Commercial Compliance Hub
Check requirements

13 permits · verified 2026-09-06

What permits do you need to open a restaurant in Green Bay?

In short

A restaurant in Green Bay, WI has 7 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 6 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City of Green Bay Community & Economic Development, Building/Zoning Permits charges $75 for commercial, educational, institutional, or industrial uses for the certificate of occupancy. 5 of the 13 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-06 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a restaurant in Green Bay

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Retail Food Establishment LicenseBrown County Health and Human Services, Public Health Division, Environmental Health UnitRetail food serving meals: Prepackaged $217, Simple $455, Moderate $590, Complex $745 (an additional food-prep area is $125). Retail food not serving meals: Micro Market $40 ($60 if 2+ in the same building), Prepackaged $145, Simple TCS $414, Simple Non-TCS $516, Moderate $650, Complex $1,242. Operating without a Certified Food Manager draws a $150 penalty (rising to $255 if still non-compliant after 12 months); operating without a license at all draws a $500 penalty; a late renewal (after July 1) is $150.annual — renew by July 12026-09-06
Fire InspectionGreen Bay Metro Fire Department, Fire Marshal's Office$50–$250 by building size — $50 (up to 3,000 sq ft), $100 (3,001–10,000), $150 (10,001–50,000), $250 (over 50,000)recurring2026-09-06
Sign PermitCity of Green Bay Community & Economic Development, Building/Zoning PermitsPermanent sign: $40 base plus $0.50 per sq ft. Temporary sign: $40 flat. A sign structural plan review (part of the building-permit plan-approval process) is $75; an electrical permit for an illuminated sign is $100.one-time, per sign2026-09-06
Retail Food Establishment LicenseWisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, Division of Food and Recreational Safety$105–$1,457.35 a year — $105 to $540 from the state, more where a local health department is the licensing agentannual, expiring 30 June2026-09-03
Certified Food Protection Manageronly if it applies to youWisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, Division of Food and Recreational SafetyNo fee5 years2026-09-03

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 Green Bay

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
General Business License — City of Green Bay Fee Schedule Positiononly if it applies to youCity of Green Bay Clerk's OfficeNo feenot applicable2026-09-06
Certificate of OccupancyCity of Green Bay Community & Economic Development, Building/Zoning Permits$75 for commercial, educational, institutional, or industrial usesissued once per qualifying occupancy2026-09-06
Commercial Building PermitCity of Green Bay Community & Economic Development, Building/Zoning PermitsVaries — formula on the Green Bay pageone-time, per project2026-09-06

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

WI 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 Incorporationonly if it applies to youWisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services$100 one-time filing, on paper or onlineperpetual, but an annual report is due each year2026-09-03
General Business License — Wisconsin positiononly if it applies to youWisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer ServicesNo feenot applicable2026-09-03
Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youWisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services$130 one-time online filing plus a $1 portal fee; $170 on paperperpetual, but an annual report is due each year2026-09-03
Annual Reportonly if it applies to youWisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services$25 a year online; $40 on paper, which is the $25 plus a $15 paper surchargeannual — due at the end of the calendar quarter containing the anniversary of formation2026-09-03
Seller's Permit and Business Tax RegistrationWisconsin Department of Revenue$20 initial registration covering two years; $10 to renew each two-year period2 years2026-09-03

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 Green Bay?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 13 records listed for a restaurant in Green Bay, WI, 7 apply to every business of this type and 6 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, 2 carry a flat fee, coming to $95.00. That is a floor, not a total. 5 of the 13 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:

Retail Food Establishment License: Retail food serving meals: Prepackaged $217, Simple $455, Moderate $590, Complex $745 (an additional food-prep area is $125). Retail food not serving meals: Micro Market $40 ($60 if 2+ in the same building), Prepackaged $145, Simple TCS $414, Simple Non-TCS $516, Moderate $650, Complex $1,242. Operating without a Certified Food Manager draws a $150 penalty (rising to $255 if still non-compliant after 12 months); operating without a license at all draws a $500 penalty; a late renewal (after July 1) is $150.

Fire Inspection: $50–$250 by building size — $50 (up to 3,000 sq ft), $100 (3,001–10,000), $150 (10,001–50,000), $250 (over 50,000)

Sign Permit: Permanent sign: $40 base plus $0.50 per sq ft. Temporary sign: $40 flat. A sign structural plan review (part of the building-permit plan-approval process) is $75; an electrical permit for an illuminated sign is $100.

Retail Food Establishment License: $105–$1,457.35 a year — $105 to $540 from the state, more where a local health department is the licensing agent

The other 1 variable fee belongs to permits that apply to every type of business here; its formula is set out on the Green Bay permits page and the WI state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Green Bay?

Permits for a restaurant in Green Bay, WI come from 7 separate offices: Brown County Health and Human Services, Public Health Division, Environmental Health Unit, City of Green Bay Clerk's Office, Green Bay Metro Fire Department, Fire Marshal's Office, City of Green Bay Community & Economic Development, Building/Zoning Permits, Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services, Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, Division of Food and Recreational Safety, Wisconsin Department of Revenue. 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 Green Bay that other businesses do not?

Retail Food Establishment License

The City of Green Bay has no health department of its own — confirmed directly in the city's own words: 'The City of Green Bay does not have its own health department, so we rely on the County for these services.' Reinspection for non-compliance is $150/$300/$450 for the 1st/2nd/3rd violation.

Shared with other businesses in Green Bay

  • Fire Inspection — Green Bay Metro Fire Department, Fire Marshal's Office, $50–$250 by building size — $50 (up to 3,000 sq ft), $100 (3,001–10,000), $150 (10,001–50,000), $250 (over 50,000), recurring. 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.
  • Sign Permit — City of Green Bay Community & Economic Development, Building/Zoning Permits, Permanent sign: $40 base plus $0.50 per sq ft. Temporary sign: $40 flat. A sign structural plan review (part of the building-permit plan-approval process) is $75; an electrical permit for an illuminated sign is $100., 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 retail stores page.
  • Retail Food Establishment License — Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, Division of Food and Recreational Safety, $105–$1,457.35 a year — $105 to $540 from the state, more where a local health department is the licensing agent, annual, expiring 30 June. Also required for coffee shops and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
  • Certified Food Protection Manager — Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, Division of Food and Recreational Safety, No fee, 5 years. Also required for coffee shops and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the food trucks page.

The other 3 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Green Bay, WI; what each one involves is set out on the Green Bay permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across WI and are covered on the WI state page.

How does a restaurant compare with other businesses in Green Bay?

A restaurant and a coffee shop in Green Bay, WI need exactly the same 5 permits beyond the ones every business needs.

Permits particular to each business type in Green Bay, WI, compared with a restaurant
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a restaurantOnly a restaurant needsOnly it needs
Coffee shops5500
Fitness studios2230
Retail stores2230
Food trucks3231
Auto repair shops4232
Salons and barbers4232
Veterinary clinics4232
Childcare centres1051
Contractors and trades3053

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, retail stores page, coffee shops page and food trucks page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Green Bay permits page and the WI state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Brown County 2026 Adopted Budget, Rates and Fees AppendixBrown County, Wisconsin · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-06

Related

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