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

Food Establishment Master Permit

$240 low priority, $260 medium, $340 high. This is the rate for an establishment holding ten or more food inventories in one location under one ownership — a supermarket with a deli, a bakery, a sushi counter and a hot bar, rather than ten separate shops. It is roughly 20% below the standard permit at every priority level, so a large grocer that permits each department separately is paying more than it needs to.

Food Establishment Operating Permit

$300 low priority, $325 medium, $425 high — priority is set by the inspection frequency criteria the city derives from the FDA Food Code 2017, not by turnover, which is what makes Arlington cheap for a high-volume low-risk operation and expensive for a small kitchen doing complex preparation. Every retail food establishment is inspected at least once a year. Since 1 September 2025 the establishment must post the letter grade from its most recent routine inspection where the public can see it; a score of 75 or less brings a scored reinspection at $200, and 76 or higher with critical violations can bring an unscored follow-up. The permit is non-transferable: on a change of ownership the new owner needs a new certificate of occupancy and a new health permit, and must pass a permitting inspection before operating.

Short-Term Rental Permit

$500 initially and $500 on each annual renewal — no reduced renewal rate. Zoning is the other half of the question: a short-term rental in Arlington may also need a specific use permit, which is priced separately and starts at $2,400 for a site under an acre.

Hotel Sanitation Inspection

$75 a room with a $225 floor, so a 100-room hotel is looking at $7,500 an inspection and the frequency is risk-based rather than fixed. Hotel plan review for new construction or a major remodel is $475. The verification audit is banded by size instead: $75 up to 50 rooms, $125 for 51-100, $250 for 101-200, $375 for 201-300 and $500 at 301 rooms or more. Reinspection is $175 per room requiring it on the city's own fees page; Exhibit A prints $200 for a hotel reinspection, and the city page is the later-published figure of the two.

Boarding Home Facility Permit

The most expensive recurring permit Arlington Health Services issues. First year is $1,500 for the inspection — covering the pre-operational inspection plus the annual health and kitchen inspections — and $1,200 in each subsequent year for the annual health and kitchen inspections. The permit application itself is a further $500, each additional building on the site is $50, and reinspection or emergency inspection is $200. The programme took effect on 1 April 2025.

Zoning Verification Letter

$75 per site. Small, and usually needed under time pressure: a lender, a franchisor or a state alcohol application will ask for one, and it is the cheapest way to find out before signing a lease whether the use you intend is allowed at that address. An alcohol distance appeal application, by contrast, is $1,000.

Shared with other businesses in Arlington

• Seasonal Market Permit — City of Arlington Health Services, $200 per booth, per venue, 15 to 180 days. Also required for restaurants and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.
• Fire Permit — Arlington Fire Department, Fire Prevention, $250–$2,500 by project valuation, not stated in the published fee schedule. Also required for restaurants, coffee shops, fitness studios, auto repair shops, childcare centres and veterinary clinics; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.
• Food Establishment Change of Ownership — City of Arlington Health Services, $350 per application, one-time, per application. Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.
• Specific Use Permit or Planned Development — City of Arlington Planning and Development Services, $2,400 under 1 acre; $3,000 + $200 per acre from 1 to under 5; $4,000 + $150 per acre from 5 to under 10; $6,000 + $75 per acre at 10 acres or more, one-time, per application. Also required for restaurants, auto repair shops, fitness studios, childcare centres and veterinary clinics; what it involves is set out on the fitness studios page.
• Zoning Change — City of Arlington Planning and Development Services, $1,200–$3,000 by site acreage, one-time, per application. Also required for restaurants, auto repair shops, fitness studios and contractors and trades; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.
• Food Establishment Plan Review — City of Arlington Health Services, $500 per application, one-time, per application. Also required for coffee shops and restaurants; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.
• Home Based Business License — City of Arlington Planning and Development Services, $50 per license, not stated in the published fee schedule. Also required for salons and barbers and contractors and trades; what it involves is set out on the contractors and trades page.
• Temporary Food Establishment Permit — City of Arlington Health Services, $52 per booth, per event, 1 to 14 days, tied to a permitted special event. Also required for coffee shops, food trucks and restaurants; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
• Food Handler Permit — City of Arlington Health Services, $16 per person, two years. Also required for restaurants, coffee shops and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.
• Public and Semi-Public Pool Operational Permit — City of Arlington Health Services, $200–$350 seasonal or year-round, six months seasonal, or one year year-round. Also required for fitness studios; what it involves is set out on the fitness studios page.
• On-Site Sewage System Installation Permit — City of Arlington Health Services, $250 per application, one-time, per application. Also required for restaurants, veterinary clinics and contractors and trades; what it involves is set out on the veterinary clinics page.
• Backflow Prevention Device Permit — City of Arlington Planning and Development Services, $30 per device, first device, one-time, per installation. Also required for restaurants, coffee shops, auto repair shops, salons and barbers, veterinary clinics and fitness studios; what it involves is set out on the fitness studios page.
• Commercial Site Plan Review — City of Arlington Planning and Development Services, $1,000 per review, one-time, per application. Also required for restaurants, auto repair shops, fitness studios and contractors and trades; what it involves is set out on the auto repair shops page.
• Temporary Outdoor Event Permit — City of Arlington Planning and Development Services, $100 per event, up to 500 attendees, per event. Also required for restaurants, food trucks and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.