14 permits · verified 2026-09-14
What permits do you need to open a restaurant in Gillette?
In short
A restaurant in Gillette, WY has 5 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 9 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City of Gillette, Development Services — Building Division charges $30 per sign permit, including LED signs but not video for the sign permit. 3 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 Gillette
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food Establishment License — State Department of Agriculture (Gillette)only if it applies to you | City of Gillette, City Clerk | No fee | not applicable locally; the state license expires one year after the date of issuance | 2026-09-14 |
| Sign Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Gillette, Development Services — Building Division | $30 per sign permit, including LED signs but not video | not stated in the published fee 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 Gillette
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Business License — City of Gillette position (enumerated licenses only)only if it applies to you | City of Gillette, City Clerk | No fee | not applicable to a general license; enumerated licenses are valid for the calendar year in which granted under §10-1(3)(b) | 2026-09-14 |
| Commercial Site Plan / Zoning Variance and Planning Applicationsonly if it applies to you | City of Gillette, Development Services — City Planning Division | Varies — formula on the Gillette page | one-time per application | 2026-09-14 |
| Fire Inspection and Permits (joint powers department; fees not published) | Campbell County Fire Department (Gillette/Wright/Campbell County Fire Protection Joint Powers Board) | No fee | a business life safety survey is annual, per the department's own list of inspection types ('Life Safety Survey (annual business)'); construction acceptance inspections are one-time | 2026-09-14 |
| Certificate of Occupancy — Required; No Fee Line in Chapter 5 (Gillette) | City of Gillette, Development Services — Building Division | No fee | one-time, issued before occupancy | 2026-09-14 |
| Building Permit (priced by floor area, not valuation) | City of Gillette, Development Services — Building Division | Varies — formula on the Gillette page | not stated in the published fee schedule | 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 Gillette?
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 Gillette, WY, 5 apply to every business of this type and 9 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, 2 carry a flat fee, coming to $260.00. That is a floor, not a total. 3 of the 14 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 6 have no fee published at all.
The other 3 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Gillette permits page and the WY state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Gillette?
Permits for a restaurant in Gillette, WY come from 7 separate offices: City of Gillette, City Clerk, City of Gillette, Development Services — City Planning Division, Campbell County Fire Department (Gillette/Wright/Campbell County Fire Protection Joint Powers Board), City of Gillette, Development Services — Building Division, 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 Gillette, City ClerkIssues 2 permits on this page: General Business License — City of Gillette position (enumerated licenses only), Food Establishment License — State Department of Agriculture (Gillette)City Hall, 201 E. 5th Street, 1st Floor, Gillette, WY 82716 · (307) 686-5210www.gillettewy.gov/Departments/Public-Affairs/City-Clerk
- City of Gillette, Development Services — City Planning DivisionIssues 1 permit on this page: Commercial Site Plan / Zoning Variance and Planning ApplicationsCity Hall, 201 E. 5th Street, 2nd Floor, Gillette, WY 82716 · (307) 686-5281www.gillettewy.gov/Departments/Development-Services/City-Planning-Division
- Campbell County Fire Department (Gillette/Wright/Campbell County Fire Protection Joint Powers Board)Issues 1 permit on this page: Fire Inspection and Permits (joint powers department; fees not published)106 Rohan Avenue, Gillette, WY 82716 · (307) 682-5319www.ccfire.us
- City of Gillette, Development Services — Building DivisionIssues 3 permits on this page: Certificate of Occupancy — Required; No Fee Line in Chapter 5 (Gillette), Building Permit (priced by floor area, not valuation), Sign PermitCity Hall, 201 E. 5th Street, 2nd Floor, Gillette, WY 82716 · (307) 686-5260www.gillettewy.gov/Departments/Development-Services/Building-Division
- 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 Gillette that other businesses do not?
Sign Permit
At a flat $30.00 this costs less than the sign permit in Cheyenne or Casper, and the schedule's parenthetical is worth reading carefully — it 'includes LED, not video,' so an animated video display is not covered by this line and would need to be priced separately with the Building Division. Electrical work on an illuminated sign is charged on its own table: §5-IV-2 sets a $10.00 minimum electrical permit fee plus $10.00 for each lighted sign. The work must be done by the right license class — the contractor rules provide that 'A Licensed Class D – Electrical Contractor must obtain a permit for electrical work associated with a sign,' and signage is one of the named Class C specialty categories.
Shared with other businesses in Gillette
- Food Establishment License — State Department of Agriculture (Gillette) — City of Gillette, City Clerk, No fee, not applicable locally; the state license expires one year after the date of issuance. Also required for coffee shops and retail stores; 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 Gillette, WY; what each one involves is set out on the Gillette 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 Gillette?
A restaurant and a coffee shop in Gillette, 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 |
| Retail stores | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Fitness studios | 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
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 coffee shops page and food trucks page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Gillette permits page and the WY state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Gillette City Code Chapter 5 (Buildings), revised June 2026 — §5-I adopting the 2024 International Building Code and naming the Fire Protection Joint Powers Board as the City's fire prevention department, §5-III contractor and trade license fees, and §5-IV-1 the square-footage building permit fee schedule, plan review escalation, re-inspection fee and unpermitted-work investigation fee, with §5-IV-2 electrical and §5-IV-3 plumbing permit feesCity of Gillette · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-14
Related
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.