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

Retail Cigarette Dealer's License

A convenience store, grocery, gas station, coffee shop or restaurant selling cigarettes in Clermont County needs this license from the Clermont County Auditor. The Auditor's Cigarette Licensing page states that 'Anyone who sells or transports cigarettes within Clermont County must obtain a yearly Cigarette Dealer's License in conjunction with a Vendor's License.' The figure is from that page: 'The retail dealer needs to fill out the registration form and pay the annual fee of $125.' Licenses 'are good for a one-year period that runs from the 1st of June to May 31st the next year', and the page gives the current period as June 1, 2026 to May 31, 2027. New retail licenses bought after June 1 'are subject to proration and can only be purchased at the office of the Clermont County Auditor'; the Auditor publishes a 2026-2027 proration chart with the application. The same page states that wholesale cigarette dealer's licenses come from the Ohio Department of Taxation, not the county.

Food Facility Plan Review

Building or renovating a restaurant, coffee shop, grocery or other food facility in the Clermont County Public Health district starts with a plan review. The Food Safety page lists among the program's duties to 'Approve plans for all new and renovated food-related establishments', and publishes a Food Plan Review Application and a Planning for Success guide. The amounts are from the Clermont County Public Health 'FEE SCHEDULE (updated 11/12/25)', which the Food Safety page links as 'Fee Schedule': $250 for a risk level 1 or 2 facility under 2,500 square feet, $620 for a risk level 3 or 4 facility under 2,500 square feet or a facility of any risk level over 2,500 square feet, and $100 for a major update to plans, each with the effective date 12/1/2023. These rows are not among the fees Resolution No. 12-26 revises, so they continue unchanged after December 1, 2026. Clermont County Public Health's About page states that the agency 'serves approximately 214,000 residents in 14 townships and nine villages in Clermont County and contracts for public health services with the City of Milford.' Plan review sits alongside the food license, which is charged separately.

Mobile Food License

A food truck, trailer or cart licensed by Clermont County Public Health holds a Mobile Food License, which the Food Safety page describes as 'Issued to a moveable structure which must change locations at least once every 40 days.' The fee goes down on December 1, 2026. Through November 30, 2026 the totals printed in the Clermont County Public Health 'FEE SCHEDULE (updated 11/12/25)', which the Food Safety page links as 'Fee Schedule' are $134 for a mobile food service operation or high-risk retail food establishment and $81 for a mobile low-risk retail food establishment (effective 12/1/2025). From December 1, 2026 the totals adopted by Board of Health Resolution No. 12-26, adopted October 14, 2026 after a public hearing on September 9, 2026, which states that the revised food, vending, temporary, mobile, pool and body art fees 'hereby become effective on December 1, 2026' are $104 and $69.50. The CCPH Mobile Food Unit Application asks for a complete menu and a scale drawing of the unit's layout, states that 'Within 30 days after completed plans are submitted, CCPH will review the plans', and states that the Mobile Food Unit License 'is only valid for the layout and menu printed on the back of your license'. Clermont County Public Health's About page states that the agency 'serves approximately 214,000 residents in 14 townships and nine villages in Clermont County and contracts for public health services with the City of Milford.'

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 Clermont County

• Weights & Measures Device Inspection and Sealing — Clermont County Auditor, No fee, devices are inspected and tested annually; the Auditor's seal 'is valid through the end of the following calendar year'. Also required for retail stores, auto repair shops and restaurants; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
• Food Service Operation / Retail Food Establishment License — Clermont County Public Health, Total annual fee, amount through November 30, 2026 (FEE SCHEDULE updated 11/12/25) → amount from December 1, 2026 (Resolution No. 12-26). Commercial under 25,000 sq ft: risk level 1 $294 → $301; risk level 2 $329 → $334; risk level 3 $615 → $600; risk level 4 $775 → $749. Commercial over 25,000 sq ft: risk level 1 $418 → $417; risk level 2 $439 → $436; risk level 3 $1,515 → $1,436; risk level 4 $1,606 → $1,520. Non-commercial under 25,000 sq ft: risk level 1 $147 → $150.50; risk level 2 $164.50 → $167; risk level 3 $307.50 → $300; risk level 4 $387.50 → $374.50. Non-commercial over 25,000 sq ft: risk level 1 $209 → $208.50; risk level 2 $219.50 → $218; risk level 3 $757.50 → $718; risk level 4 $803 → $760. Renewal after the deadline: a mandatory penalty of 25% of the renewal fee., licensing period March 1 to the last day of February, per the Temporary Food License Application Packet. Also required for restaurants and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
• Temporary Food License — Clermont County Public Health, Per day of the event, commercial and non-commercial alike: $42 through November 30, 2026 (FEE SCHEDULE updated 11/12/25, effective 12/1/2025) → $36 from December 1, 2026 (Resolution No. 12-26)., per event of no more than five consecutive days; at most ten temporary licenses per person per licensing period (March 1 to the last day of February). Also required for food trucks and restaurants; what it involves is set out on the food trucks 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.