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17 permits · verified 2026-09-12

What permits do you need to open a restaurant in Great Falls?

In short

A restaurant in Great Falls, MT has 6 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 11 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City of Great Falls, Community Development Department (Planning & Building Division) charges $2,500 one-time, per application for the variance. 7 of the 17 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-12 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a restaurant in Great Falls

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Food Service Establishment Plan Review & LicenseCascade City-County Health Department (CCHD), Environmental Health DivisionA Plan Review base fee tiered by Risk Category — $240.00 (Risk 1, e.g. coffee shops and operations preparing only non-time/temperature-control-for-safety foods), $330.00 (Risk 2, e.g. quick-service/limited-menu operations), $420.00 (Risk 3, e.g. full-service restaurants with extensive menus), or $510.00 (Risk 4, e.g. operations serving a highly susceptible population or using specialized processes) — each covering one onsite walk-through, the pre-opening inspection, and one endorsement; additional endorsements are $60.00 each, and review time beyond the tier's allotted base time is billed at $60.00/hour. An application filed less than 30 days before the intended opening date is charged a further $240.00 Expedited Review Fee. A separate state Retail Food Establishment License fee of $150.00, $225.00, or $275.00 (by peak employee count, per 50-50-205 MCA), already recorded at the Montana state layer, is collected at the pre-opening inspection, paid directly to Montana DPHHS by check or cash order.annual — the state license expires December 31 each year, per the Montana state layer2026-09-12
Certified Food Protection Manageronly if it applies to youMontana Department of Public Health and Human Services, Environmental Health and Food Safety SectionNo feeset by the accrediting programme2026-09-04
Retail Food Establishment LicenseMontana Department of Public Health and Human Services, Environmental Health and Food Safety Section$150–$275 a year, banded by peak employee countannual — renew before 31 December2026-09-04

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 Great Falls

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Business LicenseGreat Falls Fire Rescue (GFFR)Varies — formula on the Great Falls pageannual, renewed by the same square-footage tier2026-09-12
Fire Life Safety Plan Reviewonly if it applies to youGreat Falls Fire Rescue (GFFR)Varies — formula on the Great Falls pageone-time, per project2026-09-12
Sign Permitonly if it applies to youCity of Great Falls, Community Development Department (Planning & Building Division)Varies — formula on the Great Falls pageone-time, per sign — not stated in the published fee schedule2026-09-12
Certificate of OccupancyCity of Great Falls, Community Development Department (Planning & Building Division)No feeone-time — issued after required building inspections confirm code compliance2026-09-12
Varianceonly if it applies to youCity of Great Falls, Community Development Department (Planning & Building Division)$2,500 one-time, per applicationone-time, per application2026-09-12
Zoning PermitCity of Great Falls, Community Development Department (Planning & Building Division)$1,000 one-time, per application (commercial rate; $200.00 for a residential use)one-time, per application2026-09-12
Zoning Determinationonly if it applies to youCity of Great Falls, Community Development Department (Planning & Building Division)$500 one-time, per requestone-time, per request2026-09-12
Building PermitCity of Great Falls, Community Development Department (Planning & Building Division)Varies — formula on the Great Falls pageone-time, per project2026-09-12
Conditional Use Permitonly if it applies to youCity of Great Falls, Community Development Department (Planning & Building Division)$3,000 one-time, per applicationone-time, per application2026-09-12

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

MT 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 Incorporationonly if it applies to youMontana Secretary of State, Business Services Division$35 one-time filingperpetual, but an annual report is due every year2026-09-04
Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youMontana Secretary of State, Business Services Division$35 one-time filingperpetual, but an annual report is due every year2026-09-04
Annual Reportonly if it applies to youMontana Secretary of State, Business Services DivisionVaries — formula on the MT pageannual — due between 1 January and 15 April2026-09-04
Sales Tax Registration — Montana Department of Revenue Positiononly if it applies to youMontana Department of Revenue, Business Tax UnitNo feenot applicable2026-09-04
General Business License — Montana Secretary of State Guidanceonly if it applies to youMontana Secretary of State, Business Services DivisionNo feenot applicable2026-09-04

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 Great Falls?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 17 records listed for a restaurant in Great Falls, MT, 6 apply to every business of this type and 11 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 $1,000.00. That is a floor, not a total. 7 of the 17 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:

Food Service Establishment Plan Review & License: A Plan Review base fee tiered by Risk Category — $240.00 (Risk 1, e.g. coffee shops and operations preparing only non-time/temperature-control-for-safety foods), $330.00 (Risk 2, e.g. quick-service/limited-menu operations), $420.00 (Risk 3, e.g. full-service restaurants with extensive menus), or $510.00 (Risk 4, e.g. operations serving a highly susceptible population or using specialized processes) — each covering one onsite walk-through, the pre-opening inspection, and one endorsement; additional endorsements are $60.00 each, and review time beyond the tier's allotted base time is billed at $60.00/hour. An application filed less than 30 days before the intended opening date is charged a further $240.00 Expedited Review Fee. A separate state Retail Food Establishment License fee of $150.00, $225.00, or $275.00 (by peak employee count, per 50-50-205 MCA), already recorded at the Montana state layer, is collected at the pre-opening inspection, paid directly to Montana DPHHS by check or cash order.

Retail Food Establishment License: $150–$275 a year, banded by peak employee count

The other 5 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Great Falls permits page and the MT state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Great Falls?

Permits for a restaurant in Great Falls, MT come from 6 separate offices: Great Falls Fire Rescue (GFFR), City of Great Falls, Community Development Department (Planning & Building Division), Cascade City-County Health Department (CCHD), Environmental Health Division, Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, Environmental Health and Food Safety Section, Montana Secretary of State, Business Services Division, Montana Department of Revenue, Business Tax Unit. 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 Great Falls that other businesses do not?

Food Service Establishment Plan Review & License

CCHD's own current fee schedule also prices several add-on services: an Additional Walk-Thru/Pre-Opening Inspection ($120.00 each), a HACCP Plan Review ($120.00 per recipe, $360.00 minimum), a Variance Request for Special Food Processes ($120.00) or Equipment ($60.00), a Menu Review or Addition of Catering/Other Endorsement for an existing licensee ($150.00 each), an Extensive Remodel or Change of Ownership review ($120.00 each), and escalating Follow-Up Inspection fees ($0.00/$120.00/$180.00/$240.00 for the 1st through 4th).

Retail Food Establishment License

This fee schedule is genuinely new, rebuilt by a 2025 law after sixteen years unchanged: $150 for a small establishment with no more than two employees at peak, $225 for a medium one with three to nine, and $275 for ten or more. A mobile food establishment follows a two-tier version of the same idea, $150 small and $225 large. A late fee of $25 applies on top if renewal is not paid before the current license expires. The state's own application form still circulating online has not caught up with this change and still quotes the old $85 and $115 figures — the current statute and the department's own fee notice control instead. Ninety per cent of the fee is passed through to fund local health department inspections, which is why many Montana counties handle the on-the-ground inspection even though the state issues the license.

Shared with other businesses in Great Falls

  • Certified Food Protection Manager — Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, Environmental Health and Food Safety Section, No fee, set by the accrediting programme. Also required for coffee shops and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.

The other 9 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Great Falls, MT; what each one involves is set out on the Great Falls permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across MT and are covered on the MT state page.

How does a restaurant compare with other businesses in Great Falls?

A restaurant and a coffee shop in Great Falls, MT need exactly the same 3 permits beyond the ones every business needs.

Permits particular to each business type in Great Falls, MT, compared with a restaurant
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a restaurantOnly a restaurant needsOnly it needs
Coffee shops3300
Food trucks4212
Auto repair shops2032
Childcare centres2032
Contractors and trades4034
Fitness studios1031
Retail stores1031
Salons and barbers2032
Veterinary clinics2032

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 coffee shops page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Great Falls permits page and the MT state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Retail Food Plan Review Application, including the Retail and Wholesale Food Establishment Fee Schedule (as of 2/10/2026)Cascade City-County Health Department (CCHD), Environmental Health Division · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-12
  2. Montana DPHHS — notice of the new retail food fee structure under House Bill 853Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
  3. 50-50-205, Montana Code Annotated — retail food establishment license fees as amended by HB 853Montana Legislature · 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.