10 permits · verified 2026-10-05
What permits do you need to open a restaurant in Westchester County?
In short
A restaurant in Westchester County, NY has 4 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 6 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Westchester County Department of Health charges $105 per permit for operation of less than 15 days in a calendar year (§873.2103, Article XXI, Supp. No. 47) for the temporary food service permit (less than 15 days per calendar year). 2 of the 10 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-05 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a restaurant in Westchester County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food Service Establishment Permit (eating place, delicatessen, caterer, commissary, retail bakery) | Westchester County Department of Health | $500–$1,560 per application, non-refundable, by category and seating capacity under §873.2103 (Article XXI, Supp. No. 47). Seating tiers are under 20, 20 to 100, 101 to 200 and 201 or more. Eating place A: $800, $825, $1,185 and $1,560. Eating place B: $600, $625, $925 and $1,175. Eating place C: $500, $525, $685 and $910. Delicatessen: A $675, B $600, C $525. Caterer $650; commissary $525; retail bakery $525. | expires on the date stated on the permit; the renewal application is due at least 60 days before expiry under §873.301 | 2026-10-05 |
| Plan Review, Food Service Establishment | Westchester County Department of Health | $310–$525 per plan review by seating capacity under §873.2103 (Article XXI, Supp. No. 47): 0 to 100 seats $310; 101 to 200 seats $410; 201 seats or more $525. Each subsequent review $105. | one-time review of plans for each construction or modification project | 2026-10-05 |
| Temporary Food Service Permit (less than 15 days per calendar year)only if it applies to you | Westchester County Department of Health | $105 per permit for operation of less than 15 days in a calendar year (§873.2103, Article XXI, Supp. No. 47) | limited to operation of less than 15 days in a calendar year | 2026-10-05 |
| Food Service Establishment Permit | New York State Department of Health, Bureau of Community Environmental Health and Food Protection | No fee | set by the permit-issuing official, not to exceed two years | 2026-09-03 |
| Food Worker Training — Local Option under 10 NYCRR 14-1.73 (New York)only if it applies to you | New York State Department of Health, Bureau of Community Environmental Health and Food Protection | No fee | set by the permit-issuing official where one is imposed | 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.
NY registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | New York State Department of State, Division of Corporations, State Records and Uniform Commercial Code | $125 one-time filing | no expiry, but a biennial statement is due every two years | 2026-09-03 |
| Sales Tax Certificate of Authorityonly if it applies to you | New York State Department of Taxation and Finance | No fee — no fee — issued without charge by statute | a specified term of not less than three years, renewable at the Department's discretion | 2026-09-03 |
| Biennial Statementonly if it applies to you | New York State Department of State, Division of Corporations, State Records and Uniform Commercial Code | $9 per filing, every two years | biennial | 2026-09-03 |
| Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | New York State Department of State, Division of Corporations, State Records and Uniform Commercial Code | $200 one-time filing | no expiry, but a biennial statement is due every two years | 2026-09-03 |
| Certificate of Publication (LLC) | New York State Department of State, Division of Corporations, State Records and Uniform Commercial Code | $50 state filing fee only | one-time, due within 120 days of formation | 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 Westchester 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 Westchester County, NY, 4 apply to every business of this type and 6 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 4 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $50.00. That is a floor, not a total. 2 of the 10 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 2 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:
Food Service Establishment Permit (eating place, delicatessen, caterer, commissary, retail bakery): $500–$1,560 per application, non-refundable, by category and seating capacity under §873.2103 (Article XXI, Supp. No. 47). Seating tiers are under 20, 20 to 100, 101 to 200 and 201 or more. Eating place A: $800, $825, $1,185 and $1,560. Eating place B: $600, $625, $925 and $1,175. Eating place C: $500, $525, $685 and $910. Delicatessen: A $675, B $600, C $525. Caterer $650; commissary $525; retail bakery $525.
Plan Review, Food Service Establishment: $310–$525 per plan review by seating capacity under §873.2103 (Article XXI, Supp. No. 47): 0 to 100 seats $310; 101 to 200 seats $410; 201 seats or more $525. Each subsequent review $105.
Which offices issue these permits in Westchester County?
Permits for a restaurant in Westchester County, NY come from 4 separate offices: Westchester County Department of Health, New York State Department of State, Division of Corporations, State Records and Uniform Commercial Code, New York State Department of Health, Bureau of Community Environmental Health and Food Protection, New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- Westchester County Department of HealthIssues 3 permits on this page: Food Service Establishment Permit (eating place, delicatessen, caterer, commissary, retail bakery), Plan Review, Food Service Establishment, Temporary Food Service Permit (less than 15 days per calendar year)health.westchestercountyny.gov
- New York State Department of State, Division of Corporations, State Records and Uniform Commercial CodeIssues 4 permits on this page: Certificate of Incorporation, Biennial Statement, Articles of Organization (LLC), Certificate of Publication (LLC)www.businessexpress.ny.gov
- New York State Department of Health, Bureau of Community Environmental Health and Food ProtectionIssues 2 permits on this page: Food Service Establishment Permit, Food Worker Training — Local Option under 10 NYCRR 14-1.73 (New York)www.health.ny.gov/environmental/indoors/food_safety/regs.htm
- New York State Department of Taxation and FinanceIssues 1 permit on this page: Sales Tax Certificate of Authoritywww.tax.ny.gov/bus/st/register.htm
What does a restaurant need in Westchester County that other businesses do not?
Plan Review, Food Service Establishment
Sanitary Code §873.421(1) requires prior written approval of plans before a food service establishment is constructed or modified. The plan review fee is set by seating capacity in Article XXI §873.2103 (Article XXI, Supp. No. 47, amended February 19, 2026 and in effect from May 1, 2026): $310 for 0 to 100 seats, $410 for 101 to 200 seats and $525 for 201 seats or more. Each subsequent review is charged separately at $105. The county's May 1, 2026 fee sheet lists the plan review charge under the food service establishment heading.
Food Worker Training — Local Option under 10 NYCRR 14-1.73 (New York)
Under 10 NYCRR section 14-1.73 there is no statewide food handler card in New York and the state charges no fee for one — the opposite of what most states do. The rule is permissive: the permit-issuing official MAY establish training programmes and require owners or operators to attend. That makes it a county question and, in New York City, a city one. A real state mandate does exist but is narrow and sits with a different agency — a retail food store that prepares food on the premises must show that someone in the store has completed an approved food safety programme, unless the store is owner-run with no more than two full-time employees or had under $3,000,000 in gross sales last year. Even there the state approves providers and sets no price.
Shared with other businesses in Westchester County
- Food Service Establishment Permit (eating place, delicatessen, caterer, commissary, retail bakery) — Westchester County Department of Health, $500–$1,560 per application, non-refundable, by category and seating capacity under §873.2103 (Article XXI, Supp. No. 47). Seating tiers are under 20, 20 to 100, 101 to 200 and 201 or more. Eating place A: $800, $825, $1,185 and $1,560. Eating place B: $600, $625, $925 and $1,175. Eating place C: $500, $525, $685 and $910. Delicatessen: A $675, B $600, C $525. Caterer $650; commissary $525; retail bakery $525., expires on the date stated on the permit; the renewal application is due at least 60 days before expiry under §873.301. Also required for coffee shops, retail stores and childcare centres; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
- Temporary Food Service Permit (less than 15 days per calendar year) — Westchester County Department of Health, $105 per permit for operation of less than 15 days in a calendar year (§873.2103, Article XXI, Supp. No. 47), limited to operation of less than 15 days in a calendar year. Also required for food trucks and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the food trucks page.
- Food Service Establishment Permit — New York State Department of Health, Bureau of Community Environmental Health and Food Protection, No fee, set by the permit-issuing official, not to exceed two years. Also required for coffee shops, retail stores and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the food trucks page.
The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across NY and are covered on the NY state page.
How does a restaurant compare with other businesses in Westchester County?
A restaurant and a coffee shop in Westchester County, NY need exactly the same 5 permits beyond the ones every business needs.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a restaurant | Only a restaurant needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee shops | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Food trucks | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Retail stores | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Childcare centres | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| Auto repair shops | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| Contractors and trades | 4 | 0 | 5 | 4 |
| Fitness studios | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| Salons and barbers | 3 | 0 | 5 | 3 |
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 Westchester County permits page and the NY state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Westchester County Sanitary Code, Chapter 873, Article XXI, Additional Fees (Supp. No. 47)Westchester County Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-05
- Westchester County Department of Health — environmental health fees effective May 1, 2026Westchester County Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
- Westchester County Sanitary Code, Chapter 873 (Supp. No. 44)Westchester County Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-05
- 10 NYCRR section 14-1.73 — personnel training, which the permit-issuing official MAY establish and requireNew York State Department of Health · 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.