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

Food Service Plan Review — New Facility

An independent restaurant, coffee shop, food stand or childcare centre kitchen building a new facility in Guilford County submits plans to Guilford County Environmental Health and pays $250 for the review. The figure is published in the Guilford County FY2027 adopted budget fee schedule, adopted June 25, 2026 for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026, on the line 'Food Service - Plan Review / New Facility', and the schedule's FY2025, FY2026 and FY2027 columns all read $250.00. The amount sits at the statutory ceiling: G.S. 130A-248(f) allows any local health department to charge 'a fee not to exceed two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00) for plan review by that local health department of plans for food establishments subject to this section that are not subject to subsection (e)'. Which agency reviews the plans depends on whether the business is independent or a chain. 15A NCAC 18A .2651 provides that 'Plans drawn to scale for franchised or chain food establishments shall be submitted for review and approval to the Environmental Health Services Branch, N.C. Division of Public Health' while plans for independent food establishments go to the local health department, and G.S. 130A-248(f) closes 'No food establishment that pays a fee under subsection (e) of this section is liable for a fee under this subsection.' So a franchised or chain establishment pays the State's $250 instead of this one, never both, and that State review is recorded separately on this page. The county's programme is countywide: its Food, Lodging and Institutions page states 'Our services are mandated to provide for the public's health of Guilford County', with no municipal carve-out, so the same $250 applies inside Greensboro and High Point. Rule .2659(a) provides that 'No permit for a food establishment shall be issued to a person until an evaluation by the regulatory authority shows that the establishment complies with this Section', and allows a new operator 210 days after issuance to meet the certified food protection manager requirements in Food Code sections 2-102.11 and 2-102.12. The separate $120 annual permit fee that NC DHHS charges under G.S. 130A-248(d) is recorded on its own record and should not be added to this one as a single county figure. Environmental Health: 336-641-3771.

Food Service Plan Review — Remodel of an Existing Facility

A restaurant or coffee shop remodelling an existing permitted kitchen in Guilford County pays a reduced plan review fee of $125 rather than the $250 charged for a new facility. The figure comes from the Guilford County FY2027 adopted budget fee schedule, adopted June 25, 2026, which carries the line as 'Remodel of Existing Ficility' — the spelling is the county document's own — at $125.00 in each of the FY2025, FY2026 and FY2027 columns. Both amounts sit under the G.S. 130A-248(f) ceiling of $250 for a local health department plan review. The county's Environmental Health programme is countywide, so the same fee applies to a remodel inside Greensboro or High Point as in the unincorporated county. The adopted schedule carries exactly one 'Remodel' line in the whole document, this one, so a remodel of a swimming pool or any other regulated facility is not priced by analogy to it. A change of ownership is a different event from a remodel: on transfer the regulatory authority re-evaluates the establishment, and where the outstanding items are construction or equipment problems that do not represent a threat to public health, or no certified food protection manager is on the premises, a transitional permit issues and expires 180 days after the date of issuance without being renewable. Plan review is separate from the county building and trade permits the same remodel will need from Guilford County Inspections, and from the $120 annual State permit fee, each recorded separately on this page. Environmental Health: 336-641-3771.

State Retail ABC Permit (NC ABC Commission)

Every retail alcohol permit in North Carolina is issued by the NC ABC Commission, not by Guilford County, and the Commission's fees dwarf the county's. G.S. 18B-902(d) provides that an application 'shall be accompanied by payment of the following application fee' and sets $400.00 for each of the six malt beverage and wine permits, $400.00 for brown-bagging or $200.00 where the application is for a restaurant seating fewer than 50, $400.00 for a special occasion permit, $50.00 for a limited special occasion permit, $1,000 for a mixed beverages permit and $200.00 for a culinary permit. A business selling beer or wine in Guilford County therefore faces three separate obligations, and this is only the first: the State permit here, the county malt beverage and wine retail license under G.S. 105-113.78 at $25 or $5 per license, and — inside Greensboro or High Point — the city license, which G.S. 105-113.70(a) requires before the county will issue its own. Spirits add only the State permit and the local sign-off. The local role is a statutory sign-off rather than a license: G.S. 18B-901(c) requires the local governing body to return a Zoning and Compliance Form showing compliance with all applicable building and fire codes, and directs the Commission to weigh 'The recommendations of the local governing body'. G.S. 18B-901(b) identifies that body — notice goes to the city where the establishment is located, and 'If the establishment is not inside a city, the Commission shall give notice to the governing body of the county', with 15 days from mailing for a written objection. Guilford County charges $75 from Inspections and $75 from Emergency Services for that work. A point often reported wrongly: the NC ABC Commission's list of local ABC boards contains no Guilford County ABC Board — the boards seated in the county are the Greensboro, High Point and Gibsonville ABC Boards, and a local board operates liquor stores rather than issuing retail permits.

State ABC Annual Registration and Inspection Fee (NC ABC Commission)

This is the recurring State charge that a Guilford County alcohol retailer pays every year, and it is larger than anything the county charges. G.S. 18B-903(b1) provides that each holder of a malt beverage, fortified wine or unfortified wine permit issued under G.S. 18B-902(d)(1) through (6) 'shall register by May 1 of each year on a form provided by the Commission', that the registration 'shall be accompanied by an annual registration and inspection fee of four hundred dollars ($400.00) for each permit held', that the fee 'shall be paid by May 1 of each year', that it is not refundable, and that 'Failure to pay the annual registration and inspection fee shall result in revocation of the permit.' The per-permit basis is the part that catches operators out: a restaurant holding on-premises malt beverage and on-premises unfortified wine permits pays $400 for each, so the annual State cost scales with the number of permits held rather than being a single establishment charge. The May 1 deadline coincides with the start of the county license year, since G.S. 105-113.70(b) runs local beer and wine licenses from May 1 to April 30 and the Guilford County Tax Department states that beer and wine licenses must be renewed each year by April 30 — so the county renewal falls due immediately before the State registration, and both should be diarised together. G.S. 18B-903(b2) adds a further annual obligation without a fee: holders of on-premises malt beverage, on-premises unfortified wine, on-premises fortified wine or mixed beverages permits must file a recycling plan. The county's own beer and wine license at $25 or $5 per license is recorded separately on this page and is a tax fixed by G.S. 105-113.78 rather than a State charge.

Shared with other businesses in Guilford County

• Annual Food Establishment Permit Fee (NC DHHS) — North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health — Environmental Health Section, $120 a year per permit, paid to NC DHHS rather than to Guilford County, and reassessed annually for permits that do not expire, the food establishment permit itself does not expire; G.S. 130A-248(d) requires the $120 fee to be reassessed annually, with a $25 late payment fee where it is unpaid 45 days after the Department bills it and a $150 reinstatement fee after a suspension under G.S. 130A-248(d1). Also required for coffee shops and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the food trucks page.
• Temporary Food Establishment (TFE) Permit — Guilford County Division of Public Health — Environmental Health, $75 per permit issued, a statutory amount the county has no discretion over; the adopted FY2027 fee schedule carries the same $75.00 on its 'Temporary Food Establishments (vendors)' line for FY2025, FY2026 and FY2027, per event; 15A NCAC 18A .2651(20) defines a temporary food establishment as one that 'operates for a period of time not to exceed 21 days in one location, affiliated with and endorsed by a transitory fair, carnival, circus, festival, or public exhibition'. Also required for coffee shops and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
• Guilford County Malt Beverage and Wine Retail License (Beverage License) — Guilford County Tax Department, $5–$25 a year per license, county-only, at the amounts G.S. 105-113.78 fixes: on-premises malt beverage $25.00, off-premises malt beverage $5.00, on-premises unfortified wine or on-premises fortified wine or both $25.00, off-premises unfortified wine or off-premises fortified wine or both $25.00. The county tax is flat, with no progressive loading for additional licenses, annual; G.S. 105-113.70(b) states 'All licenses issued under this section are annual licenses for the period from May 1 to April 30', the Tax Department's Important Tax Dates list states 'Beer and/or wine licenses must be renewed each year by April 30', and G.S. 105-113.70(c) states 'A license may not be transferred from one person to another or from one location to another'. Also required for coffee shops and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
• Prototype Franchised or Chain Food Establishment Plan Review (NC DHHS) — North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health — Environmental Health Section, $250 per review, charged by NC DHHS instead of the Guilford County plan review fee; a food establishment that pays this fee is not liable for the county fee, one-off, before construction of the prototype or chain facility. Also required for coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
• Limited Food Service Establishment (LFSE) Permit — Guilford County Division of Public Health — Environmental Health, $75 per permit issued, a statutory amount the county has no discretion over; the adopted FY2027 fee schedule carries the same $75.00 on its 'LFSE ( Limited food source establishment)' line for FY2025, FY2026 and FY2027, per permit issued. Also required for coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
• New Commercial Building Permit — Business, Mercantile or Retail — Guilford County Inspections Department, Adopted FY2027 fees, county-only: New Business, Mercantile, or Retail Structures base fee $100.00 per unit plus $0.25 per square foot per unit. New Industrial, Factory, High Hazard, or Storage Structures are priced the same, at a $100.00 base fee plus $0.25 per square foot. New Utility & Miscellaneous is a $75.00 base fee plus $0.25 per square foot, and New Commercial Residential / Multi-Family is $250.00 per dwelling unit. Applicable trade permits at $75.00 each and the $75.00 plan review fee are charged separately., per permit, for the new construction it covers. Also required for coffee shops, retail stores, salons and barbers, auto repair shops and veterinary clinics; what it involves is set out on the salons and barbers page.
• Event Permit (Guilford County Inspections, trade fees only) — Guilford County Inspections Department, No separate base fee. The adopted FY2027 fee schedule carries the line as 'Event Permit (Trade Fees Only)' — FY2025 $40.00, FY2026 $40.00, FY2027 $75.00 — and $75.00 is the amount every other '(Trade Fees Only)' line in the same schedule carries, while the live Inspections fee page renders the same line as 'Event - Trade fee(s)' with no figure. The applicant pays the applicable trade permits at $75.00 each., per event, for the temporary work or installation it covers. Also required for coffee shops, food trucks, retail stores and fitness studios; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
• Fire ABC Inspection — Guilford County Emergency Services, Fire Marshal's Office, $75 per ABC inspection by Emergency Services, county-only (adopted FY2027 fee schedule line 'ABC Inspection', unchanged at $75.00 across FY2025, FY2026 and FY2027), per application, at the point the fire code compliance sign-off is made. Also required for coffee shops and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
• Fire Protection System Plan Reviews — Guilford County Emergency Services, Fire Marshal's Office, Adopted FY2027 system plan review fees, county-only and unchanged across FY2025, FY2026 and FY2027: Water based Plan Review $125.00 per riser; Fire Alarm Plan Review $125.00 for 0-11,999 SF, $200.00 for 12,000-99,999 SF and $300.00 above 100,000 SF; Tank Plan Review $100.00 per tank; AES Plan Review $100.00; Hazmat Review $200.00 per system; and $100.00 per system for Industrial Oven Review, Emergency Radio System Review, Spray & Dipping Review, Smoke Control System Review, Solar System Review, Gates & Barricades Review and Pyrotechnic Magazine Review (the last also requiring a blasting permit)., one-off, per system review submission on the project. Also required for coffee shops, retail stores, auto repair shops, fitness studios and childcare centres; what it involves is set out on the childcare centres page.
• Tent and Stage Permit and Inspection — Guilford County Emergency Services, Fire Marshal's Office, $100 per tent, county-only (adopted FY2027 fee schedule line 'Tent/Stage Permit and Inspection (per tent)', unchanged at $100.00 across FY2025, FY2026 and FY2027), per event, for the tent or stage installation it covers. Also required for coffee shops, food trucks, retail stores and fitness studios; what it involves is set out on the food trucks page.
• Special Use Permit — Guilford County Planning & Development, $500 per case, county-only, plus a $26 recording fee for up to 15 pages — the Planning and Development fee schedule effective 1 July 2026 itemises '$500.00 Per Case / Plus Recording Fee' with footnote 1 setting the recording fee at $26, and the adopted FY2027 budget fee schedule states the same total as a bundled 'Special Use Permit/Case + Recording Fee $526.00', one-off, per case; the permit attaches to the approved use and the recording fee covers recording the order. Also required for childcare centres, veterinary clinics, auto repair shops, fitness studios and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the auto repair shops page.
• ABC Zoning and Compliance Form (local sign-off) — Guilford County Planning & Development, No fee, per application, returned to the Commission before the State permit issues. Also required for coffee shops and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
• ABC Permit (Guilford County Inspections) — Guilford County Inspections Department, $75 per ABC permit inspection by Inspections, county-only (adopted FY2027 fee schedule line 'ABC Permit', unchanged at $75.00 across FY2025, FY2026 and FY2027), per application, at the point the county signs off on the premises. Also required for coffee shops and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
• Certified Food Protection Manager — North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, Environmental Health Section, No fee, not stated in North Carolina law — the certifying programme sets its own. Also required for coffee shops and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
• Food Establishment Permit — North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, Environmental Health Section, $120 a year, statewide, the permit does not expire; the fee is reassessed annually. Also required for coffee shops and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.