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12 permits · verified 2026-09-06

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

In short

A restaurant in St Louis, MO has 6 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 6 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City of St. Louis Building Division, Permits Section charges $80 for a unit up to 3,500 sq ft; $160 above that. A name change on an existing permit is $5. for the commercial occupancy permit. 7 of the 12 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-06 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a restaurant in St Louis

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Food Establishment PermitCity of St. Louis Department of Health, Environmental Health Division, Food and Beverage Control ProgramEffective July 1, 2022: initial permit for a new establishment $200; renewal — low priority $165, moderate priority $275, high priority $390; grocery store permit $295; plan review $75–$125 by priority. Temporary permits: $50/day per vendor (traditional); $100/year (specialty food); farmers market $350 for the organizer plus $100/vendor; cottage food is free.annual2026-09-06
Fire Prevention Permitsonly if it applies to youSt. Louis Fire Department, Bureau of Fire Prevention, Fire Marshal's OfficeA $25 non-refundable application fee applies to each permit. Individual permits are then $50 each for: propane for cooking or heating (under 300 lbs per site), open flame, welding/cutting at a site, and storage tank abandonment, installation, or removal.per permit2026-09-06
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 addressset locally2026-09-04
Food Handler Card (local, not state)only if it applies to youMissouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Bureau of Environmental Health ServicesNo feeset locally where a local requirement exists2026-09-04

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

Local permits that apply to every type of business in St Louis

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Commercial Building PermitCity of St. Louis Building Division, Permits SectionVaries — formula on the St Louis pageone-time, per project2026-09-06
Commercial Occupancy PermitCity of St. Louis Building Division, Permits Section$80 for a unit up to 3,500 sq ft; $160 above that. A name change on an existing permit is $5.issued once per qualifying occupancy; application valid 60 days2026-09-06
Graduated Business LicenseCity of St. Louis License Collector's OfficeVaries — formula on the St Louis pageannual2026-09-06

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

MO registrations that apply to every type of business

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youMissouri Secretary of State, Corporations Division$50 filed online; $105 on paperperpetual — a Missouri LLC files no annual report at all2026-09-04
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youMissouri Secretary of State, Corporations DivisionVaries — formula on the MO pageperpetual, but an annual registration report is due every year2026-09-04
Corporate Annual Registration Reportonly if it applies to youMissouri Secretary of State, Corporations DivisionVaries — formula on the MO pageannual by default, due the month the corporation was formed — a two-year cycle may be elected instead, at $40 online or $90 on paper2026-09-04
Retail Sales LicenseMissouri Department of RevenueNo feeno expiry — valid until revoked by the director or surrendered when sales stop2026-09-04
General Business License — Missouri state positiononly if it applies to youMissouri Department of RevenueNo feeset by the city or county2026-09-04

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

How much does it actually cost to permit a restaurant in St Louis?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 12 records listed for a restaurant in St Louis, MO, 6 apply to every business of this type and 6 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.

Of the 6 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $80.00. That is a floor, not a total. 7 of the 12 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 3 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

Food Establishment Permit: Effective July 1, 2022: initial permit for a new establishment $200; renewal — low priority $165, moderate priority $275, high priority $390; grocery store permit $295; plan review $75–$125 by priority. Temporary permits: $50/day per vendor (traditional); $100/year (specialty food); farmers market $350 for the organizer plus $100/vendor; cottage food is free.

Fire Prevention Permits: A $25 non-refundable application fee applies to each permit. Individual permits are then $50 each for: propane for cooking or heating (under 300 lbs per site), open flame, welding/cutting at a site, and storage tank abandonment, installation, or removal.

Food Establishment Permit (local, not state): $130–$775 a year, set entirely by whichever of Missouri's 115 local public health agencies covers the address

The other 4 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the St Louis permits page and the MO state page.

Which offices issue these permits in St Louis?

Permits for a restaurant in St Louis, MO come from 7 separate offices: City of St. Louis Department of Health, Environmental Health Division, Food and Beverage Control Program, City of St. Louis Building Division, Permits Section, St. Louis Fire Department, Bureau of Fire Prevention, Fire Marshal's Office, City of St. Louis License Collector's Office, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Bureau of Environmental Health Services, Missouri Secretary of State, Corporations Division, Missouri Department of Revenue. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.

What does a restaurant need in St Louis that other businesses do not?

Food Establishment Permit

Every establishment must have a Certified Food Protection Manager; the ordinance funds free city-run food safety training from permit-fee revenue, but the cost of the accredited exam or certification itself (typically paid to a private provider) is not published. The City's own Department of Health administers this — not St. Louis County's separate health department.

Fire Prevention Permits

No recurring/annual fire-inspection fee for an ordinary commercial occupancy could be found — the Fire Inspections Unit describes a $500 fine for code violations, not a routine inspection fee.

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

  • 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.

The other 3 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in St Louis, MO; what each one involves is set out on the St Louis permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across MO and are covered on the MO state page.

How does a restaurant compare with other businesses in St Louis?

A restaurant and a coffee shop in St Louis, MO need exactly the same 4 permits beyond the ones every business needs.

Permits particular to each business type in St Louis, MO, compared with a restaurant
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a restaurantOnly a restaurant needsOnly it needs
Coffee shops4400
Food trucks3221
Fitness studios1130
Retail stores1130
Salons and barbers2131
Veterinary clinics2131
Auto repair shops4133
Childcare centres2042
Contractors and trades3043

Sources

Every figure for the permits explained on this page was read from one of these government pages on the date shown. Sources for the permits shared with other businesses are listed with their explanations on the food trucks page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the St Louis permits page and the MO state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. City of St. Louis Ordinance 71324, New City Food Code (effective February 23, 2021, fee step-up effective July 1, 2022)City of St. Louis · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-06
  2. St. Louis Fire Department — Fire Prevention Permits InformationSt. Louis Fire Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-06
  3. Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services — Retail Food Safety page and FAQ, stating 'the Department of Health and Senior Services does not issue permits'Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
  4. 19 CSR 20-1.025 — the Missouri Food Code, incorporating the FDA Food Code by reference and delegating enforcement to local public health agenciesMissouri Department of Health and Senior Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
  5. Jackson County, Missouri — environmental health fees at a glance, a tiered local food permit exampleJackson County, Missouri · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04

Related

Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.