Commercial Compliance Hub
Check requirements

10 permits · verified 2026-10-08

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

In short

A restaurant in Monmouth County, NJ has 2 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 8 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. New Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services charges $75 a year; $30 for a nonprofit for the annual report. 4 of the 10 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-08 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a restaurant in Monmouth County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Retail Food Establishment Re-Inspection Fee (County Health Department Member Towns)only if it applies to youMonmouth County Health Department (Office of Public Health), Monmouth County Board of Health$100–$500 per re-inspection: first $100, second within two years $250, third within two years $500; initial inspection carries no fee (Board of Health Ordinance 1-2020, Section V)per re-inspection2026-10-08
County Planning Board Site Plan and Subdivision Review (Development Review Committee)only if it applies to youMonmouth County Planning Board, Development Review CommitteePer the Development Review Committee's Addendum A-3 Fee Schedule (effective August 1, 2026): site plan not abutting a county road or county drainage facility with less than one acre of impervious surfaces, $100.00; nonresidential site plan with one or more acres of impervious surfaces, or abutting a county road or county drainage facility, $500.00 plus $7.50 per new car parking space plus $15.00 per truck bay/loading area and truck parking space; industrial or warehousing site plan with one or more acres of impervious surfaces, $750.00 plus $10.00 per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area, or $7.50 per car parking space plus $15.00 per truck bay/loading area and truck parking space, whichever is greater. Subdivisions: $100.00 (three lots or less, not abutting a county road or drainage facility); $300.00 plus $50.00 per new lot (three lots or less, abutting); $500.00 plus $50.00 per new lot (more than three lots and/or new streets). Revised major subdivision or site plans involving county requirements: $500.00, $1,000.00, $1,500.00, then $2,500.00 for each subsequent revision.one-time, per application2026-10-08
Retail Food Establishment Plan Review Fee (County Health Department Member Towns)only if it applies to youMonmouth County Health Department (Office of Public Health), Monmouth County Board of Health$25–$200 per new facility plan review, by risk category: Risk 1 $25, Risk 2 $75, Risk 3 $100, Risk 4 $200 (Board of Health Ordinance 1-2020, Section VI)one-time, per new facility plan review2026-10-08
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.

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 Monmouth County?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 10 records listed for a restaurant in Monmouth County, NJ, 2 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.

4 of the 10 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 Re-Inspection Fee (County Health Department Member Towns): $100–$500 per re-inspection: first $100, second within two years $250, third within two years $500; initial inspection carries no fee (Board of Health Ordinance 1-2020, Section V)

County Planning Board Site Plan and Subdivision Review (Development Review Committee): Per the Development Review Committee's Addendum A-3 Fee Schedule (effective August 1, 2026): site plan not abutting a county road or county drainage facility with less than one acre of impervious surfaces, $100.00; nonresidential site plan with one or more acres of impervious surfaces, or abutting a county road or county drainage facility, $500.00 plus $7.50 per new car parking space plus $15.00 per truck bay/loading area and truck parking space; industrial or warehousing site plan with one or more acres of impervious surfaces, $750.00 plus $10.00 per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area, or $7.50 per car parking space plus $15.00 per truck bay/loading area and truck parking space, whichever is greater. Subdivisions: $100.00 (three lots or less, not abutting a county road or drainage facility); $300.00 plus $50.00 per new lot (three lots or less, abutting); $500.00 plus $50.00 per new lot (more than three lots and/or new streets). Revised major subdivision or site plans involving county requirements: $500.00, $1,000.00, $1,500.00, then $2,500.00 for each subsequent revision.

Retail Food Establishment Plan Review Fee (County Health Department Member Towns): $25–$200 per new facility plan review, by risk category: Risk 1 $25, Risk 2 $75, Risk 3 $100, Risk 4 $200 (Board of Health Ordinance 1-2020, Section VI)

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

Which offices issue these permits in Monmouth County?

Permits for a restaurant in Monmouth County, NJ come from 4 separate offices: Monmouth County Health Department (Office of Public Health), Monmouth County Board of Health, Monmouth County Planning Board, Development Review Committee, 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 Monmouth 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.

Certified Food Protection Manager

No state fee — the Department of Health says it offers no food protection manager courses or programmes, and an accredited certifier charges what it charges. The state rule requires it only at Risk Type 3 establishments, which covers full-service restaurants, diners, commissaries and caterers; risk types 1 and 2 need only a knowledgeable person in charge. Many local health departments extend it to risk type 4 as a license condition, so check the town as well as the state. The manager need not be on the premises at all times but a person in charge must be. New Jersey requires no food handler card — the phrase does not appear in the retail food code — though individual municipalities do impose one.

Shared with other businesses in Monmouth County

  • Retail Food Establishment Re-Inspection Fee (County Health Department Member Towns) — Monmouth County Health Department (Office of Public Health), Monmouth County Board of Health, $100–$500 per re-inspection: first $100, second within two years $250, third within two years $500; initial inspection carries no fee (Board of Health Ordinance 1-2020, Section V), per re-inspection. Also required for coffee shops and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
  • County Planning Board Site Plan and Subdivision Review (Development Review Committee) — Monmouth County Planning Board, Development Review Committee, Per the Development Review Committee's Addendum A-3 Fee Schedule (effective August 1, 2026): site plan not abutting a county road or county drainage facility with less than one acre of impervious surfaces, $100.00; nonresidential site plan with one or more acres of impervious surfaces, or abutting a county road or county drainage facility, $500.00 plus $7.50 per new car parking space plus $15.00 per truck bay/loading area and truck parking space; industrial or warehousing site plan with one or more acres of impervious surfaces, $750.00 plus $10.00 per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area, or $7.50 per car parking space plus $15.00 per truck bay/loading area and truck parking space, whichever is greater. Subdivisions: $100.00 (three lots or less, not abutting a county road or drainage facility); $300.00 plus $50.00 per new lot (three lots or less, abutting); $500.00 plus $50.00 per new lot (more than three lots and/or new streets). Revised major subdivision or site plans involving county requirements: $500.00, $1,000.00, $1,500.00, then $2,500.00 for each subsequent revision., one-time, per application. Also required for contractors and trades, coffee shops, retail stores and auto repair shops; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
  • Retail Food Establishment Plan Review Fee (County Health Department Member Towns) — Monmouth County Health Department (Office of Public Health), Monmouth County Board of Health, $25–$200 per new facility plan review, by risk category: Risk 1 $25, Risk 2 $75, Risk 3 $100, Risk 4 $200 (Board of Health Ordinance 1-2020, Section VI), one-time, per new facility plan review. Also required for coffee shops and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the retail stores 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 Monmouth County?

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

Permits particular to each business type in Monmouth County, NJ, compared with a restaurant
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a restaurantOnly a restaurant needsOnly it needs
Coffee shops5500
Retail stores4321
Auto repair shops3142
Contractors and trades5144
Childcare centres2052
Fitness studios1051

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 and retail stores page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Monmouth 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.