Commercial Compliance Hub
Check requirements

16 permits · verified 2026-09-12

What permits do you need to open a restaurant in Nashua?

In short

A restaurant in Nashua, NH has 8 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 8 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City of Nashua, Department of Building Safety charges $50 one-time, existing space/owner change for the certificate of occupancy. 7 of the 16 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 Nashua

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Sign Permitonly if it applies to youCity of Nashua, Planning Department (Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment)A $25.00 non-refundable filing fee accompanies every sign permit application, plus an issuance fee banded by sign area: $55.00 for 50 square feet or less, $105.00 for 51-150 square feet, and $200.00 for 151 square feet or more (a change of copy to an existing sign carries no charge). An illuminated sign additionally requires a separate electrical sign permit from the Department of Building Safety, priced at a $25.00 application fee plus $25.00 per sign.not stated in the published fee schedule2026-09-12
Place of Assembly Permitonly if it applies to youNashua Fire Rescue, Fire Marshal's Office$50 one-time inspection fee per permitted area (indoor or outside, priced identically)not stated in the published fee schedule2026-09-12
Temporary Food Service LicenseCity of Nashua, Division of Public Health & Community Services, Environmental Health Department$50 per temporary event or farmers' market vendor appearance; an additional $25.00 expedite fee applies to any application received less than two weeks before the eventone-time, per temporary event2026-09-12
Food Service Establishment License (Environmental Health Department)City of Nashua, Division of Public Health & Community Services, Environmental Health Department$200–$1,500 annual license fee banded by seating capacity/type: D-1 $200.00 (under 25 seats), C-1 $350.00 (25-100 seats), B-1 $550.00 (over 100 seats, or a mall restaurant with common seating, or a hotel without banquet rooms), B-2 $1,500.00 (hotels/country clubs with banquet or function rooms); a mandatory plan review fee ($100.00-$200.00 for major remodeling or new construction) and routine reinspection fees apply separatelyannual — valid for one year from the date of issuance (Nashua Revised Ordinances § 170-2)2026-09-12
Certified Food Protection ManagerNew Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, Food Protection SectionNo feeset by the accrediting organisation, not stated by the state2026-09-04
Food Service Establishment LicenseNew Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, Food Protection Section$100–$875 a year, banded by seating and categoryannual — a new business first holds a 90-day provisional license before the final one-year license issues2026-09-04

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 Nashua

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Building PermitCity of Nashua, Department of Building SafetyVaries — formula on the Nashua pageone-time, per project — not stated in the published fee schedule2026-09-12
Certificate of OccupancyCity of Nashua, Department of Building Safety$50 one-time, existing space/owner changeone-time — issued for a new occupancy or a change of business use2026-09-12
Fire Alarm / Sprinkler System Plan Review and InspectionNashua Fire Rescue, Fire Marshal's OfficeVaries — formula on the Nashua pageone-time, per project or system2026-09-12
Zoning Board of Adjustment Application (Variance, Special Exception, Appeal)only if it applies to youCity of Nashua, Planning Department (Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment)Varies — formula on the Nashua pageone-time, per application2026-09-12
Planning and Zoning Review Fee (Site Plan / Change of Use)City of Nashua, Planning Department (Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment)Varies — formula on the Nashua pageone-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.

NH 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
Annual Reportonly if it applies to youNew Hampshire Secretary of State, Corporation Division$100 a year; a late fee of $50 is added after 1 Aprilannual — due 1 April every year2026-09-04
Certificate of Formation (LLC)only if it applies to youNew Hampshire Secretary of State, Corporation Division$100 one-time filing; a $2 handling charge applies to any electronic filingperpetual, but an annual report is due every year2026-09-04
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youNew Hampshire Secretary of State, Corporation Division$100 one-time filing; a $2 handling charge applies to any electronic filingperpetual, but an annual report is due every year2026-09-04
Business Profits Tax and Business Enterprise Taxonly if it applies to youNew Hampshire Department of Revenue AdministrationNo feethe filing thresholds are adjusted for inflation every two years2026-09-04
General Business License and Sales Tax — New Hampshire Revenue Department Positiononly if it applies to youNew Hampshire Department of Revenue AdministrationNo 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 Nashua?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 16 records listed for a restaurant in Nashua, NH, 8 apply to every business of this type and 8 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 8 that always apply, 2 carry a flat fee, coming to $100.00. That is a floor, not a total. 7 of the 16 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 $25.00 non-refundable filing fee accompanies every sign permit application, plus an issuance fee banded by sign area: $55.00 for 50 square feet or less, $105.00 for 51-150 square feet, and $200.00 for 151 square feet or more (a change of copy to an existing sign carries no charge). An illuminated sign additionally requires a separate electrical sign permit from the Department of Building Safety, priced at a $25.00 application fee plus $25.00 per sign.

Food Service Establishment License (Environmental Health Department): $200–$1,500 annual license fee banded by seating capacity/type: D-1 $200.00 (under 25 seats), C-1 $350.00 (25-100 seats), B-1 $550.00 (over 100 seats, or a mall restaurant with common seating, or a hotel without banquet rooms), B-2 $1,500.00 (hotels/country clubs with banquet or function rooms); a mandatory plan review fee ($100.00-$200.00 for major remodeling or new construction) and routine reinspection fees apply separately

Food Service Establishment License: $100–$875 a year, banded by seating and category

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

Which offices issue these permits in Nashua?

Permits for a restaurant in Nashua, NH come from 7 separate offices: City of Nashua, Planning Department (Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment), City of Nashua, Department of Building Safety, Nashua Fire Rescue, Fire Marshal's Office, City of Nashua, Division of Public Health & Community Services, Environmental Health Department, New Hampshire Secretary of State, Corporation Division, New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, Food Protection Section, 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.

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

Temporary Food Service License

Covers a temporary event vendor (G-1) or a farmers' market vendor (G-2) at the identical $50.00 fee. A vendor not already licensed in Nashua must provide a copy of its home jurisdiction's food service license and most recent health inspection; applications received fewer than seven days before the event are rejected outright.

Food Service Establishment License (Environmental Health Department)

Nashua is one of fifteen self-inspecting New Hampshire cities and towns recorded at the New Hampshire state layer, meaning the City's own Environmental Health Department — not the state DHHS — is the real food-permitting authority here. Unlike Manchester, where a restaurant separately needs a City Clerk 'Food Service Establishment' Business License in addition to the Health Department permit, the City Clerk's Licenses & Permits page lists no food-service category, and the City's 'Requirements for Opening a Food Service Establishment' page names this Environmental Health license as the local license for a Nashua restaurant or cafe (NRO § 170-2 makes it unlawful to operate a food-service establishment without one). Retail markets and supermarkets are priced on the same table (A-1 $1,000.00, C-2 $450.00) but fall outside this record's restaurant/coffee-shop scope.

Food Service Establishment License

The fee runs from $225 for the smallest restaurant, up to twenty-four seats, through $350 for twenty-five to ninety-nine and $450 for a hundred to a hundred and ninety-nine, up to $875 for two hundred seats or more; a bar with no food preparation is far cheaper at $100. Fifteen New Hampshire cities and towns — including Manchester, Nashua, Concord, Portsmouth and Dover — are self-inspecting, meaning the local health authority licenses and inspects food establishments directly rather than the state doing so; confirm which regime applies before assuming the state fee schedule governs. A brand-new establishment first receives a 90-day provisional license, followed by an unannounced inspection, before the full one-year license is issued.

Shared with other businesses in Nashua

  • Sign Permit — City of Nashua, Planning Department (Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment), A $25.00 non-refundable filing fee accompanies every sign permit application, plus an issuance fee banded by sign area: $55.00 for 50 square feet or less, $105.00 for 51-150 square feet, and $200.00 for 151 square feet or more (a change of copy to an existing sign carries no charge). An illuminated sign additionally requires a separate electrical sign permit from the Department of Building Safety, priced at a $25.00 application fee plus $25.00 per sign., not stated in the published fee schedule. 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 salons and barbers page.
  • Place of Assembly Permit — Nashua Fire Rescue, Fire Marshal's Office, $50 one-time inspection fee per permitted area (indoor or outside, priced identically), not stated in the published fee schedule. Also required for coffee shops and fitness studios; what it involves is set out on the fitness studios page.
  • Certified Food Protection Manager — New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, Food Protection Section, No fee, set by the accrediting organisation, not stated by the state. Also required for coffee shops and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the food trucks page.

The other 5 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Nashua, NH; what each one involves is set out on the Nashua 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 restaurant compare with other businesses in Nashua?

A restaurant and a coffee shop in Nashua, NH need exactly the same 6 permits beyond the ones every business needs.

Permits particular to each business type in Nashua, NH, compared with a restaurant
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a restaurantOnly a restaurant needsOnly it needs
Coffee shops6600
Food trucks6333
Fitness studios3241
Retail stores2151
Salons and barbers3152
Veterinary clinics3152
Auto repair shops4153
Childcare centres3063
Contractors and trades3063

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 salons and barbers page, fitness studios page and food trucks page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Nashua permits page and the NH state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Environmental Health Food Service Fees — License Fee Schedule (Categories A-1 through F-1), Temporary Food Service License Fees, Plan Review Fees, Inspection Fees, and Late Fees (NRO 170-4/170-11/170-12, updated 08/09/2022)City of Nashua, Division of Public Health & Community Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-12
  2. Temporary Food Service Establishments — the Environmental Health Department's own current page describing the $50.00 application fee and $25.00 expedite feeCity of Nashua, Division of Public Health & Community Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-12
  3. Nashua Revised Ordinances Chapter 170 (Food-Service Establishments), §§ 170-1 through 170-16, including § 170-2 (one-year license term) and § 170-4 (Fee Schedule, as amended by Ord. No. O-22-022)City of Nashua, New Hampshire (Code of Ordinances, via eCode360) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
  4. Food Service Program — the Environmental Health Department's own current overview page (over 525 licensed facilities), linking the current fee scheduleCity of Nashua, Division of Public Health & Community Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-12
  5. Requirements for Opening a Food Service Establishment — confirming the Environmental Health Department as the sole local licensing authority under Nashua Revised Ordinances Chapter 170City of Nashua, Division of Public Health & Community Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-12
  6. New Hampshire DHHS — food service establishment fee scheduleNew Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
  7. New Hampshire DHHS — applying for a food license, self-inspecting communities and the provisional-to-final license processNew Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services · 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.