9 permits · verified 2026-10-08
What permits do you need to open a restaurant in Union County Nj?
In short
A restaurant in Union County Nj, NJ has 2 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 7 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. 3 of the 9 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 Union County Nj
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Food Permit on County Property (Including Temporary and Mobile Food at Union County Parks Events)only if it applies to you | Union County Office of Health Management | Fees will be determined based on application, as stated on the county's 2025 Temporary Mobile Retail Food Establishment Application; checks or money orders payable to County of Union | per event, or seasonal/annual for vendors attending several events in the year | 2026-10-08 |
| Retail Food Establishment License | New 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 jurisdictions | annual, usually the calendar year | 2026-09-03 |
| Certified Food Protection Manageronly if it applies to you | New Jersey Department of Health, Public Health and Food Protection Program | No fee | set by the certifying programme, not by New Jersey | 2026-09-03 |
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 Union County Nj
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Planning Board Site Plan Review (Building or Expanding a Commercial Site Along a County Road)only if it applies to you | Union County Planning Board, Bureau of Planning and Economic Development | Varies — formula on the Union County Nj page | county action within 30 days of a complete application (§308); approval valid 3 years if the municipality gave preliminary approval only, 2 years if it gave final approval (§312) | 2026-10-08 |
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
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Reportonly if it applies to you | New Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services | $75 a year; $30 for a nonprofit | annual — due the last day of the entity's anniversary month | 2026-09-03 |
| General Business License — New Jersey Business Action Center Positiononly if it applies to you | New Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services | No fee | set by the municipality | 2026-09-03 |
| Certificate of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | New Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services | $100 one-time filing | no expiry, but an annual report is due each anniversary month | 2026-09-03 |
| Certificate of Formation (LLC)only if it applies to you | New Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services | $100 one-time filing | no expiry, but an annual report is due each anniversary month | 2026-09-03 |
| Business Registration (Form NJ-REG) | New Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services | No fee | one-time registration — no renewal | 2026-09-03 |
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 Union County Nj?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 9 records listed for a restaurant in Union County Nj, NJ, 2 apply to every business of this type and 7 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.
3 of the 9 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 Permit on County Property (Including Temporary and Mobile Food at Union County Parks Events): Fees will be determined based on application, as stated on the county's 2025 Temporary Mobile Retail Food Establishment Application; checks or money orders payable to County of Union
Retail Food Establishment License: $80–$1,000 a year, set by the local board of health across more than a hundred jurisdictions
The other 1 variable fee belongs to permits that apply to every type of business here; its formula is set out on the Union County Nj permits page and the NJ state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Union County Nj?
Permits for a restaurant in Union County Nj, NJ come from 4 separate offices: Union County Planning Board, Bureau of Planning and Economic Development, Union County Office of Health Management, 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.
- Union County Planning Board, Bureau of Planning and Economic DevelopmentIssues 1 permit on this page: County Planning Board Site Plan Review (Building or Expanding a Commercial Site Along a County Road)Administration Building, Elizabethtown Plaza, Elizabeth, NJ 07207 · 908-527-4268ucnj.org/union-county-planning-board
- Union County Office of Health ManagementIssues 1 permit on this page: Retail Food Permit on County Property (Including Temporary and Mobile Food at Union County Parks Events)400 North Avenue East, Westfield, NJ 07090 · 908-518-5620ucnj.org/health
- New Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise ServicesIssues 5 permits on this page, including Annual Report, General Business License — New Jersey Business Action Center Position, Certificate of Incorporation33 West State Street, 5th Floor, Trenton, NJ 08608-1214 · (609) 292-9292www.nj.gov/treasury/revenue
- New Jersey Department of Health, Public Health and Food Protection ProgramIssues 2 permits on this page: Retail Food Establishment License, Certified Food Protection ManagerPO Box 369, Trenton, NJ 08625-0369 · (609) 826-4935www.nj.gov/health/ceohs/phfpp/retailfood
What does a restaurant need in Union County Nj 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 Union County Nj
- Retail Food Permit on County Property (Including Temporary and Mobile Food at Union County Parks Events) — Union County Office of Health Management, Fees will be determined based on application, as stated on the county's 2025 Temporary Mobile Retail Food Establishment Application; checks or money orders payable to County of Union, per event, or seasonal/annual for vendors attending several events in the year. Also required for food trucks and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops 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 1 local permit in the tables apply to every type of business in Union County Nj, NJ; what each one involves is set out on the Union County Nj 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 Union County Nj?
A restaurant and a coffee shop in Union County Nj, NJ need exactly the same 3 permits beyond the ones every business needs.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a restaurant | Only a restaurant needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee shops | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Food trucks | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Auto repair shops | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Childcare centres | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Contractors and trades | 5 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| Fitness studios | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Retail stores | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Salons and barbers | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Veterinary clinics | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
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 food trucks page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Union County Nj permits page and the NJ state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- 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
- Township of Hamilton, Mercer County — retail food license fees by risk typeTownship of Hamilton Division of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- 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.