile network of county primary and local roads, in the words of the county Road Commission Board page · Permits for work within the right-of-way of a county road under MCL 224.19b(1)1 permit
Other Michigan 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.