14 published records
Business licenses and permits in Minneapolis, Minnesota
The City's 2026 License Fees list prices activity-specific licenses, in more than 600 numbered fee lines, rather than a single blanket business license. Minneapolis runs its own municipal food licensing program directly, not Hennepin County. The City's Certificate of Occupancy Policy states that there is no fee for a certificate of occupancy inspection. The City publishes its fee tables as Smartsheet pages linked from official city pages.
What are you opening in Minneapolis?
- 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 Minneapolis
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Business License — Minneapolis Activity-Specific License Listonly if it applies to you | City of Minneapolis, Business Licenses & Consumer Services | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-08 |
| Certificate of Occupancy | City of Minneapolis, Construction Code Services | No fee | required before occupying a new building or a new use of an existing one (MSBC section 1300.0220) | 2026-09-08 |
| Commercial Building Permit | City of Minneapolis, Construction Code Services | Total Permit Fee = Building Permit Fee + Plan Review Fee (65% of the building permit fee) + Minnesota State Surcharge (0.05% of the value of work). A minimum fee of $84.20 applies to residential or commercial permits (excluding the state surcharge). Building permit fee by valuation: $36.70 up to $500 (minimum fee applies); $36.70 + $4.50 per $100 to $2,000; $104.20 + $20.60/$1,000 to $25,000; $578.00 + $14.90/$1,000 to $50,000; $950.50 + $10.60/$1,000 to $100,000; $1,480.50 + $8.40/$1,000 to $500,000; $4,840.50 + $6.90/$1,000 to $1,000,000; $8,290.50 + $5.60/$1,000 above that. | one-time, per project | 2026-09-08 |
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 Minneapolis?
General Business License — Minneapolis Activity-Specific License List
The City charges no fee under this record. The City's 2026 License Fees schedule prices activity-specific licenses, in more than 600 numbered fee lines, and lists no blanket business license, so a business needs whichever license applies to its actual activity. Universal administrative fees apply on top of any category-specific fee: New License Processing Charge $147, Refund Processing Charge $58, Prorating of Fees minimum charge $58, Reinstatement of License Fee $1,050.
Certificate of Occupancy
Quoted directly: 'There is no fee for a certificate of occupancy inspection. Penalty fees may apply if re-inspection is necessary.' A Temporary Certificate of Occupancy carries a separate fee 'as stated in the current Director's Fee Schedule' — the city's Certificate of Occupancy Policy references that rate-setting document by name without printing a dollar figure for it, and no standalone copy of the Director's Fee Schedule is published elsewhere on minneapolismn.gov.
Commercial Building Permit
The City's Building Permit Fee Schedule has one valuation-based table, with no separate tenant-buildout table, so the same schedule applies to tenant improvements and alterations. Construction value is determined under Minnesota Rule 1300.0160 subp. 3, the City's bulletin 058 and Minneapolis Code of Ordinances Section 91.220, as the schedule states.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- City of Minneapolis License Fees 2026City of Minneapolis, Business Licenses & Consumer Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-08
- City of Minneapolis — Certificate of Occupancy Policy 2014-01 (revised November 2024)City of Minneapolis Construction Code Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-08
- Minneapolis Building Permit Fee ScheduleCity of Minneapolis Construction Code Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-08
Who issues business permits in Minneapolis?
Permitting in Minneapolis 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.
Minneapolis issuing agencies
- City of Minneapolis, Business Licenses & Consumer ServicesActivity-specific business licenses · Food establishment licenses · Contractor licenses8 permits
- City of Minneapolis, Construction Code ServicesCertificate of Occupancy · Commercial building permits · Sign permits3 permits
- Minneapolis Fire Department, Fire Inspection ServicesCommercial building registration · Fire operational permits3 permits
Other Minnesota 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.