14 permits · verified 2026-09-14
What permits do you need to open a restaurant in Cheyenne?
In short
A restaurant in Cheyenne, WY has 6 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 8 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City of Cheyenne, City Clerk's Office charges $115 per year, per food service establishment for the food service establishment license. 5 of the 14 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-14 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a restaurant in Cheyenne
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food Service Establishment License | City of Cheyenne, City Clerk's Office | $115 per year, per food service establishment | one year from the date of issuance, under CMC §8.40.060 | 2026-09-14 |
| Sign Permit (building permit plus review fee)only if it applies to you | City of Cheyenne, Planning and Development Department | There is no standalone flat sign fee. The Unified Development Code requires a building permit for every sign, so the cost is the §15.08.030 valuation-based building permit fee computed on the sign's value, plus a $50.00 Sign Permit Review Fee on the planning schedule. A sign permit variance is $1,370.00 is not charged here; a zoning variance, where one is needed, is $675.00. | not stated in the published schedule | 2026-09-14 |
| Food Establishment Permit | Wyoming Department of Agriculture, Consumer Health Services | $200 initial license; annual renewal is $100; a temporary permit of up to 14 days is $50 | annual | 2026-09-04 |
| Food Handler / Manager Certification — Wyoming Food Safety Ruleonly if it applies to you | Wyoming Department of Agriculture, Consumer Health Services | No fee | not applicable statewide | 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 Cheyenne
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conditional Use Permit / Zoning Variance / Site Plan Reviewonly if it applies to you | City of Cheyenne, Planning and Development Department | Varies — formula on the Cheyenne page | one-time per application | 2026-09-14 |
| Building Permit | City of Cheyenne, Compliance Department — Building Safety | Varies — formula on the Cheyenne page | not stated in the published schedule; renewal of an expired permit costs fifteen percent of the original permit valuation | 2026-09-14 |
| General Business License — City of Cheyenne position (twenty-eight enumerated categories)only if it applies to you | City of Cheyenne, City Clerk's Office | No fee | not applicable to a general license; enumerated licenses expire annually, one year from the date of issuance, with a thirty-day grace period and a $25.00 late renewal fee | 2026-09-14 |
| Fire Inspection and Operational Permit (fee not published) | Cheyenne Fire Rescue | No fee | not stated in any published source | 2026-09-14 |
| Certificate of Occupancy (final certificate free; temporary and change of use charged) | City of Cheyenne, Compliance Department — Building Safety | Varies — formula on the Cheyenne page | a temporary certificate is converted within thirty, sixty or ninety days on the refund scale | 2026-09-14 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
WY registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Business License — Wyoming Positiononly if it applies to you | Wyoming Secretary of State, Business Division | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-04 |
| Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | Wyoming Secretary of State, Business Division | $100 one-time filing | perpetual, but an annual report license tax is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | Wyoming Secretary of State, Business Division | $100 one-time filing | perpetual, but an annual report license tax is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| Annual Report License Taxonly if it applies to you | Wyoming Secretary of State, Business Division | Varies — formula on the WY page | annual — due in the entity's own anniversary month of formation; may be filed up to 120 days early | 2026-09-04 |
| Sales Tax Vendor License | Wyoming Department of Revenue, Excise Tax Division | $60 one-time — reinstating a forfeited license also costs $60 | no expiration — valid without further payment until the department revokes it | 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 Cheyenne?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 14 records listed for a restaurant in Cheyenne, WY, 6 apply to every business of this type and 8 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 6 that always apply, 3 carry a flat fee, coming to $375.00. That is a floor, not a total. 5 of the 14 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 4 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:
Sign Permit (building permit plus review fee): There is no standalone flat sign fee. The Unified Development Code requires a building permit for every sign, so the cost is the §15.08.030 valuation-based building permit fee computed on the sign's value, plus a $50.00 Sign Permit Review Fee on the planning schedule. A sign permit variance is $1,370.00 is not charged here; a zoning variance, where one is needed, is $675.00.
The other 4 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Cheyenne permits page and the WY state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Cheyenne?
Permits for a restaurant in Cheyenne, WY come from 7 separate offices: City of Cheyenne, City Clerk's Office, City of Cheyenne, Planning and Development Department, City of Cheyenne, Compliance Department — Building Safety, Cheyenne Fire Rescue, Wyoming Department of Agriculture, Consumer Health Services, Wyoming Secretary of State, Business Division, Wyoming Department of Revenue, Excise Tax Division. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- City of Cheyenne, City Clerk's OfficeIssues 2 permits on this page: Food Service Establishment License, General Business License — City of Cheyenne position (twenty-eight enumerated categories)Municipal Building, 2101 O'Neil Avenue, Room 101, Cheyenne, WY 82001 · (307) 637-6329www.cheyennecity.org/Your-Government/Departments/City-Clerk/Licenses-and-Permits
- City of Cheyenne, Planning and Development DepartmentIssues 2 permits on this page: Conditional Use Permit / Zoning Variance / Site Plan Review, Sign Permit (building permit plus review fee)2101 O'Neil Avenue, Room 202, Cheyenne, WY 82001 · (307) 637-6282www.cheyennecity.org/Your-Government/Departments/Planning-and-Development-Department
- City of Cheyenne, Compliance Department — Building SafetyIssues 2 permits on this page: Building Permit, Certificate of Occupancy (final certificate free; temporary and change of use charged)2101 O'Neil Avenue, Room 202, Cheyenne, WY 82001 · (307) 637-6265www.cheyennecity.org/Your-Government/Departments/Compliance-Department/Building-Permitting-Licensing
- Cheyenne Fire RescueIssues 1 permit on this page: Fire Inspection and Operational Permit (fee not published)415 W. 18th Street, Cheyenne, WY 82001 · (307) 637-6311www.cheyennecity.org/Your-Government/Departments/Cheyenne-Fire-Rescue
- Wyoming Department of Agriculture, Consumer Health ServicesIssues 2 permits on this page: Food Establishment Permit, Food Handler / Manager Certification — Wyoming Food Safety Rule2219 Carey Avenue, Cheyenne, WY 82002 · (307) 777-7211agriculture.wy.gov/consumer-health-services
- Wyoming Secretary of State, Business DivisionIssues 4 permits on this page: General Business License — Wyoming Position, Articles of Organization (LLC), Articles of Incorporation, Annual Report License TaxHerschler Building East, Suite 101, 122 W 25th Street, Cheyenne, WY 82002 · (307) 777-7311sos.wyo.gov/Business/default.aspx
- Wyoming Department of Revenue, Excise Tax DivisionIssues 1 permit on this page: Sales Tax Vendor License122 West 25th Street, Suite E301, Cheyenne, WY 82002excise-tax-div.wyo.gov
What does a restaurant need in Cheyenne that other businesses do not?
Shared with other businesses in Cheyenne
- Food Service Establishment License — City of Cheyenne, City Clerk's Office, $115 per year, per food service establishment, one year from the date of issuance, under CMC §8.40.060. Also required for coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
- Sign Permit (building permit plus review fee) — City of Cheyenne, Planning and Development Department, There is no standalone flat sign fee. The Unified Development Code requires a building permit for every sign, so the cost is the §15.08.030 valuation-based building permit fee computed on the sign's value, plus a $50.00 Sign Permit Review Fee on the planning schedule. A sign permit variance is $1,370.00 is not charged here; a zoning variance, where one is needed, is $675.00., not stated in the published schedule. Also required for coffee shops, retail stores, fitness studios, auto repair shops, veterinary clinics and salons and barbers; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
- Food Establishment Permit — Wyoming Department of Agriculture, Consumer Health Services, $200 initial license; annual renewal is $100; a temporary permit of up to 14 days is $50, annual. Also required for coffee shops and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the food trucks page.
- Food Handler / Manager Certification — Wyoming Food Safety Rule — Wyoming Department of Agriculture, Consumer Health Services, No fee, not applicable statewide. Also required for coffee shops and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the food trucks page.
The other 5 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Cheyenne, WY; what each one involves is set out on the Cheyenne permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across WY and are covered on the WY state page.
How does a restaurant compare with other businesses in Cheyenne?
A restaurant and a coffee shop in Cheyenne, WY need exactly the same 4 permits beyond the ones every business needs.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a restaurant | Only a restaurant needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee shops | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Food trucks | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Fitness studios | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Retail stores | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Auto repair shops | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Veterinary clinics | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Salons and barbers | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Childcare centres | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| Contractors and trades | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
Sources
Sources for the permits shared with other businesses are listed with their explanations on the coffee shops page and food trucks page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Cheyenne permits page and the WY state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
Related
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.