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19 permits · verified 2026-10-09

What permits do you need to open a restaurant in North Charleston?

In short

A restaurant in North Charleston, SC has 7 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 12 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City of North Charleston Zoning Division charges $10 flat for the zoning verification letter. 12 of the 19 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-09 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a restaurant in North Charleston

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Sign PermitCity of North Charleston Building and Development ServicesSame valuation-tiered schedule as the commercial building permit: above $1,000, each tier is the $30.00 application filing fee plus the tier amount ($15/$5, $260/$4, $460/$3, $1,660/$2 per thousand by tier) under City Code Chapter 5, Appendix A Permit Fees Schedule; or a flat $30.00 for a banner sign. Re-inspection is $50.00. This fee chart does not include the city business license.one-time, per sign2026-09-08
Hospitality (Food and Beverage) Tax — Collect and RemitCity of North Charleston Hospitality Tax (City Code § 19-105)2% of the gross proceeds of the sale of prepared meals and beverages, collected from the patron when the patron pays and remitted monthlyongoing — monthly remittance2026-10-09
Gas Permitonly if it applies to youCity of North Charleston Building and Development Services$30.00 non-refundable application filing fee, plus $10.00 for one to four outlets and $2.00 for each additional outlet; $5.00 for one unit (burner or furnace) and $1.00 for each additional burner or furnace. Gas safety: $30.00. Re-inspection: $50.00 (non-refundable). Working without a permit carries a penalty of triple all permit fees.commercial permits expire 180 days after issuance unless extended (City Code § 5-312)2026-10-09
Sidewalk Café Permit (Old Village Business Overlay District)only if it applies to youCity of North Charleston Zoning Division$100 annual permitone year from the date of issuance2026-10-09
Retail Food Establishment PermitSouth Carolina Department of Agriculture, Retail Food Safety and Compliance$100 to open plus an annual inspection fee of $100 to $450 banded by gross food sales — $100 up to $250,000, rising in $50 steps to $450 above $1.75 millionannual — the inspection fee is invoiced and due thirty days from the billing date2026-09-03
Certified Food Protection Manageronly if it applies to youSouth Carolina Department of Agriculture, Retail Food Safety and ComplianceNo feeset by the certifying programme — South Carolina's rules specify none2026-09-03

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

Local permits that apply to every type of business in North Charleston

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Electrical Permitonly if it applies to youCity of North Charleston Building and Development ServicesVaries — formula on the North Charleston pagecommercial permits expire 180 days after issuance unless extended (City Code § 5-312)2026-10-09
Plumbing Permitonly if it applies to youCity of North Charleston Building and Development ServicesVaries — formula on the North Charleston pagecommercial permits expire 180 days after issuance unless extended (City Code § 5-312)2026-10-09
Zoning Verification Letteronly if it applies to youCity of North Charleston Zoning Division$10 flatone-time, per verification request2026-09-08
Commercial Building PermitCity of North Charleston Building and Development ServicesVaries — formula on the North Charleston pageone-time, per project2026-09-08
Business License (Business License Tax)City of North Charleston One Stop Shop, Finance DepartmentVaries — formula on the North Charleston pageannual — the license year runs May 1 to April 30 (City Code § 10.5-18); the tax is due on or before April 30 each year (§ 10.5-19)2026-10-09
Mechanical Permitonly if it applies to youCity of North Charleston Building and Development ServicesVaries — formula on the North Charleston pagecommercial permits expire 180 days after issuance unless extended (City Code § 5-312)2026-10-09
Variance / Special Exception / Appeal of Staff Determinationonly if it applies to youCity of North Charleston Zoning Division$100 per applicationone-time, per application2026-10-09
Fire Protection System and Construction Fire Permitsonly if it applies to youNorth Charleston Fire Department, Fire Marshal's OfficeVaries — formula on the North Charleston pageper project2026-10-09

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

SC registrations that apply to every type of business

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Corporate Annual Report and License Feeonly if it applies to youSouth Carolina Department of RevenueVaries — formula on the SC pageannual — due on the fifteenth day of the fourth month after the tax year ends2026-09-03
Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youSouth Carolina Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings$110 one-time filingperpetual — an LLC files no annual report in South Carolina2026-09-03
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youSouth Carolina Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings$135 at filing — $110 to the Secretary of State plus the $25 initial license feeperpetual, but an annual report and license fee are due every year2026-09-03
Retail LicenseSouth Carolina Department of Revenue$50 for each permanent location, and it is not refundableno expiry while the same person trades at the same location2026-09-03
Local Business LicenseSouth Carolina Department of RevenueVaries — formula on the SC page1 May to 30 April, the same in every South Carolina jurisdiction2026-09-03

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 North Charleston?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 19 records listed for a restaurant in North Charleston, SC, 7 apply to every business of this type and 12 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 7 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $50.00. That is a floor, not a total. 12 of the 19 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 1 has no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

Sign Permit: Same valuation-tiered schedule as the commercial building permit: above $1,000, each tier is the $30.00 application filing fee plus the tier amount ($15/$5, $260/$4, $460/$3, $1,660/$2 per thousand by tier) under City Code Chapter 5, Appendix A Permit Fees Schedule; or a flat $30.00 for a banner sign. Re-inspection is $50.00. This fee chart does not include the city business license.

Hospitality (Food and Beverage) Tax — Collect and Remit: 2% of the gross proceeds of the sale of prepared meals and beverages, collected from the patron when the patron pays and remitted monthly

Gas Permit: $30.00 non-refundable application filing fee, plus $10.00 for one to four outlets and $2.00 for each additional outlet; $5.00 for one unit (burner or furnace) and $1.00 for each additional burner or furnace. Gas safety: $30.00. Re-inspection: $50.00 (non-refundable). Working without a permit carries a penalty of triple all permit fees.

Retail Food Establishment Permit: $100 to open plus an annual inspection fee of $100 to $450 banded by gross food sales — $100 up to $250,000, rising in $50 steps to $450 above $1.75 million

The other 8 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the North Charleston permits page and the SC state page.

Which offices issue these permits in North Charleston?

Permits for a restaurant in North Charleston, SC come from 8 separate offices: City of North Charleston Building and Development Services, City of North Charleston Zoning Division, City of North Charleston One Stop Shop, Finance Department, City of North Charleston Hospitality Tax (City Code § 19-105), North Charleston Fire Department, Fire Marshal's Office, South Carolina Department of Agriculture, Retail Food Safety and Compliance, South Carolina Department of Revenue, South Carolina Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.

What does a restaurant need in North Charleston that other businesses do not?

Hospitality (Food and Beverage) Tax — Collect and Remit

City Code § 19-105(a) imposes a tax of two per cent on the gross proceeds of the sale of prepared meals and beverages sold in or by establishments in the City, and § 19-105(b) requires it to be collected from the patron when the patron pays for the meal or beverage. The City's Taxes page describes the same hospitality (food and beverage) tax ordinance: the establishment collects the tax from patrons in a similar way to sales tax and pays it monthly, and the page's sales tax breakdown states that restaurants pay a 2% hospitality tax on top of the retail sales tax. This is a tax the establishment collects and remits, not a permit.

Gas Permit

Fee figures are from the Permit Fees Schedule in Appendix A to Chapter 5 of the City Code (Ord. No. 2019-008, adopted February 14, 2019); the City's Gas Permit page prints the same filing, outlet and unit figures. It applies to new or altered gas piping and appliances, such as gas cooking equipment in a restaurant kitchen. Under § 5-33(a)(3), gas work may only be permitted in the name of an appropriately licensed contractor or subcontractor, and the Gas Permit page states that only a state-licensed plumber, mechanical contractor or residential home builder can pull gas permits.

Sidewalk Café Permit (Old Village Business Overlay District)

Applies only within the Old Village business overlay district. Zoning Ordinance § 5-16(d)(1) requires a sidewalk café permit to operate a sidewalk café (part of an immobile retail food establishment on the public right-of-way directly next to it), valid for one year, with a fee of $100.00; the § 7-9 fee schedule (Ord. No. 2026-022, adopted June 25, 2026) lists 'Sidewalk Café Annual Permit $100'. The application requirements in § 5-16(d)(1)c also list a non-refundable application fee of $100.00, proof of a valid retail food establishment business license and certificate of occupancy, $100,000 of insurance, a measured drawing and a layout plan, and the establishment must post a sign at least 10 days before the Zoning Administrator considers the application. The fire inspector reviews the application and a site inspection is held before issuance.

Shared with other businesses in North Charleston

  • Sign Permit — City of North Charleston Building and Development Services, Same valuation-tiered schedule as the commercial building permit: above $1,000, each tier is the $30.00 application filing fee plus the tier amount ($15/$5, $260/$4, $460/$3, $1,660/$2 per thousand by tier) under City Code Chapter 5, Appendix A Permit Fees Schedule; or a flat $30.00 for a banner sign. Re-inspection is $50.00. This fee chart does not include the city business license., one-time, per sign. Also required for coffee shops, retail stores, salons and barbers, fitness studios, auto repair shops and veterinary clinics; what it involves is set out on the auto repair shops page.
  • Retail Food Establishment Permit — South Carolina Department of Agriculture, Retail Food Safety and Compliance, $100 to open plus an annual inspection fee of $100 to $450 banded by gross food sales — $100 up to $250,000, rising in $50 steps to $450 above $1.75 million, annual — the inspection fee is invoiced and due thirty days from the billing date. Also required for coffee shops and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
  • Certified Food Protection Manager — South Carolina Department of Agriculture, Retail Food Safety and Compliance, No fee, set by the certifying programme — South Carolina's rules specify none. Also required for coffee shops and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.

The other 8 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in North Charleston, SC; what each one involves is set out on the North Charleston permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across SC and are covered on the SC state page.

How does a restaurant compare with other businesses in North Charleston?

A restaurant and a coffee shop in North Charleston, SC need exactly the same 6 permits beyond the ones every business needs.

Permits particular to each business type in North Charleston, SC, compared with a restaurant
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a restaurantOnly a restaurant needsOnly it needs
Coffee shops6600
Food trucks4242
Fitness studios1150
Auto repair shops2151
Veterinary clinics2151
Salons and barbers3152
Retail stores4153
Contractors and trades5154
Childcare centres1061

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 auto repair shops page and coffee shops page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the North Charleston permits page and the SC state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. City of North Charleston Code of Ordinances, § 19-105 — Hospitality taxCity of North Charleston (published by Municode) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
  2. City of North Charleston — Taxes (Hospitality Taxes)City of North Charleston · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
  3. City of North Charleston Code of Ordinances, Chapter 5 — Buildings and Building Regulations (§ 5-33, § 5-312 and Appendix A Permit Fees Schedule, Ord. No. 2019-008)City of North Charleston (published by Municode) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
  4. City of North Charleston — Gas PermitCity of North Charleston, Building and Development Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
  5. City of North Charleston Zoning Ordinance (Code Appendix A), Section 7-9 — Planning and Zoning Fee Schedule (Ord. No. 2026-022, Exh. A, adopted June 25, 2026)City of North Charleston (published by Municode) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
  6. City of North Charleston Zoning Ordinance (Code Appendix A), Section 5-16 — Old Village business overlay district (sidewalk cafés)City of North Charleston (published by Municode) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09

Related

Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.