11 permits · verified 2026-10-31
What permits do you need to open a restaurant in Kanawha County?
In short
A restaurant in Kanawha County, WV has 5 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 6 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. West Virginia Tax Division charges $30 one-time, per Business Registration Certificate (a separate certificate for each fixed business location), state fee per TSD 360 for the west virginia business registration certificate (state layer). 4 of the 11 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-31 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a restaurant in Kanawha County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KCHD Permit to Operate — Food Establishment, Food Truck or Temporary Food (Kanawha County) | Kanawha-Charleston Health Department | The fee is set by the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department and is not published on kchd.wv.gov; contact KCHD Environmental Health, 108 Lee St E, Charleston, 304-348-8050, for the current amount. | the KCHD application carries an expiration date field; no term length is stated on KCHD's Permit to Operate page | 2026-10-31 |
| West Virginia ABCA Alcohol License, Class A or Class B (state layer)only if it applies to you | West Virginia Alcohol Beverage Control Administration | The license fee depends on the license class, as listed on the ABCA Licensing page; "An Operational Fee of $100 must be added for each licensed location" (the page marks certain license types to which the operational fee does not apply). | annual, on the ABCA fiscal year from July 1 to June 30 | 2026-10-31 |
| Food Manufacturing Facility Permit | West Virginia Bureau for Public Health | $35–$1,000 a year, banded by the facility's gross sales | annual — expires 30 June | 2026-09-04 |
| Food Handler Permit | West Virginia Bureau for Public Health | $10 capped by statute; the exact fee is set by the local county health department | 1 to 3 years, set locally within that statutory range | 2026-09-04 |
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 Kanawha County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Virginia Business Registration Certificate (state layer) | West Virginia Tax Division | $30 one-time, per Business Registration Certificate (a separate certificate for each fixed business location), state fee per TSD 360 | permanent for each location until the business is relocated or closed, or the certificate is suspended, revoked or canceled by the Tax Commissioner (TSD 360) | 2026-10-31 |
| Kanawha County Building Permit and Floodplain Permit (unincorporated areas)only if it applies to you | Kanawha County Planning and Community Development | Varies — formula on the Kanawha County page | no permit term is stated in the county's Building Permit Guidelines and Procedures | 2026-10-31 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
WV registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | West Virginia Secretary of State, Business and Licensing Division | $100 one-time filing | perpetual, but an annual report is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | West Virginia Secretary of State, Business and Licensing Division | $100 one-time filing | perpetual, but an annual report is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| Annual Reportonly if it applies to you | West Virginia Secretary of State, Business and Licensing Division | $25 a year; a late-filed report adds $50 for a profit entity or $25 for a nonprofit | annual — filed between 1 January and 30 June of the year after registration | 2026-09-04 |
| Sales and Use Tax Registration — West Virginia position (through the Business Registration Certificate)only if it applies to you | West Virginia State Tax Division | No fee | not applicable — no separate permit exists | 2026-09-04 |
| Business Registration Certificate | West Virginia State Tax Division | $30 one-time — the certificate never expires | permanent — valid until the business relocates, closes, or the certificate is suspended or revoked | 2026-09-04 |
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 Kanawha County?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 11 records listed for a restaurant in Kanawha County, WV, 5 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 5 that always apply, 3 carry a flat fee, coming to $70.00. That is a floor, not a total. 4 of the 11 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 1 has no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:
KCHD Permit to Operate — Food Establishment, Food Truck or Temporary Food (Kanawha County): The fee is set by the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department and is not published on kchd.wv.gov; contact KCHD Environmental Health, 108 Lee St E, Charleston, 304-348-8050, for the current amount.
West Virginia ABCA Alcohol License, Class A or Class B (state layer): The license fee depends on the license class, as listed on the ABCA Licensing page; "An Operational Fee of $100 must be added for each licensed location" (the page marks certain license types to which the operational fee does not apply).
Food Manufacturing Facility Permit: $35–$1,000 a year, banded by the facility's gross sales
The other 1 variable fee belongs to permits that apply to every type of business here; its formula is set out on the Kanawha County permits page and the WV state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Kanawha County?
Permits for a restaurant in Kanawha County, WV come from 7 separate offices: West Virginia Tax Division, Kanawha County Planning and Community Development, Kanawha-Charleston Health Department, West Virginia Alcohol Beverage Control Administration, West Virginia Secretary of State, Business and Licensing Division, West Virginia State Tax Division, West Virginia Bureau for Public Health. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- West Virginia Tax DivisionIssues 1 permit on this page: West Virginia Business Registration Certificate (state layer)(304) 558-3333tax.wv.gov/Business/BusinessRegistration/Pages/BusinessRegistration.aspx
- Kanawha County Planning and Community DevelopmentIssues 1 permit on this page: Kanawha County Building Permit and Floodplain Permit (unincorporated areas)407 Virginia Street East, 2nd Floor, Charleston, WV 25301 · (304) 357-0570kanawha.us/about-us/commission-departments/planning-development
- Kanawha-Charleston Health DepartmentIssues 1 permit on this page: KCHD Permit to Operate — Food Establishment, Food Truck or Temporary Food (Kanawha County)108 Lee St E, Charleston, WV 25301 · 304-348-8050kchd.wv.gov
- West Virginia Alcohol Beverage Control AdministrationIssues 1 permit on this page: West Virginia ABCA Alcohol License, Class A or Class B (state layer)304-356-5500abca.wv.gov/licensing
- West Virginia Secretary of State, Business and Licensing DivisionIssues 3 permits on this page: Articles of Incorporation, Articles of Organization (LLC), Annual Report1900 Kanawha Boulevard East, Building 1, Charleston, WV 25305 · (304) 558-8000sos.wv.gov
- West Virginia State Tax DivisionIssues 2 permits on this page: Sales and Use Tax Registration — West Virginia position (through the Business Registration Certificate), Business Registration Certificate(304) 558-3333tax.wv.gov
- West Virginia Bureau for Public HealthIssues 2 permits on this page: Food Manufacturing Facility Permit, Food Handler Permitoehs.wvdhhr.org/phs/food-safety
What does a restaurant need in Kanawha County that other businesses do not?
Food Handler Permit
The statute caps this at $10 but leaves each county health department to set its own procedure and its own fee up to that ceiling, and to choose a validity period anywhere from one to three years. A permit or card must be obtained within thirty days of a food employee being hired. One genuinely useful feature: a card issued by any county is valid throughout the state once an additional fee of up to $10 is paid, so a worker moving between counties need not start over. A current certified food protection manager credential is understood to exempt its holder from this separate card, consistent with how most states treat the two credentials.
Shared with other businesses in Kanawha County
- KCHD Permit to Operate — Food Establishment, Food Truck or Temporary Food (Kanawha County) — Kanawha-Charleston Health Department, The fee is set by the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department and is not published on kchd.wv.gov; contact KCHD Environmental Health, 108 Lee St E, Charleston, 304-348-8050, for the current amount., the KCHD application carries an expiration date field; no term length is stated on KCHD's Permit to Operate page. Also required for coffee shops, food trucks and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
- West Virginia ABCA Alcohol License, Class A or Class B (state layer) — West Virginia Alcohol Beverage Control Administration, The license fee depends on the license class, as listed on the ABCA Licensing page; "An Operational Fee of $100 must be added for each licensed location" (the page marks certain license types to which the operational fee does not apply)., annual, on the ABCA fiscal year from July 1 to June 30. Also required for retail stores; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
- Food Manufacturing Facility Permit — West Virginia Bureau for Public Health, $35–$1,000 a year, banded by the facility's gross sales, annual — expires 30 June. Also required for coffee shops and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the food trucks page.
The other 2 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Kanawha County, WV; what each one involves is set out on the Kanawha County permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across WV and are covered on the WV state page.
How does a restaurant compare with other businesses in Kanawha County?
The closest match is a coffee shop, which shares 3 of these permits. A restaurant also needs West Virginia ABCA Alcohol License, Class A or Class B (state layer). A coffee shop needs nothing here that a restaurant does not.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a restaurant | Only a restaurant needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee shops | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Food trucks | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Retail stores | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Auto repair shops | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| Childcare centres | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| Contractors and trades | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Fitness studios | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| 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 retail stores page and food trucks page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Kanawha County permits page and the WV state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- West Virginia Code section 16-2-16 — food handler permits, capped at $10 and valid statewideState of West Virginia · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
Related
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.