12 permits · verified 2026-09-10
What permits do you need to open a restaurant in Southaven?
In short
A restaurant in Southaven, MS has 7 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 5 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City of Southaven Building Department charges $35 flat, per Use & Occupancy Permit for the certificate of occupancy / use & occupancy permit. 5 of the 12 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-10 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a restaurant in Southaven
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sign Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Southaven, Office of Planning and Development | $2.00 per square foot of proposed sign face; the application states this fee is not applicable to temporary signs. | one-time, per sign (no fee at all for a temporary sign) | 2026-09-10 |
| Food Establishment Permit | Mississippi State Department of Health, Office of Food Protection | $40–$264.50 a year, banded by the department's own risk classification | annual | 2026-09-04 |
| Certified Food Protection Manager | Mississippi State Department of Health, Office of Food Protection | No fee | not stated in the state's own regulation text | 2026-09-04 |
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 Southaven
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fire Marshal Inspection (Business Occupancy Checklist) | Southaven Fire Department, Fire Marshal's Office / Fire Prevention Division | No fee | not stated | 2026-09-10 |
| Building Permit (Commercial) | City of Southaven Building Department | Varies — formula on the Southaven page | one-time, per project | 2026-09-10 |
| Certificate of Occupancy / Use & Occupancy Permit | City of Southaven Building Department | $35 flat, per Use & Occupancy Permit | one-time, per issuance | 2026-09-10 |
| Business Privilege License | City of Southaven, Office of the City Clerk | Varies — formula on the Southaven page | annual — all Southaven business licenses expire December 31 regardless of issue date; a license obtained between February 1 and December 1 is prorated through that December 31 | 2026-09-10 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
MS registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales and Use Tax Permit | Mississippi Department of Revenue | No fee | no expiration — continues until revoked, provided the business stays the same at the same location | 2026-09-04 |
| Annual Reportonly if it applies to you | Mississippi Secretary of State, Business Services and Regulation Division | Varies — formula on the MS page | annual — due 15 April; a nonprofit's version is due 15 May | 2026-09-04 |
| Certificate of Formation (LLC)only if it applies to you | Mississippi Secretary of State, Business Services and Regulation Division | $50 one-time filing | perpetual — an annual report is due every year, and for a Mississippi LLC that report is free | 2026-09-04 |
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | Mississippi Secretary of State, Business Services and Regulation Division | $50 one-time filing | perpetual, but an annual report costing $25 is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| General Business License — State of Mississippi positiononly if it applies to you | Mississippi Secretary of State, Business Services and Regulation Division | No fee | set by the city or town | 2026-09-04 |
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 Southaven?
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 Southaven, MS, 7 apply to every business of this type and 5 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 7 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $35.00. That is a floor, not a total. 5 of the 12 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 4 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:
Sign Permit: $2.00 per square foot of proposed sign face; the application states this fee is not applicable to temporary signs.
Food Establishment Permit: $40–$264.50 a year, banded by the department's own risk classification
The other 3 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Southaven permits page and the MS state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Southaven?
Permits for a restaurant in Southaven, MS come from 7 separate offices: Southaven Fire Department, Fire Marshal's Office / Fire Prevention Division, City of Southaven Building Department, City of Southaven, Office of the City Clerk, City of Southaven, Office of Planning and Development, Mississippi State Department of Health, Office of Food Protection, Mississippi Department of Revenue, Mississippi Secretary of State, Business Services and Regulation Division. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- Southaven Fire Department, Fire Marshal's Office / Fire Prevention DivisionIssues 1 permit on this page: Fire Marshal Inspection (Business Occupancy Checklist)8710 Northwest Drive, 2nd Floor, Southaven, MS 38671 · (662) 393-7466southaven.org/140/Fire-Prevention
- City of Southaven Building DepartmentIssues 2 permits on this page: Building Permit (Commercial), Certificate of Occupancy / Use & Occupancy Permit8710 Northwest Drive, Southaven, MS 38671 · (662) 393-4639southaven.org/100/Building
- City of Southaven, Office of the City ClerkIssues 1 permit on this page: Business Privilege License8710 Northwest Drive, Southaven, MS 38671 · (662) 280-6554southaven.org/111/Business-License-Information
- City of Southaven, Office of Planning and DevelopmentIssues 1 permit on this page: Sign Permit8710 Northwest Drive, Southaven, MS 38671 · (662) 393-0111southaven.org/112/Commercial-Based-Businesses
- Mississippi State Department of Health, Office of Food ProtectionIssues 2 permits on this page: Food Establishment Permit, Certified Food Protection Manager(601) 364-2832msdh.ms.gov/page/30,0,77,311.html
- Mississippi Department of RevenueIssues 1 permit on this page: Sales and Use Tax Permit500 Clinton Center Drive, Clinton, MS 39056 · (601) 923-7700www.dor.ms.gov/business/sales-use-tax/registration-information-sales-and-use-tax-applicants
- Mississippi Secretary of State, Business Services and Regulation DivisionIssues 4 permits on this page: Annual Report, Certificate of Formation (LLC), Articles of Incorporation, General Business License — State of Mississippi position125 South Congress Street, Jackson, MS 39201 · (601) 359-1633www.sos.ms.gov/business-services-regulation
What does a restaurant need in Southaven that other businesses do not?
Food Establishment Permit
Priced by risk category rather than seating or size: $40 a year at the lowest risk level, rising to $132.25, $198 and $264.50 at the highest, with the higher tiers also inspected at least twice a year rather than once. A new establishment additionally pays a $224.25 plan review fee before it can open, and a reinspection requested outside the routine schedule costs $165.
Certified Food Protection Manager
No state fee — the certificate comes from an accredited private training provider at that provider's price. This is a genuine, unqualified requirement rather than one option among several: the permit holder or a designated person in charge must have completed an approved manager certification course, full stop, and be present during all hours of operation. The state's own food code contains no separate general food handler card requirement for line-level staff — commercial training vendors market inexpensive cards under the Mississippi name, but nothing in the state's regulation requires every employee to hold one, only the person in charge.
Shared with other businesses in Southaven
- Sign Permit — City of Southaven, Office of Planning and Development, $2.00 per square foot of proposed sign face; the application states this fee is not applicable to temporary signs., one-time, per sign (no fee at all for a temporary sign). Also required for coffee shops, retail stores, salons and barbers, fitness studios, auto repair shops and veterinary clinics; what it involves is set out on the auto repair shops page.
The other 4 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Southaven, MS; what each one involves is set out on the Southaven permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across MS and are covered on the MS state page.
How does a restaurant compare with other businesses in Southaven?
A restaurant and a coffee shop in Southaven, MS need exactly the same 3 permits beyond the ones every business needs.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a restaurant | Only a restaurant needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee shops | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Food trucks | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Fitness studios | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Retail stores | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Salons and barbers | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Veterinary clinics | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Auto repair shops | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Childcare centres | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Contractors and trades | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
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 auto repair shops page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Southaven permits page and the MS state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Mississippi Administrative Code title 15, part 13, chapters 2 and 4 — food establishment permits and fees by risk categoryMississippi State Department of Health · 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.