By document
Permit types, explained
The same permit goes by different names in different places. Each page here is the canonical explainer, listing the local names that mean the same thing.
- Food service establishment permitA public health permit required before any business prepares, handles or serves food to the public. Issued locally, renewed annually in most jurisdictions, and usually conditional on a plan review and a pre-opening inspection.Public health
- Certificate of occupancyA building department document certifying that a space is legally usable for a stated purpose. It is a prerequisite for most other permits, which is why it sits first in almost every opening sequence.Building and zoning
- General business licenseA general license to trade in a jurisdiction, usually issued by a city or county clerk and often tied to a gross receipts filing rather than a flat fee.General registration
- Fire inspection certificateConfirmation that a premises has passed fire inspection. Usually annual, usually required to be displayed on site, and commonly the record operators forget until an inspector asks for it.Life safety
- Sign permitAuthorisation for exterior signage, typically charged per sign face and assessed against local size, illumination and setback rules.Building and zoning
- Sales and use tax permitState registration to collect and remit sales tax. Usually free, usually with no expiry, and required before the first taxable sale rather than after it.Tax registration
The six types side by side
From 2,174 published records classified under these types. The median is taken over the dollar figures agencies publish, on whatever basis each states.
| Permit type | Jurisdictions | States | Median fee | Usual term |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food service establishment permit | 380 | 50 | $274 | annual |
| Certificate of occupancy | 203 | 49 | $125 | issued once per qualifying occupancy |
| General business license | 308 | 51 | $100 | not applicable |
| Fire inspection certificate | 55 | 21 | $100 | annual |
| Sign permit | 213 | 50 | $100 | one-time, per sign |
| Sales and use tax permit | 57 | 51 | $50 | not applicable |
Why group permits by type?
A food permit in one county is a health permit in the next and a food enterprise license in a third. Grouping them by what they do, not what they are called, lets you compare fees and terms across places and spot the permit you have not heard of yet. Each jurisdiction's own page keeps the local name, so the form you file still matches what the agency calls it.