What permits do you need to open a restaurant in St Charles County?

Permanent Food Establishment Permit

Under Section 9-101.10 of the St. Charles County Food Code (Chapter 230), the permit fee for a permanent food establishment is $235 for risk-base 1 and 2, $400 for risk-base 3 and $600 for risk-base 4. A $350 plan review fee and a $100 follow-up fee also apply. The permit year runs from January 1 to December 31, and fees or renewals postmarked after December 31 carry a $50 penalty for each month. The Environmental Division's program fee schedule dated 05/28/2024 shows the same food program amounts. The county's Permanent Food Establishments page lists restaurants among the businesses it covers. The same page states that the division inspects permanent and temporary food service establishments except those within the City of St. Peters, which conducts its own inspections. This permit therefore does not cover a food establishment in St. Peters.

Kratom Seller Registration

Chapter 237 of the St. Charles County Code, titled Regulating the Sale of Kratom and Related Products, requires a seller of kratom products to register with the Department of Public Health. Section 237.400 sets the registration fee at $600.00 for the location for which the application is made. The registration remains on the Kratom Seller Register for two years from the date of registration. The code defines a seller to include a manufacturer, wholesaler, store, restaurant, hotel, catering facility, bakery, delicatessen, supermarket, grocery store and convenience store, so the record is tagged restaurant and retail-store. The Environmental Division's program fee schedule dated 05/28/2024 lists the kratom registration at $600 every two years.

Food Handler Card (local, not state)

No state fee, because Missouri runs no statewide food handler card or certification system — the same local public health agencies that issue the establishment permit are the ones that decide, at their own discretion, whether individual workers need a card at all. Jackson County requires one for anyone handling food at an establishment in the county, priced from about $22 for a classroom or on-site session to $24.95 online, but its own guidance sends an applicant inside Kansas City or Independence to those cities' own separate programmes instead — three different food handler regimes inside a single county. Confirm the rule with the specific local health department rather than assuming a statewide requirement, because none exists.

Shared with other businesses in St Charles County

• Food Establishment Permit (local, not state) — Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Bureau of Environmental Health Services, $130–$775 a year, set entirely by whichever of Missouri's 115 local public health agencies covers the address, set locally. Also required for food trucks; what it involves is set out on the food trucks page.