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

Certified Food Manager (CFM) Requirement

Michigan's Food Law requires every fixed food-service establishment to employ at least one certified food safety manager who meets Conference for Food Protection/ANSI-accredited standards, under MCL 289.2129 — Wayne County's Food Manager Certification page restates this state requirement rather than creating a county rule of its own. A restaurant or coffee shop with a fixed location must have a certified manager on staff. Wayne County Environmental Health itself offers the training and testing route: a Class Registration is $240, a Recertification Class is $100, and taking the exam alone, for someone already trained elsewhere, is $54. MCL 289.2129 exempts temporary food service establishments, vending-machine locations and certain low-risk establishments from this mandate, so Wayne County's Temporary Food Establishment and Special Transitory Food Unit licensees are not required to have a certified manager for that specific operation.

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 Wayne County

• Alcohol License — State MLCC and Local Unit Approval (Wayne County) — Wayne County Government, Services/Business, No fee, not applicable. Also required for restaurants; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.
• Food Service Establishment Plan Review — Wayne County Department of Health, Human & Veterans Services (HHVS), Environmental Health Section, New construction: 0-30 seats $700, 31-50 seats $849, 51-100 seats $917, over 100 seats or commissary $1,015. Preconstruction review: 0-30 seats $257, over 30 seats $514. Revised plans (extensive resubmission) $1,000. Field review/report $289. Equipment added (up to three pieces) $564. Water heater added $296 — all one-time, per project (2024 EH Fee Schedule)., one-time, per project. Also required for restaurants and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.
• Temporary Food Establishment (TFE) License — Wayne County Department of Health, Human & Veterans Services (HHVS), Environmental Health Section, TFE license, including a $4 state fee and $5 education fee bundled in, $249; 501(c)(3) school, athletic or religious organization (no state fee) $126; veteran with documentation (no state fee) $246; late fee for filing less than 10 days before the event $72; no application filed at the event $96 (2024 EH Fee Schedule)., one-time, per event. Also required for food trucks and restaurants; what it involves is set out on the food trucks page.
• Food Service License (fixed establishment, annual) — Wayne County Department of Health, Human & Veterans Services (HHVS), Environmental Health Section, $214–$690 a year, by category (2024 EH Fee Schedule): seasonal/low-risk 0-30 seats $214 up to a fixed establishment over 150 seats at $690, plus 501(c)(3) nonprofit $280, specialty/coffee-shop-with-no-food-prep $393, multiple locations $380 plus $150 per satellite, and commissary $559; a $25 state fee and $5 education fee are bundled into the asterisked categories, annual; renewal payment due on or before April 30 each year; late renewal adds $96 after April 30 and $161 after May 31. Also required for 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.