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17 permits · verified 2026-10-02

What permits do you need to open a coffee shop in Henrico County?

In short

A coffee shop in Henrico County, VA has 4 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 13 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Henrico County Health Department charges $40 per Food Establishment Permit, as published on the Henrico County Health Department's own fee page for the food establishment permit. 7 of the 17 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-02 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a coffee shop in Henrico County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Food Establishment PermitHenrico County Health Department$40 per Food Establishment Permit, as published on the Henrico County Health Department's own fee pageNot stated on the county's fee page; Henrico does not publish a specific permit duration for this permit.2026-10-02
Alcoholic Beverage Licensing — State-Exclusiveonly if it applies to youVirginia Alcoholic Beverage Control AuthorityNo feeNot applicable at the county level; the license and its term are set entirely by Virginia ABC.2026-10-02
Foodservice Plan Reviewonly if it applies to youHenrico County Health Department$40 one-time, for a new or remodeled food facility's plan review, as published on the Henrico County Health Department's own fee pageOne-time, before opening a new facility or completing a remodel.2026-10-02
Temporary Food Establishment Permitonly if it applies to youHenrico County Health Department$40.00 for the first Temporary Food Establishment Permit obtained in a calendar year; no additional fee for further temporary permits obtained in that same calendar year.Per calendar year; one permit per physical unit or booth per event.2026-10-02
Food Establishment PermitVirginia Department of Health, Division of Food and Environmental Services$40 a year; a new establishment also pays $40 for plan reviewannual — no more than twelve months from issue2026-09-03
Certified Food Protection Manageronly if it applies to youVirginia Department of Health, Division of Food and Environmental ServicesNo feeno state-set period — the certifying programme sets its own2026-09-03

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 Henrico County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Commercial Building Permit (Base Fee)only if it applies to youHenrico County Department of Building Construction & InspectionsVaries — formula on the Henrico County pagePer project.2026-10-02
Plan Re-Review Feeonly if it applies to youHenrico County Department of Building Construction & Inspections$25 per plan re-review beyond the first two reviews included in the base permit feePer re-review.2026-10-02
Provisional Use Permitonly if it applies to youHenrico County Division of Planning / Board of Zoning AppealsVaries — formula on the Henrico County pagePer application.2026-10-02
BPOL Business License Application (All Industries)Henrico County Department of Finance, Business License SectionVaries — formula on the Henrico County pageAnnual; due March 1. License year ends December 31.2026-10-02
Temporary Certificate of Occupancy Feeonly if it applies to youHenrico County Department of Building Construction & Inspections$25 per temporary certificate of occupancy request or extensionPer request or extension.2026-10-02
Variance / Board of Zoning Appeals Applicationonly if it applies to youHenrico County Division of Planning / Board of Zoning Appeals$300 per variance or Board of Zoning Appeals applicationPer application.2026-10-02

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

VA 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
Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youVirginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk$100 one-time filingno expiry, but a $50 annual registration fee is due every year2026-09-03
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youVirginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the ClerkVaries — formula on the VA pageno expiry, but an annual registration fee and a free annual report are due2026-09-03
Annual Registration Feeonly if it applies to youVirginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the ClerkVaries — formula on the VA pageannual — the last day of the twelfth month after the month of formation2026-09-03
Dealer's Certificate of RegistrationVirginia Department of TaxationNo feeindefinite — valid until the business closes or the certificate is revoked2026-09-03
General Business License — Local BPOL License (Virginia)only if it applies to youVirginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the ClerkVaries — formula on the VA pageannual — usually due 1 March2026-09-03

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 Henrico County?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 17 records listed for a coffee shop in Henrico County, VA, 4 apply to every business of this type and 13 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 4 that always apply, 2 carry a flat fee, coming to $80.00. That is a floor, not a total. 7 of the 17 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 3 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

Temporary Food Establishment Permit: $40.00 for the first Temporary Food Establishment Permit obtained in a calendar year; no additional fee for further temporary permits obtained in that same calendar year.

The other 6 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Henrico County permits page and the VA state page.

Is Henrico County expensive for a coffee shop?

Comparing like with like — only the permits charged as a single flat fee, since a valuation formula has no figure to rank — Henrico County sits where the table below puts it against every other VA jurisdiction covered here that publishes the same permit.

Food Establishment Permit: Henrico County charges $40. Across 4 jurisdictions it runs from $40 in Richmond to $40 in Loudoun County, with a median of $40. 3 charge exactly the same.

Read the spread rather than the rank. Food Establishment Permit varies by $0 between the cheapest and dearest jurisdiction here, which is the sort of gap worth knowing before you sign a lease on one side of a city line rather than the other.

Which offices issue these permits in Henrico County?

Permits for a coffee shop in Henrico County, VA come from 8 separate offices: Henrico County Health Department, Henrico County Department of Building Construction & Inspections, Henrico County Division of Planning / Board of Zoning Appeals, Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority, Henrico County Department of Finance, Business License Section, Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk, Virginia Department of Health, Division of Food and Environmental Services, Virginia Department of Taxation. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.

What does a coffee shop need in Henrico County that other businesses do not?

Alcoholic Beverage Licensing — State-Exclusive

Code of Virginia §4.1-128(A), read directly from the Commonwealth's own code site, bars any county, city, or town from adopting an ordinance or resolution that regulates or prohibits the manufacture, bottling, possession, sale, wholesale distribution, handling, transportation, or dispensing of alcoholic beverages. Because that statute reserves alcohol regulation to the Commonwealth, Henrico County issues no alcohol license of its own and charges no county fee for alcohol sales; a restaurant or coffee shop serving alcohol in Henrico obtains its license entirely from Virginia ABC. Henrico's only role touching an alcohol-licensed premises is its ordinary zoning review of the business location, which is covered by the building and zoning records listed separately for this jurisdiction.

Foodservice Plan Review

Before a new restaurant or coffee shop opens, or an existing one remodels, in Henrico County, or before a food truck's commissary opens or remodels, the Health Department reviews the construction plans for a separate one-time $40.00 fee, as published on its own fee page and re-confirmed live as current, charged in addition to the Food Establishment Permit fee listed separately for this jurisdiction. The Health Department is a local health district of the Virginia Department of Health, cost-shared 55.0% state funds and 45.0% county funds per Henrico's own FY26 Approved Budget. No adoption date for this fee is published on the county's own page.

Shared with other businesses in Henrico County

  • Food Establishment Permit — Henrico County Health Department, $40 per Food Establishment Permit, as published on the Henrico County Health Department's own fee page, Not stated on the county's fee page; Henrico does not publish a specific permit duration for this permit.. Also required for restaurants; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.
  • Temporary Food Establishment Permit — Henrico County Health Department, $40.00 for the first Temporary Food Establishment Permit obtained in a calendar year; no additional fee for further temporary permits obtained in that same calendar year., Per calendar year; one permit per physical unit or booth per event.. Also required for restaurants and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.
  • Food Establishment Permit — Virginia Department of Health, Division of Food and Environmental Services, $40 a year; a new establishment also pays $40 for plan review, annual — no more than twelve months from issue. Also required for restaurants and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.
  • Certified Food Protection Manager — Virginia Department of Health, Division of Food and Environmental Services, No fee, no state-set period — the certifying programme sets its own. Also required for restaurants and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.

The other 6 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Henrico County, VA; what each one involves is set out on the Henrico County permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across VA and are covered on the VA state page.

How does a coffee shop compare with other businesses in Henrico County?

A coffee shop and a restaurant in Henrico County, VA need exactly the same 6 permits beyond the ones every business needs.

Permits particular to each business type in Henrico County, VA, compared with a coffee shop
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a coffee shopOnly a coffee shop needsOnly it needs
Restaurants6600
Food trucks5421
Auto repair shops2062
Childcare centres1061
Contractors and trades5065
Fitness studios2062
Retail stores2062
Salons and barbers2062
Veterinary clinics2062

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 restaurants page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Henrico County permits page and the VA state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Code of Virginia §4.1-128, Localities not to regulate the manufacture or sale of alcoholic beverages, etc.Virginia Division of Legislative Automated Systems · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
  2. Henrico County — Food Service Establishment Permit Application pageHenrico County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
  3. Henrico County FY26 Approved Budget, Public Health section (55%/45% state/county funding split)Henrico County Department of Finance · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02

Related

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