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

County Liquor License, Beer and Light Wine by the Drink (Unincorporated Area)

The county's Alcoholic Beverages instructions and fees page, Rev 04/2026, lists "5% Beer and/or 14% Light Wine by the Drink" with a license cost of $35.00 and a $150.00 filing fee for unincorporated premises. The license cost is pro-rated to expire June 30. The state liquor license must be presented before the county license issues, and filing fees are non-refundable. The instructions do not state whether the $150.00 filing fee is charged once per application or once for each license line, so this record gives the line amount only and no combined total. The restaurant tag follows from the premises types the instructions list, which include Restaurant-Bar.

Merchants and Manufacturers License

The county's Alcoholic Beverages instructions and fees page, Rev 04/2026, lists a copy of the Merchants and Manufacturers license from the Assessor's office as an application attachment and states "The cost is $5.00." The Licensing page directs merchant and manufacturer license questions to the Assessor. The amount is taken from the county's instructions as printed there, not from a separate Assessor fee schedule. The attachment applies to liquor applicants, and the restaurant and retail-store tags follow from the premises types the same instructions list, which include Restaurant-Bar and a package liquor store.

County Liquor License, Full Liquor by the Drink (Unincorporated Area)

The county's Alcoholic Beverages instructions and fees page, Rev 04/2026, lists "Full Liquor by the Drink – Unincorporated Area" with a license cost of $300.00 and a $150.00 filing fee. The license cost is pro-rated to expire June 30. The state liquor license, or a copy of it, is presented to the county office before the county license issues, and the instructions list County Council approval as a step in the process. License fees are due at issuance, and filing fees are non-refundable. The instructions do not state whether the $150.00 filing fee is charged once per application or once for each license line, so this record gives the line amount only and no combined total. The restaurant tag follows from the premises types the instructions list, which include Restaurant-Bar.

Food Establishment Plan Review

The Permit Applications page lists a Food Establishment Plan Review Application among the resources for owners and operators. The plan review fee is not published in a current, adopted fee schedule or ordinance, so this record gives no amount. Contact the Department of Public Health's Environmental Division for the current amount.

State Liquor License for Unincorporated Premises

RSMo 311.085 states: "This license shall be valid only for premises located wholly within the unincorporated areas of such a county." The license is issued by the Missouri Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control, and county liquor licenses are issued only after the state license is presented. This is a state license and not a county fee, so this record gives no state amount. A premises inside an incorporated municipality falls outside the scope of the statute. The restaurant and retail-store tags follow from the premises types listed in the county's liquor instructions.

Food Establishment Permit (local, not state)

There is no state fee, and the health department says so about as plainly as an agency can: asked directly whether a restaurant needs a food permit from the state, its own guidance answers no, because the department does not issue permits at all. Missouri sets a statewide minimum sanitation standard by incorporating the FDA Food Code by reference, but permitting and inspection are carried out entirely by whichever of the state's 115 independent local public health agencies covers the address, each pricing its own fee and running its own process, and some cities layer a further ordinance of their own on top. Jackson County shows how differently two counties can price this: its own fee runs from $255 for a low-priority kitchen up to $775 for a high-priority one, with a $310 plan review on top for a new establishment, while neighbouring St. Louis County has charged a flat $130 for a new permit. A single county can also contain more than one regulator — Jackson County's own guidance tells an applicant inside Kansas City or Independence to contact those cities' separate health departments instead of the county. Check the specific local health department rather than assuming a statewide number, because none exists.

Shared with other businesses in St Louis County Mo

• Food Establishment Health Permit — St. Louis County Department of Public Health, Environmental Division, The food establishment health permit fee is not published in a current, adopted fee schedule or ordinance. Contact the Department of Public Health's Environmental Division for the current amount., permit term not stated on the county application forms. Also required for coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
• Food Handler Card (local, not state) — Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Bureau of Environmental Health Services, No fee, set locally where a local requirement exists. Also required for coffee shops and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the food trucks page.