11 permits · verified 2026-10-08
What permits do you need to open a coffee shop in Shelby County Tn?
In short
A coffee shop in Shelby County Tn, TN has 4 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 7 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Shelby County Health Department, Environmental Health & Food Safety Program charges $30 per event permit (eating/drinking, sampling, or alcohol products); state-set fee for the temporary food service establishment (event) permit. 5 of the 11 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-08 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a coffee shop in Shelby County Tn
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food Service Establishment Permit (including child-care food service) | Shelby County Health Department, Environmental Health & Food Safety Program | $50–$360 a year — $210 for 0–50 seats, $360 for 51 or more seats; child-care food service $50 (0–50 seats) or $80 (51 or more); state-set fees collected by the Shelby County Health Department | annual | 2026-10-08 |
| Temporary Food Service Establishment (Event) Permitonly if it applies to you | Shelby County Health Department, Environmental Health & Food Safety Program | $30 per event permit (eating/drinking, sampling, or alcohol products); state-set fee | per event | 2026-10-08 |
| Food Service Establishment Permit | Tennessee Department of Health, Environmental Health Program | $30–$360 a year — $210 up to fifty seats, $360 above; $30 for a temporary establishment | annual | 2026-09-03 |
| Certified Food Protection Manageronly if it applies to you | Tennessee Department of Health, Environmental Health Program | No fee | not applicable — Tennessee issues no certificate | 2026-09-03 |
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 Shelby County Tn
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Building Permit, Plan Review and Certificate of Occupancy | Memphis and Shelby County Office of Construction Code Enforcement (Division of Planning and Development) | Varies — formula on the Shelby County Tn page | per permit | 2026-10-08 |
| County Business Tax License (Standard or Minimal Activity)only if it applies to you | Shelby County Clerk, Business Tax Division | $15 county license per location (county-only); for a Memphis location the Clerk also collects a $15 Memphis city license fee, $30 in total ($15 county + $15 city) | continuing; renewed at no fee once the annual state business tax return is filed and paid | 2026-10-08 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
TN registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations | Varies — formula on the TN page | no expiry, but an annual report on the same per-member scale is due each year | 2026-09-03 |
| For-Profit Corporation Charteronly if it applies to you | Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations | $100 one-time filing | no expiry, but a $20 annual report is due each year | 2026-09-03 |
| Standard or Minimal Activity Business Licenseonly if it applies to you | Tennessee Department of Revenue | $15 per jurisdiction per location — charged again by the city if it has enacted the tax | annual for a standard license, renewed free when the tax return is filed | 2026-09-03 |
| Annual Reportonly if it applies to you | Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations | Varies — formula on the TN page | annual — due the first day of the fourth month after the fiscal year ends | 2026-09-03 |
| Sales and Use Tax Certificate of Registration | Tennessee Department of Revenue | No fee | no expiry stated | 2026-09-03 |
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 coffee shop in Shelby County Tn?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 11 records listed for a coffee shop in Shelby County Tn, TN, 4 apply to every business of this type and 7 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.
5 of the 11 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 2 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:
Food Service Establishment Permit (including child-care food service): $50–$360 a year — $210 for 0–50 seats, $360 for 51 or more seats; child-care food service $50 (0–50 seats) or $80 (51 or more); state-set fees collected by the Shelby County Health Department
Food Service Establishment Permit: $30–$360 a year — $210 up to fifty seats, $360 above; $30 for a temporary establishment
The other 3 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Shelby County Tn permits page and the TN state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Shelby County Tn?
Permits for a coffee shop in Shelby County Tn, TN come from 6 separate offices: Shelby County Health Department, Environmental Health & Food Safety Program, Memphis and Shelby County Office of Construction Code Enforcement (Division of Planning and Development), Shelby County Clerk, Business Tax Division, Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations, Tennessee Department of Health, Environmental Health Program, Tennessee Department of Revenue. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- Shelby County Health Department, Environmental Health & Food Safety ProgramIssues 2 permits on this page: Food Service Establishment Permit (including child-care food service), Temporary Food Service Establishment (Event) Permit1826 Sycamore View Road, Memphis, TN 38134 · 901-222-9158www.shelbytnhealth.com/186/Environmental-Health-Food-Safety-Program
- Memphis and Shelby County Office of Construction Code Enforcement (Division of Planning and Development)Issues 1 permit on this page: Commercial Building Permit, Plan Review and Certificate of Occupancy6465 Mullins Station Road, Memphis, TN 38134 · 901-222-8300 (Licensing Section 901-222-8390)www.develop901.com/construction-enforcement
- Shelby County Clerk, Business Tax DivisionIssues 1 permit on this page: County Business Tax License (Standard or Minimal Activity)150 Washington Ave, 2nd Floor, Memphis, TN 38103 (East branch: 1075 Mullins Station Rd, West Wing, Memphis, TN 38134) · (901) 222-3059www.shelbycountytn.gov/559/Business-Tax-Division
- Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable OrganizationsIssues 3 permits on this page: Articles of Organization (LLC), For-Profit Corporation Charter, Annual Report312 Rosa L. Parks Avenue, 6th Floor, Nashville, TN 37243-1102 · (615) 741-2286tncab.tnsos.gov
- Tennessee Department of Health, Environmental Health ProgramIssues 2 permits on this page: Food Service Establishment Permit, Certified Food Protection Manager710 James Robertson Parkway, Nashville, TN 37243 · (615) 741-7206www.tn.gov/health/eh.html
- Tennessee Department of RevenueIssues 2 permits on this page: Standard or Minimal Activity Business License, Sales and Use Tax Certificate of Registration500 Deaderick Street, Nashville, TN 37242 · (800) 342-1003www.tn.gov/revenue/taxes/business-tax/registration-and-licensing.html
What does a coffee shop need in Shelby County Tn that other businesses do not?
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 Shelby County Tn
- Food Service Establishment Permit (including child-care food service) — Shelby County Health Department, Environmental Health & Food Safety Program, $50–$360 a year — $210 for 0–50 seats, $360 for 51 or more seats; child-care food service $50 (0–50 seats) or $80 (51 or more); state-set fees collected by the Shelby County Health Department, annual. Also required for restaurants and childcare centres; what it involves is set out on the childcare centres page.
- Temporary Food Service Establishment (Event) Permit — Shelby County Health Department, Environmental Health & Food Safety Program, $30 per event permit (eating/drinking, sampling, or alcohol products); state-set fee, per event. Also required for food trucks and restaurants; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.
The other 2 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Shelby County Tn, TN; what each one involves is set out on the Shelby County Tn permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across TN and are covered on the TN state page.
How does a coffee shop compare with other businesses in Shelby County Tn?
The closest match is a restaurant, which shares 4 of these permits. A restaurant needs County Beer Permit (unincorporated areas), which a coffee shop does not.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a coffee shop | Only a coffee shop needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurants | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| Food trucks | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Childcare centres | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Auto repair shops | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| Contractors and trades | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| Fitness studios | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Retail stores | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Salons and barbers | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| Veterinary clinics | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
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 childcare centres page and restaurants page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Shelby County Tn permits page and the TN state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Tennessee Comp. R. & Regs. 1200-23-01 — food service establishments, including the permit fee schedule effective 14 June 2026Tennessee Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- Shelby County Health Department — environmental health and food safety programme feesShelby County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
Related
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.