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13 permits · verified 2026-10-10

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

In short

A restaurant in Burlington County, NJ has 3 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 10 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Burlington County Health Department, Environmental Section charges $100 per application, non-refundable (Mobile/Temporary application updated 6/2026; county fee memo effective January 1, 2021) for the mobile / temporary retail food establishment approval (food trucks, carts, tabletop and tent set-ups). 6 of the 13 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-10 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a restaurant in Burlington County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Retail Food Establishment Plan Review (New or Alteration)only if it applies to youBurlington County Health Department, Environmental SectionPer the county Health Department's plan review fee memo (effective January 1, 2021): new establishment plan review $100.00; alteration plan review $75.00; re-inspection fee $50.00. The county's retail food application packet (Updated 2023) prints the same $100.00 new and $75.00 alteration fees and states 'NON Profit Organizations- Fee Waived'. Checks payable to the County of Burlington.one-time, per new or altered facility2026-10-10
Mobile / Temporary Retail Food Establishment Approval (Food Trucks, Carts, Tabletop and Tent Set-Ups)Burlington County Health Department, Environmental Section$100 per application, non-refundable (Mobile/Temporary application updated 6/2026; county fee memo effective January 1, 2021)approval expires December 31 of the current calendar year2026-10-10
Scale Certification for Food Sold by the Poundonly if it applies to youBurlington County Health Department, Weights and Measures DivisionThe scale certification fee is not published on the county's Retail Food Program page or its Weights & Measures page; contact the Burlington County Weights and Measures Division at 609-265-5098 for the current amount.not stated on the county's Retail Food Program page2026-10-10
Retail Food Establishment LicenseNew Jersey Department of Health, Public Health and Food Protection Program$80–$1,000 a year, set by the local board of health across more than a hundred jurisdictionsannual, usually the calendar year2026-09-03
Certified Food Protection Manageronly if it applies to youNew Jersey Department of Health, Public Health and Food Protection ProgramNo feeset by the certifying programme, not by New Jersey2026-09-03

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 Burlington County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Septic System and Potable Well Permits (Plan Review and Inspection)only if it applies to youBurlington County Health Department, Environmental SectionVaries — formula on the Burlington County pageper application2026-10-10
County Planning Board Site Plan Review (County Roads and Drainage)only if it applies to youBurlington County Planning BoardVaries — formula on the Burlington County pageone-time, per application2026-10-10
County Road Occupancy, Road Opening and Driveway Access Permitonly if it applies to youBurlington County Department of Public Works, Engineering DivisionVaries — formula on the Burlington County pageper permit2026-10-10

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

NJ 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 Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services$75 a year; $30 for a nonprofitannual — due the last day of the entity's anniversary month2026-09-03
General Business License — New Jersey Business Action Center Positiononly if it applies to youNew Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise ServicesNo feeset by the municipality2026-09-03
Certificate of Incorporationonly if it applies to youNew Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services$100 one-time filingno expiry, but an annual report is due each anniversary month2026-09-03
Certificate of Formation (LLC)only if it applies to youNew Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services$100 one-time filingno expiry, but an annual report is due each anniversary month2026-09-03
Business Registration (Form NJ-REG)New Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise ServicesNo feeone-time registration — no renewal2026-09-03

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 Burlington County?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 13 records listed for a restaurant in Burlington County, NJ, 3 apply to every business of this type and 10 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 $100.00. That is a floor, not a total. 6 of the 13 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:

Retail Food Establishment Plan Review (New or Alteration): Per the county Health Department's plan review fee memo (effective January 1, 2021): new establishment plan review $100.00; alteration plan review $75.00; re-inspection fee $50.00. The county's retail food application packet (Updated 2023) prints the same $100.00 new and $75.00 alteration fees and states 'NON Profit Organizations- Fee Waived'. Checks payable to the County of Burlington.

Scale Certification for Food Sold by the Pound: The scale certification fee is not published on the county's Retail Food Program page or its Weights & Measures page; contact the Burlington County Weights and Measures Division at 609-265-5098 for the current amount.

Retail Food Establishment License: $80–$1,000 a year, set by the local board of health across more than a hundred jurisdictions

The other 3 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Burlington County permits page and the NJ state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Burlington County?

Permits for a restaurant in Burlington County, NJ come from 6 separate offices: Burlington County Health Department, Environmental Section, Burlington County Planning Board, Burlington County Department of Public Works, Engineering Division, Burlington County Health Department, Weights and Measures Division, New Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services, New Jersey Department of Health, Public Health and Food Protection Program. 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 Burlington County that other businesses do not?

Retail Food Establishment License

Chapter 24 of title 8 of the New Jersey Administrative Code, as published by the Department of Health, sets no state retail food license and no state fee — its only fees are the $100.00 cottage food operator permit and its $100.00 renewal (8:24-11.6). Licensing sits with more than a hundred local boards of health, and they band differently: Hamilton by risk type from $175 to $300, Randolph by risk type from $80 to $500 with a floor-area surcharge of a quarter over ten thousand square feet and double over forty thousand, Hanover by floor area alone from $250 to $1,000. The state department licenses only a narrow slice directly — turnpike and parkway rest stops, facilities on state property, cottage food and frozen desserts. There is no statewide fee table and it would be wrong to publish one.

Shared with other businesses in Burlington County

  • Retail Food Establishment Plan Review (New or Alteration) — Burlington County Health Department, Environmental Section, Per the county Health Department's plan review fee memo (effective January 1, 2021): new establishment plan review $100.00; alteration plan review $75.00; re-inspection fee $50.00. The county's retail food application packet (Updated 2023) prints the same $100.00 new and $75.00 alteration fees and states 'NON Profit Organizations- Fee Waived'. Checks payable to the County of Burlington., one-time, per new or altered facility. Also required for coffee shops and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
  • Mobile / Temporary Retail Food Establishment Approval (Food Trucks, Carts, Tabletop and Tent Set-Ups) — Burlington County Health Department, Environmental Section, $100 per application, non-refundable (Mobile/Temporary application updated 6/2026; county fee memo effective January 1, 2021), approval expires December 31 of the current calendar year. Also required for food trucks and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
  • Scale Certification for Food Sold by the Pound — Burlington County Health Department, Weights and Measures Division, The scale certification fee is not published on the county's Retail Food Program page or its Weights & Measures page; contact the Burlington County Weights and Measures Division at 609-265-5098 for the current amount., not stated on the county's Retail Food Program page. Also required for coffee shops and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
  • Certified Food Protection Manager — New Jersey Department of Health, Public Health and Food Protection Program, No fee, set by the certifying programme, not by New Jersey. Also required for coffee shops and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the food trucks page.

The other 3 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Burlington County, NJ; what each one involves is set out on the Burlington County permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across NJ and are covered on the NJ state page.

How does a restaurant compare with other businesses in Burlington County?

A restaurant and a coffee shop in Burlington County, NJ need exactly the same 5 permits beyond the ones every business needs.

Permits particular to each business type in Burlington County, NJ, compared with a restaurant
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a restaurantOnly a restaurant needsOnly it needs
Coffee shops5500
Food trucks3320
Retail stores3231
Auto repair shops2052
Childcare centres1051
Contractors and trades3053
Fitness studios1051
Salons and barbers2052
Veterinary clinics3053

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 retail stores page, coffee shops page and food trucks page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Burlington County permits page and the NJ state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. New Jersey Administrative Code title 8, chapter 24 — sanitation in retail food establishments, including the food protection manager ruleNew Jersey Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
  2. Township of Hamilton, Mercer County — retail food license fees by risk typeTownship of Hamilton Division of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
  3. Township of Randolph, Morris County — food license feesRandolph Township Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03

Related

Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.