9 published records
Business licenses and permits in New York, New York
No general business license exists — each trade is licensed separately by DOHMH, DOB, DCWP or FDNY, never by a borough or county office. A Food Protection Certificate never expires even though the underlying restaurant permit renews annually. Mobile food vending needs two credentials at once — an individual license plus a unit permit — now administered by NYC Health after DCWP's own page describing it was retired.
What are you opening in New York?
- RestaurantsFull-service restaurants carry the densest permit load of any small business: food, fire, occupancy, waste, and usually alcohol.See the full permit list
- Coffee shopsCafés are permitted as food service establishments even where no cooking happens, and the plan review step catches most operators by surprise.See the full permit list
- Retail storesRetail is the lightest common permit load, but the sales tax permit and the certificate of occupancy are non-negotiable in every jurisdiction.See the full permit list
- Salons and barbersPersonal care is licensed at state board level as well as locally, so the shop license and the practitioner licenses are separate obligations.See the full permit list
- Food trucksMobile food is the one category with no certificate of occupancy — but it gains a commissary agreement, and the unit itself is inspected rather than the premises.See the full permit list
- Fitness studiosPrepaid memberships trigger state registration and often a surety bond, which catches operators who budgeted only for the fit-out.See the full permit list
- Childcare centresThe heaviest permit load of any small business: state agency licensing, per-person background checks, and a stricter fire standard than ordinary commercial use.See the full permit list
- Contractors and tradesLicensed at state board level rather than locally, and the only common category with no premises permits at all — the bond is usually the long pole.See the full permit list
- Auto repair shopsOrdinary commercial permitting plus an environmental layer: waste oil, solvents and stormwater are each registered separately.See the full permit list
- Veterinary clinicsA state facility permit, controlled substances registration at both state and federal level, and a medical waste manifest — none of which a general business license covers.See the full permit list
Permits that apply to every type of business in New York
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate of Occupancy | New York City Department of Buildings | $100 does not include a separate filing fee | no fixed expiration — a new certificate is required whenever use or occupancy changes | 2026-09-05 |
| Sign Permit | New York City Department of Buildings | The filing fee is the same variable alteration-permit fee that applies to the building (see the Commercial Building Alteration Permit record), plus a flat signage surcharge on top: $5.00 per 100 sq ft of surface area or fraction (minimum $35.00) for a ground or wall sign; $15.00 per 100 sq ft (minimum $70.00) for a closed-surface roof sign; $15.00 per 100 sq ft (minimum $130.00) for an open-surface roof sign up to 31 feet above roof level; $25.00 per 100 sq ft (minimum $135.00) above that height. An illuminated sign projecting beyond the building line owes a further, separate ANNUAL use fee on top of the one-time filing fee: $45.00 a year for 30 sq ft or less, $70.00 for 31 to 50 sq ft, or $0.75 per sq ft (minimum $130.00) above 50 sq ft. | one-time for the sign filing itself; an illuminated sign extending beyond the building line separately owes the annual use fee above for as long as it stands | 2026-09-05 |
| Commercial Building Alteration Permit | New York City Department of Buildings | For a commercial building or structure under 7 stories and under 100,000 square feet (Table 28-112.2, Item 12): a minimum filing fee of $280 (Alteration Type 1), $225 (Alteration Type 2), or $195 (Alteration Type 3 or a Limited Alteration Application) for the first $3,000 of alteration cost, plus $10.30 for each further $1,000 or fraction of alteration cost above $3,000. Renewal is $130 per work type. A building 7 or more stories or 100,000+ square feet instead pays a $290 minimum plus $17.75 per $1,000 above $3,000 (Item 14). A one-, two- or three-family dwelling instead pays a $130–$170 minimum plus $2.60 per $1,000 above $5,000 (Item 11). | one-time per permit; a $130 renewal applies per work type if the permit lapses before work is complete | 2026-09-05 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
What do these permits involve in New York?
Certificate of Occupancy
Required for a new building, and for an existing one whenever there is a change in use, exit routes or occupancy type. The $100 figure is stated on the City's own official service platform; the underlying Administrative Code section itself defers to DOB rule rather than stating the dollar amount directly in the statute text.
Sign Permit
Confirmed directly against the current Administrative Code fee table, which finally gives real numbers after an earlier pass found only that a sign filing is priced as an Alteration work type with no flat figure — true of the base alteration fee, but the signage-specific surcharge and the illuminated-sign annual fee are both flat and now confirmed. A sign smaller than six square feet and not illuminated needs no permit at all. A sign attached to a structure that is not directly on the building's wall or facade also needs a separate alteration permit for that structure, and one with an electrical connection needs its own separate electrical work permit from a licensed electrician.
Commercial Building Alteration Permit
Confirmed directly against the current Administrative Code text — not the 2016 Local Law 56 service-update notice, and not an unofficial code mirror found to still be showing pre-2016 figures, both of which were ruled out first. Local Law 128 of 2024 raised the minimum filing fee that used to be $100 across nearly every item in this table to $130. For work resulting in a new or changed Certificate of Occupancy, only 50% of the fee (minimum $130) is due at first filing, with the remainder due before the permit issues; other work pays the full fee (minimum $130) at filing.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- New York City — Certificate of OccupancyNew York City Department of Small Business Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
- New York City Administrative Code section 28-112.2, Schedule of Permit Fees (Table 28-112.2) — current text, amended through Local Law 128 of 2024, effective December 21, 2025; content supplied directly by the requester after this host returned 403 to every automated attemptAmerican Legal Publishing (New York City Administrative Code) · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-05
- New York City Department of Buildings — Sign Permit requirements, exceptions and illuminated-sign rulesNew York City Department of Buildings · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-05
- New York City Administrative Code section 28-112.2.1, Permits for other than electrical work — confirms the $130 payment floor and filing-timing rule, current through Local Law 128 of 2024American Legal Publishing (New York City Administrative Code) · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-05
Who issues business permits in New York?
Permitting in New York is split across 3 agencies we hold records for, with tax registration handled at state level. No single office issues everything, which is why an opening usually means filing in several places rather than one.
New York issuing agencies
- New York City Department of Health and Mental HygieneFood service establishment permits · Food Protection Certificates · Barber shop permits · Child care center permits · Animal care facility permits · Mobile food vending licenses and permits5 permits
- New York City Department of BuildingsCertificates of occupancy · Building and alteration permits3 permits
- New York City Department of Consumer and Worker ProtectionHome improvement contractor licensing · Secondhand dealer licensing1 permit
Other New York jurisdictions we cover
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.