What permits do you need to open a coffee shop in Butler County Oh?

Retail Cigarette Dealer License

A store, cafe or restaurant that sells cigarettes at retail in Butler County needs this license from the County Auditor for each physical place of business. The Auditor's page states that 'To obtain a Retail Cigarette Dealer License, you must first have a Vendor License' and that 'The annual fee for a cigarette license is $125, and these licenses are valid from June to June.' The amount is statutory: ORC 5743.15(B)(1) requires an 'application fee in the sum of one hundred twenty-five dollars for each physical place where the person proposes to carry on such business,' and (B)(2) issues the license 'for one year commencing on the first day of June,' prorating a late application but never below twenty-five dollars in a year, with a duplicate for a lost, destroyed or defaced license 'upon payment of a five-dollar fee.' Under (B)(3) the holder 'may transfer the license to a place of business within the same county other than that designated on the license on condition that the licensee's ownership interest and business structure remain unchanged, and that the licensee applies to the county auditor therefor, upon forms approved by the commissioner and the payment of a fee of five dollars into the county treasury.' ORC 5743.15(D)(2) distributes the retail fees: 'Thirty per cent shall be paid upon the warrant of the county auditor into the treasury of the municipal corporation or township in which the places of business for which the tax revenue was received are located'; 'Ten per cent shall be credited to the general fund of the county'; and 'Sixty per cent shall be paid into the cigarette tax enforcement fund.'

Food Facility Plan Review

Before a new or remodeled food service operation or retail food establishment opens, its plans go to the Butler County General Health District for review. The fees are from the Butler County General Health District '2026 APPROVED FEE SCHEDULE', approved by the Board of Health on 18 September 2025 (Motion 2025-09-005). The district's FSO/RFE plan review packet tells applicants to 'Allow 30 days for review,' with another 30 days for each resubmission, and once plans are approved and construction is done the applicant must contact the district 'to schedule a pre-licensing inspection at least 7 days before opening.' A food license application is handed over only after the operation passes that inspection. The district's Environmental Health and Forms pages state that 'As of 6/15/2026 and until further notice - The Food Service Division is NOT able to accommodate expedited plan reviews,' so the standard timetable applies. The Butler County General Health District's Board of Health page states that it serves 'residents across Butler County, Ohio—excluding the cities of Hamilton and Middletown, which maintain their own city health departments,' so an address inside either city is licensed by that city's health department and is not priced by this schedule.

Temporary Food Service Operation / Retail Food Establishment License

A business serving or selling food at a festival, fair or other short event in the Butler County General Health District's area needs a temporary license for each event. The $75.00 fee is printed on the Butler County General Health District '2026 APPROVED FEE SCHEDULE', approved by the Board of Health on 18 September 2025 (Motion 2025-09-005) and on the district's temporary packet, which is headed 'Effective: December 1, 2025- December 1, 2026.' The packet defines a temporary operation as one operating 'for a period of no longer than 5 consecutive days,' states that 'The license is good for a consecutive 5 days in the same location,' and requires the questionnaire, application and fee to reach the district 'at least 10 business days before the event.' Plans submitted without the fee are not reviewed. The Butler County General Health District's Board of Health page states that it serves 'residents across Butler County, Ohio—excluding the cities of Hamilton and Middletown, which maintain their own city health departments,' so an address inside either city is licensed by that city's health department and is not priced by this schedule.

Manager Certification in Food Protection

Ohio charges nothing for this. The Department of Health neither teaches the course nor sells the certificate — it approves providers, who set their own tuition, and the official application form carries no fee field at all. Two tiers exist and the names have changed: what was Level One is now person-in-charge certification, required for at least one person per shift at any operation first licensed after 1 March 2010, and what was Level Two is manager certification, required at risk level III and IV operations and needing an accredited exam as well as the course. Temporary, mobile and low-risk operations are exempt from the manager tier. Ohio has no food handler card in the California sense. The often-repeated claim that the certification lasts five years appears in neither the rule, the statute nor any Department page — the five-year term belongs to the third-party exam certificate, not to the Ohio certification, so no expiry is published here.

Shared with other businesses in Butler County Oh

• County Vendor's License — Butler County Auditor, $50 one-time, for each fixed place of business in the county — a combined state and county amount under ORC 5739.17(A): $25 goes to the state Organized Crime Commission Fund and $25 to the Butler County general fund; the Auditor's page states there is no annual renewal fee, one-time license that stays in force with no annual renewal fee; a move within the county can be handled by a transfer at no fee, and a change of ownership needs a new license. Also required for restaurants, retail stores, salons and barbers, auto repair shops, fitness studios and veterinary clinics; what it involves is set out on the salons and barbers page.
• Food Service Operation / Retail Food Establishment License — Butler County General Health District, Per the BCGHD 2026 Approved Fee Schedule, each amount is the combined local and state fee as printed. Commercial 24,999 sq ft or less: Level 1 $260.00 ($232.00 + $28.00 state portion), Level 2 $285.00 ($257.00 + $28.00), Level 3 $485.00 ($457.00 + $28.00), Level 4 $595.00 ($567.00 + $28.00). Commercial 25,000 sq ft or more: Level 1 $345.00 ($317.00 + $28.00), Level 2 $360.00 ($332.00 + $28.00), Level 3 $1,115.00 ($1,087.00 + $28.00), Level 4 $1,180.00 ($1,152.00 + $28.00). A late renewal adds a mandatory penalty of 25% of the renewal fee., the licensing year of March 1 to February 28; the district's plan review packet states that licenses issued after March 1 and until November 30 are not pro-rated and expire on March 1, and that food licenses issued on or after December 1 run 15 months and expire on March 1 of the next licensing year. Also required for restaurants and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.
• Sewage Treatment System Permit (HSTS, SFOSTS, GWRS) — Butler County General Health District, Per the BCGHD 2026 Approved Fee Schedule: application for site review $425.00 (combined with soil evaluation and design); permit to install a new or replacement system $569.00 combined ($495.00 + $74.00 state portion); permit to alter an existing system $510.00 combined ($475.00 + $35.00 state portion); annual operation permit for discharging units $25.00; ten-year operation permit for non-discharging units $40.00; annual inspection $35.00; ten-year inspection $50.00; abandonment of a system $60.00; Board of Health variance $400.00. Work begun before a permit is issued for a new installation or alteration carries a penalty of 25% of the permit fee (ORC 3709.09)., installation and alteration permits are per project; operation permits are annual for discharging units and ten-year for non-discharging units. Also required for restaurants, childcare centres, veterinary clinics and auto repair shops; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.
• Vendor's License — Ohio Department of Taxation, $50 one-time, per fixed location, no renewal — stays in effect until cancelled. Also required for restaurants, retail stores, salons and barbers, fitness studios, auto repair shops and veterinary clinics; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
• Food Service Operation License — Ohio Department of Health, Food Safety Program, $28 state fee for a commercial operation ($14 non-commercial, $6 per vending machine location), plus a license fee set independently by the local board of health, 1 March to the last day of February. Also required for restaurants and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.