What permits do you need to open a retail store in Lorain County?

Food Service Operation / Retail Food Establishment License

Lorain County Public Health licenses and inspects, in its own words, 'over 1,600 restaurants, grocery stores, food trucks, vending machines, and anywhere else that sells you food.' Lorain County Public Health's About page states that LCPH 'provides public health services for cities, townships, and villages in Lorain County, Ohio. The exception is the City of Vermilion, which receives services from the Erie County Health Department.' A restaurant or shop in the City of Vermilion is therefore licensed by the Erie County Health Department, and the figures here do not apply there. The figures are taken from 'LORAIN COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH FEES 2026', LCPH's adopted fee schedule, which prints 'Effective: 1/1/2026' and 'Revised: 1/21/2026', which LCPH's food safety page links as 'Food License Fees'. The schedule prints each fee in three columns, Health Department Fee, State Fee and Total Fee, and the record gives all three; the $28 (commercial) or $14 (non-commercial) part is the state fee. The 25,000 sq ft line splits each risk tier, and a micro market is priced as a retail food establishment at risk level 1. The schedule sets a late fee of 25% of the local fee, and LCPH's payment page states that 'a 25% administration fee will be applied to all payments made after the due date.' The 2027 schedule is in the Board of Health's reading process: the board's October 2026 agenda lists 'Proposed 2027 Food Service Fees – First Reading #2026-116' with no amounts printed, so the 2026 schedule remains the one LCPH links. LCPH's plan review application lists child care among the business types it covers, so a childcare center or gym that serves or sells food falls under these licensing rules as well.

Retail Cigarette Dealer's License

A convenience store, grocery, gas station or restaurant selling cigarettes at retail in Lorain County needs this license from the Lorain County Auditor for each physical location. The auditor's licensing page states that the license 'may be obtained at the County Auditor's Office for a fee of $125.00 for a retail license' and that 'to obtain a retail cigarette dealer's license you must also have a Vendor's License.' The figure and the license year are statutory: ORC 5743.15(B)(1) requires the application 'annually, on or before the first day of June' with 'an application fee in the sum of one hundred twenty-five dollars for each physical place', and (B)(2) issues the license 'for one year commencing on the first day of June', prorating a later application but to not less than twenty-five dollars in any one year. Under ORC 5743.15(B)(3) the license may be transferred 'to a place of business within the same county' for five dollars, 'on condition that the licensee's ownership interest and business structure remain unchanged.' The auditor's page adds that a seller using a motor vehicle needs a license for each vehicle and in each county where it is used. Cigarette questions go to the auditor's office at 440-329-5243.

Vendor's License

The fee doubled from $25 to $50 on 9 April 2025 under House Bill 366, and the Department's own older PDF guidance still prints $25 — check the date on anything you read. One license per fixed location, so a second shop means a second $50. The license number is keyed to the county, but the fee is statutory and identical in all eighty-eight; the county auditor is a filing channel, not a separate charge. It is not only for goods: certain taxable services, including landscaping, building maintenance and janitorial work, private security and dry cleaning, need one too. An out-of-state seller with economic nexus registers free.

Shared with other businesses in Lorain County

• Food Plan Review — Lorain County Public Health, $100–$200 per plan submission — $100 for facilities under 25,000 sq ft, $200 for facilities 25,000 sq ft or greater; no state part is printed; the mobile application states "There is no plan review fee for mobile operations.", per project; LCPH's application states that approved plans are valid for one year unless additional time is requested in writing. Also required for restaurants, coffee shops and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the food trucks page.
• Food Vending Machine License — Lorain County Public Health, $16.80 per license — combined LCPH + state fee: $10.80 LCPH + $6.00 state = $16.80, not stated on the LCPH food safety page or in its 2026 fee schedule; contact LCPH at 440-322-6367 for the license period and renewal date. Also required for fitness studios and auto repair shops; what it involves is set out on the auto repair shops page.
• Regular Vendor's License (form ST-1) — Lorain County Auditor, $50 one-time, for each fixed place of business in the county that is the situs of retail sales; ORC 5739.17(A) sends $25 of each fee to the state organized crime commission fund and credits the remaining $25 to the county general fund, no annual renewal, per the auditor's licensing page ('Application fee of $50.00 – No Annual Renewal'); a change in ownership requires a new license. Also required for restaurants, coffee shops, salons and barbers, fitness studios and auto repair shops; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
• Transient Vendor's License — Ohio Department of Taxation, $50 one-time, valid statewide, no renewal — stays in effect until cancelled. Also required for food trucks; what it involves is set out on the food trucks page.