12 permits · verified 2026-09-12
What permits do you need to open a retail store in Concord?
In short
A retail store in Concord, NH has 3 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 9 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City of Concord, Code Administration Division charges $50 one-time, per application for the change of occupancy (certificate of occupancy) fee. 5 of the 12 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 retail store in Concord
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sign Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Concord, Code Administration Division | A $30.00 nonrefundable application fee accompanies every sign permit application, plus $2.25 per square foot of sign area (as measured under the Zoning Ordinance); a further $30.00 fee applies where the sign requires Planning Board approval, and $18.00 where it requires approval over or within the public right-of-way. A temporary sign permitted for no more than 15 days is a flat $20.00 and is exempt from the base application fee. A Sandwich Board Sign is $25.00 per year. | not stated in the published fee schedule (Sandwich Board Sign: annual) | 2026-09-12 |
| Municipal Business License — City of Concord Licensing Services Positiononly if it applies to you | City of Concord, Code Administration Division, Health & Licensing Services | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-12 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
Local permits that apply to every type of business in Concord
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Change of Occupancy (Certificate of Occupancy) Fee | City of Concord, Code Administration Division | $50 one-time, per application | one-time — issued for a new occupancy or a change of business use | 2026-09-12 |
| Zoning Board of Adjustment Application (Variance, Special Exception, Appeal)only if it applies to you | City of Concord, Planning Division (Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment) | Varies — formula on the Concord page | one-time, per application | 2026-09-12 |
| Planning Board Site Plan Review / Conditional Use Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Concord, Planning Division (Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment) | Varies — formula on the Concord page | one-time, per application | 2026-09-12 |
| Building Permit | City of Concord, Code Administration Division | Varies — formula on the Concord page | one-time, per project — not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-09-12 |
| Fire Suppression / Alarm System Plan Review and Inspection | Concord Fire Department, Fire Prevention Bureau | Varies — formula on the Concord page | one-time, per project or system | 2026-09-12 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
NH registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Reportonly if it applies to you | New Hampshire Secretary of State, Corporation Division | $100 a year; a late fee of $50 is added after 1 April | annual — due 1 April every year | 2026-09-04 |
| Certificate of Formation (LLC)only if it applies to you | New Hampshire Secretary of State, Corporation Division | $100 one-time filing; a $2 handling charge applies to any electronic filing | perpetual, but an annual report is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | New Hampshire Secretary of State, Corporation Division | $100 one-time filing; a $2 handling charge applies to any electronic filing | perpetual, but an annual report is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| Business Profits Tax and Business Enterprise Taxonly if it applies to you | New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration | No fee | the filing thresholds are adjusted for inflation every two years | 2026-09-04 |
| General Business License and Sales Tax — New Hampshire Revenue Department Positiononly if it applies to you | New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration | No fee | not applicable | 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 retail store in Concord?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 12 records listed for a retail store in Concord, NH, 3 apply to every business of this type and 9 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 3 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $50.00. 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 3 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:
Sign Permit: A $30.00 nonrefundable application fee accompanies every sign permit application, plus $2.25 per square foot of sign area (as measured under the Zoning Ordinance); a further $30.00 fee applies where the sign requires Planning Board approval, and $18.00 where it requires approval over or within the public right-of-way. A temporary sign permitted for no more than 15 days is a flat $20.00 and is exempt from the base application fee. A Sandwich Board Sign is $25.00 per year.
The other 4 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Concord permits page and the NH state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Concord?
Permits for a retail store in Concord, NH come from 6 separate offices: City of Concord, Code Administration Division, City of Concord, Planning Division (Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment), Concord Fire Department, Fire Prevention Bureau, City of Concord, Code Administration Division, Health & Licensing Services, New Hampshire Secretary of State, Corporation Division, New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- City of Concord, Code Administration DivisionIssues 3 permits on this page: Change of Occupancy (Certificate of Occupancy) Fee, Building Permit, Sign Permit37 Green Street, Concord, NH 03301 · (603) 225-8580www.concordnh.gov/322/Code-Administration-Division
- City of Concord, Planning Division (Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment)Issues 2 permits on this page: Zoning Board of Adjustment Application (Variance, Special Exception, Appeal), Planning Board Site Plan Review / Conditional Use Permit41 Green Street, Concord, NH 03301 · (603) 225-8610www.concordnh.gov/280/Zoning-Board-of-Adjustment
- Concord Fire Department, Fire Prevention BureauIssues 1 permit on this page: Fire Suppression / Alarm System Plan Review and Inspection24 Horseshoe Pond Lane, Concord, NH 03301 · (603) 225-8650www.concordnh.gov/481/Fire-Prevention
- City of Concord, Code Administration Division, Health & Licensing ServicesIssues 1 permit on this page: Municipal Business License — City of Concord Licensing Services Position37 Green Street, Concord, NH 03301 · (603) 225-8580www.concordnh.gov/331/Health-Licensing-Services
- New Hampshire Secretary of State, Corporation DivisionIssues 3 permits on this page: Annual Report, Certificate of Formation (LLC), Articles of Incorporation107 North Main Street, Concord, NH 03301 · (603) 271-3246www.sos.nh.gov/corporations-0
- New Hampshire Department of Revenue AdministrationIssues 2 permits on this page: Business Profits Tax and Business Enterprise Tax, General Business License and Sales Tax — New Hampshire Revenue Department Position109 Pleasant Street, Concord, NH 03301 · (603) 230-5920www.revenue.nh.gov
What does a retail store need in Concord that other businesses do not?
Municipal Business License — City of Concord Licensing Services Position
No fee applies. The Health & Licensing Services Division's Licensing Services page lists the City's licensable activities — Annual Entertainment, Charitable Solicitation/Raffles, Demonstration and Events, Door-to-Door Sales, Facility Rental, Junkyard/Salvage Yard/Recycling Center, Pawnbrokers/Secondhand Dealers, Peddlers/Vendors, Tattoo Artist, Tattoo Establishment, Taxi Cab License, Taxi Cab Operator's License, Yard Sale, and Temporary Food-Peddler License — plus the Food Service Establishment License listed as a separate Concord requirement, and none of those listed licenses reaches an ordinary retail store, auto repair shop, veterinary practice, fitness studio, or salon without tattooing. The City Clerk's page lists elections, vital records (including marriage licenses), dog licensing and landlord-agent registration and names no business or trade license; unlike Manchester and Nashua, Concord's City Clerk has no business-licensing function. Each of these industries' Concord-specific obligations are instead the same commercial building permit, Change of Occupancy fee, sign permit, and zoning approvals, each listed as a separate Concord requirement, layered on top of any relevant New Hampshire state credential (the Repairer Registration for auto repair, the Board of Veterinary Medicine's individual practitioner license, and the Barbering, Cosmetology or Esthetics Shop License for a salon).
Shared with other businesses in Concord
- Sign Permit — City of Concord, Code Administration Division, A $30.00 nonrefundable application fee accompanies every sign permit application, plus $2.25 per square foot of sign area (as measured under the Zoning Ordinance); a further $30.00 fee applies where the sign requires Planning Board approval, and $18.00 where it requires approval over or within the public right-of-way. A temporary sign permitted for no more than 15 days is a flat $20.00 and is exempt from the base application fee. A Sandwich Board Sign is $25.00 per year., not stated in the published fee schedule (Sandwich Board Sign: annual). Also required for restaurants, coffee shops, salons and barbers, fitness studios, auto repair shops and veterinary clinics; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
The other 5 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Concord, NH; what each one involves is set out on the Concord permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across NH and are covered on the NH state page.
How does a retail store compare with other businesses in Concord?
The closest match is a fitness studio, which shares 2 of these permits. A fitness studio needs Place of Assembly Permit (Annual Inspection), which a retail store does not.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a retail store | Only a retail store needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fitness studios | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Salons and barbers | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Veterinary clinics | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Auto repair shops | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Coffee shops | 6 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Restaurants | 6 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Childcare centres | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Contractors and trades | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Food trucks | 3 | 0 | 2 | 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 coffee shops page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Concord permits page and the NH state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Licensing Services — the Division's own current, complete list of licensable activities (Annual Entertainment, Charitable Solicitation/Raffles, Demonstration and Events, Door-to-Door Sales, Facility Rental, Junkyard/Salvage Yard/Recycling Center, Pawnbrokers/Secondhand Dealers, Peddlers/Vendors, Tattoo Artist/Establishment, Taxi Cab License/Operator, Yard Sale, Temporary Food-Peddler License)City of Concord, Code Administration Division, Health & Licensing Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-12
- City Clerk — the Office's own current page describing its full scope (vital records, elections, dog licensing, landlord-agent registration), naming no business or trade licenseCity of Concord, Office of the City Clerk · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-12
Related
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.