What permits do you need to open a coffee shop in Nashville Davidson?

Beer Permit (Metropolitan Beer Permit Board)

Under Metro Code § 7.08.060 A every application to the Metropolitan Beer Permit Board 'shall be accompanied by an application fee of two hundred fifty dollars', no part of which is refunded, and under § 7.08.060 B every permit holder pays 'an annual privilege tax of one hundred dollars' under T.C.A. § 57-5-104(b)(1), due each January 1 and prorated by month for a new permit. The Beer Board's FAQ states the same figures ('The application fee for a beer permit is $250.' and 'The beer privilege tax is $100.'), and its Prorated Privilege Tax Rates page lists the monthly amounts from $100.00 in January downward. Section 7.08.030 provides on-sale, off-sale, food truck, mobile, caterer, special event and curbside/delivery permits; § 7.08.040 requires a sworn application filed at least ten days before the hearing; and § 7.08.090 bars a permit within 100 feet of a place of worship, school or playground, park, licensed day care or one- or two-family dwelling, with exceptions (including the DTC and CF zone districts). Separately, Metro Code § 16.28.110 I sets a $40 Metro Codes fee for a letter confirming distance requirements for the sale of beer and liquor as required by state law. Apply and pay through ePermits; Beer Board 615-862-6751, beerboard@nashville.gov.

Grease (FOG) Plan Approval and Annual Grease Control Equipment Certification (Metro Water Services)

Metro Code § 15.60.125 requires all food service establishments to comply with the Metro Water Services Fats, Oils and Grease Management Policy. The policy posted on MWS's Grease Management page (effective October 1, 2024) states that any new food service establishment, upgrade of an existing one or change of ownership must install and maintain MWS-approved grease control equipment, that establishments in every class, Class 0 (mobile food units) through Class 5, must submit a FOG plan to MWS for approval, and that all new establishments complete the Department's Sewer Discharge Compliance Application, which serves as the permit application. MWS gives rough-in and final approval of the equipment. Every establishment with grease control equipment must have its interceptor or trap inspected and certified annually by an MWS-certified inspector on Form A (interceptor) or Form B (trap), and a failed certification needs a corrective action response. Metro Public Health requires MWS approval of a mobile unit's grease trap and wastewater site before its final consultation. MWS: 615-862-4600.

Food Service Establishment Permit

One statewide schedule, banded by seats: $210 up to fifty seats and $360 above, with an auxiliary establishment at $100, a temporary at $30, a school at $80 and a farmers market food unit at $300. Five counties permit, invoice and inspect for themselves rather than the state — Davidson, Hamilton, Knox, Madison and Shelby — and Shelby applies the same seat bands with a $100 bar fee of its own on top. The fee rule was rewritten with effect from 14 June 2026: it previously said only that fees were as provided by statute, and now prints the amounts, so any source citing rule 1200-23-1-.04 for a Tennessee food fee is out of date. The new chapter carries no late-penalty provision at all.

Certified Food Protection Manager

No state fee, and — unusually — no requirement either. Tennessee is one of the few states where certification is optional: the rule gives the person in charge three alternative ways to demonstrate knowledge, of which being a certified food protection manager is only one, the others being having no priority violations at the current inspection or simply answering the inspector's questions correctly. Certification, if you want it, comes from an accredited programme at that programme's price. Tennessee requires no food handler card either — the phrase does not appear anywhere in the food service rules. Local jurisdictions, including the five that permit for themselves, may impose more.

Shared with other businesses in Nashville Davidson

• Food Service Establishment Permit (Metro Public Health) — Metro Public Health Department, Food Protection and Public Facilities Division, $30–$360 per permit year (state rule fees): $210 for 0–50 seats, $360 for 51+; auxiliary $100; child care food service $50 (0–50 seats) or $80 (51+); temporary food service $30, annual (the rule states each establishment fee 'per year'; the $30 temporary food service fee is stated without a period). Also required for restaurants and childcare centres; what it involves is set out on the childcare centres page.
• Plumbing, Gas/Mechanical and Electrical Permits (Metro Codes) — Metro Department of Codes and Building Safety, Plumbing (§ 16.12.220): minimum $75 per permit; $11 per fixture (grease traps and interceptors count as fixtures); sewer or water service connection $80 each; hot water heater $43; re-inspection $50. Gas/mechanical (§ 16.16.400): minimum $75 per permit; $16 per commercial appliance beyond the first; hot water heater $21; plus $32 per 100,000 Btuh for heating, ventilating, air-conditioning and refrigeration work; re-inspection $50. Electrical (§ 16.20.250): itemised by outlets, motors, appliances, signs and services, minimum $75 per permit; fees tripled when work starts before the permit., per permit. Also required for restaurants and contractors and trades; what it involves is set out on the contractors and trades page.
• Fire Marshal Operational Permits (assembly, open flames, repair garages, spraying and others) — Nashville Fire Department, Fire Marshal's Office, Per Metro Code § 10.64.018 as amended by Ordinance BL2026-1328: places of assembly by occupant load — 50–1,000 persons $150; 1,001–5,000 $250; 5,001–20,000 $500; over 20,000 $750. Open flames and candles $151. Repair garages and motor fuel-dispensing facilities $151. Spraying and dipping $151. Hot work operations $151. High-piled storage $151. Day care operation $151. Re-inspection $65. Expedite fee $175 for applications filed fewer than ten business days ahead; at least triple the fee if operations start before the permit., most operational permits run 12 months or the duration of the event (Fire Marshal's Office permit table). Also required for restaurants, fitness studios, childcare centres, auto repair shops and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
• Sidewalk Café Permit (NDOT) — Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure (NDOT), Permit Office, $250 non-refundable application fee, plus an annual right-of-way use fee of $200 (under 500 sq ft of right-of-way), $300 (500–1,000 sq ft) or $500 (over 1,000 sq ft). Renewal is annual with the same application and right-of-way use fees., one year, renewable annually; renewal applications at least 30 days before expiry. Also required for restaurants; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.
• Parklet / Streatery Permit (NDOT) — Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure (NDOT), Permit Office, $150 non-refundable application fee. A streatery also pays an annual fee equal to the lost revenue for the metered parking spaces it occupies plus a lower rate for any non-metered spaces, as determined by the NDOT director., one year; renewal applications at least 30 days before expiry. Also required for restaurants; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.