For restaurants

More permits to open than almost any storefront

A restaurant is a stack of licenses before it is a business: the entity, a health permit, a food service license, sales tax, and often music, patio, and sign permits on top. Each has its own agency and renewal. We assemble the exact stack your concept and location need, and keep every one of them current.

Open your restaurant See your permit stack
Health and food permits Food handler permits Renewals tracked
The licensing stack behind restaurants and cafes Health and food permits Food handler permits 4.9 from 8,200+ reviews Renewals never missed
6+ permits
A typical restaurant needs several, from health to sign permits
Per location
Each storefront carries its own local permits
Renewals
Health and local permits expire, and we track every one
Local rates
Sales tax on dine-in and to-go, at your local rate
The stack that decides opening day

The build is ready. The permits are not

Restaurant owners pour everything into the space and the menu, then discover the permits are the long pole. The health inspection, the food service license, and the sign permit each move on their own timeline through their own agency, and a missing one keeps the doors closed no matter how ready the kitchen is.

We map the exact permits your concept and address require, file them in parallel so they land together, and then track every renewal, so opening day is set by your buildout, not by a form nobody knew you needed.

Permits as an afterthought
  • A missed permit that delays opening
  • A sign or patio permit missed entirely
  • Health permit failed on a fixable detail
  • No music license for the playlist
  • A renewal lapse that halts service
Assembled on File.Business
  • The exact permit stack for your concept
  • Every local permit filed together
  • Health permit prepared to pass
  • Music and patio permits included
  • Every renewal tracked and filed
What does your concept actually need?

Describe your restaurant, see the permit stack

Select what applies and watch the stack build. These are common permits, and the exact list depends on your city.

Your restaurant
4permits for your setup, which we file and renew
Business licenseBASE
Health and food service permitBASE
Sales tax permitBASE
Sign permitBASE

Cities add their own permits, from grease traps to fire and occupancy. We confirm your address's exact list and file it. See business licenses.

The whole restaurant setup

Everything a restaurant needs, entity to opening

The business, the permits, and the tax, handled and renewed together.

Entity formation

The LLC or corp behind the restaurant

EIN

Federal tax ID for the business

Health and food permits

Inspection and food service license

Food handler permits

Certifications for your staff

Local business license

City and county to operate

Sales tax

Dine-in and to-go, at local rates

DBA

Register your restaurant name

Compliance calendar

Every permit renewal, tracked
How your restaurant opens

From lease to cleared to serve

Five steps, in the right order. Select one to see the detail.

Step 1

Form the entity behind the restaurant

An LLC or corporation separates your personal assets from a business that serves the public and holds a lease. We form it in your state, with state fees passed through at cost, so the restaurant trades under a real, protected entity from day one.

A protected entity before the lease and the buildout.
Entity: FORMED
Personal assets separated
Ready to sign a lease
Step 2

Get your EIN and sales tax permit

The EIN is your federal tax ID, and a sales tax permit lets you collect on dine-in and to-go orders at your local rate. We set both up, plus a resale certificate so you buy ingredients and supplies for resale without paying tax you will collect later.

Collect at the right rate on every ticket.
EIN: ISSUED
Sales tax permit active
Resale certificate ready
Step 3

File the health and food permits

The county health permit and the food service license are what let you legally prepare and serve food, and they involve an inspection. We prepare the applications and get your paperwork in early, so a fixable detail does not push your opening.

Health inspection and food service license, prepared to pass.
Health permit: FILED
Food service license in
Inspection scheduled
Step 4

File the local business and specialty permits

Your local business license, sign permit, and any patio or music permits round out the stack. We file them alongside the health and food permits so they land together, and we flag anything specific to your concept, from a grease trap to a fire or occupancy permit.

Local business, sign, patio, and music permits, filed together.
Local license: FILED
Local licenses filed
Patio and music covered
Step 5

Renew everything, and open the next one

Health permits, food service licenses, and local licenses all renew on their own schedules, and a lapse can stop service. We track every renewal, and when you open a second location, we repeat the whole stack for that address.

Every renewal, and the next location, in the calendar.
Renewals: TRACKED
Second location ready
Service never interrupted
How this compares for a restaurant

The full stack, and the renewals

Most options handle one permit and leave the rest to you. Here is the difference.

CapabilityFile.BusinessDIY at city hallPermit expediterGeneric filer
Full permit stack mapped to your conceptOn your ownNot available
Entity and sales tax handledManualNot availableFormation only
Sign, patio, and music permitsIf you knowSometimesNot available
Renewals tracked across permitsNot availableRarelyNot available
Repeat the stack for a new locationNot availablePer jobPer filing
Transparent, published pricingHourlyPer filing

The honest version. A local permit expediter and a hospitality attorney are worth it for a tricky permit or a landlord dispute, and nothing here is legal advice. What File.Business does is assemble the routine permit stack, handle the entity and tax, and track the renewals, so your team runs the restaurant instead of the paperwork. Compare on the comparison hub.

BosAI for restaurants

An operator who knows the permit map

Ask in plain English. BosAI knows the health, food, and local permits, and their timelines.

BosAIOwner workspace, Harbor and Vine

We sign the lease next month. Which permit should we start first?

The health permit, in most cases. It requires an inspection of your kitchen and facilities, so the timing follows your buildout, and getting the application in early keeps a fixable detail from pushing your date. I have it queued, with your local business license moving alongside it.

Do we charge sales tax on takeout the same as dine-in?

It depends on your state and city, since prepared food is taxed differently from place to place, and dine-in and to-go can differ. I have your sales tax permit set to the correct local rules so your point of sale charges the right amount on each ticket. See sales tax.

We are planning a second location across town. Start over?

Mostly, yes. Permits are tied to the address, so the new spot needs its own health permit, local business license, and sign permit, even in the same city. I will repeat the stack for that location and add its renewals to the same calendar, so both restaurants stay current.
From a restaurant owner

We opened on the date we set

My first place opened three weeks late because a county permit was still pending and I had not started it early enough. For this one, File.Business mapped every permit, started the slow ones first, and kept them moving in parallel. The health permit, the food service license, and the local licenses all landed before the build was done. We opened the day we announced.
Owner
Full-service restaurant
6 permits
mapped and filed in parallel
Health
permit prepared to pass first time
On time
opened on the planned date

Representative composite based on restaurant outcomes. Nothing here is legal advice; consult your professionals for your situation.

Restaurant guides and tools

Licenses, sales tax, and the name

Practical resources for opening and running a restaurant. All free to read.

Guide

Business licenses

What a food business needs from the city and county.

Read the guide Guide

Sales tax registration

Prepared food, dine-in, and to-go rules.

Read it Explainer

DBA explained

Registering your restaurant's name.

Read it Live tool

Compliance calendar

Permit renewals and sales tax, tracked.

Open the calendar
For the questions owners actually ask

Straight answers on permits, food safety, and tax

What permits does a restaurant need to open?
It varies by concept and city, but most restaurants need a business entity, a local business license, a county health permit, a food service license, and a sales tax permit, plus a food handler certification for staff and often a sign permit, patio permit, and music license. We map the exact list for your address and file it. See business licenses.
What food safety permits and certifications do we need?
Beyond the health permit for the establishment, most jurisdictions require a food handler or food manager certification for staff, and some require a certified food protection manager on site. We flag the certifications your city expects and include them in your permit stack so nothing is missed at inspection.
What is the health department permit?
It is the county or city permit that lets you legally prepare and serve food, and it typically requires passing a health inspection of your kitchen and facilities. We prepare the application and your documentation so the inspection focuses on the space, not on missing paperwork.
How does sales tax work on food, dine-in versus to-go?
Prepared food is taxed differently from state to state and city to city, and dine-in and to-go can be treated differently, on top of any local rate. We register your sales tax permit and set the correct rules so your point of sale charges the right amount on each ticket. See sales tax registration.
Do I need a license to play music?
Often, yes. Playing recorded or live music publicly in your restaurant generally requires a music performance license from the relevant rights organizations, separate from a streaming subscription. We flag it and include it in your permit stack so a playlist does not become a liability.
What changes when I open a second location?
Most permits are tied to the address, so a second restaurant needs its own health permit, business license, and sign permit, even in the same city and under the same entity. We repeat the permit stack for the new location and track both sets of renewals together. See retail for multi-location structure.
Should my restaurant be an LLC or an S-corp?
Most restaurants start as an LLC for its liability protection, which matters when you serve the public and hold a lease. Once the business is consistently profitable, an S-corp election can reduce self-employment tax, subject to a reasonable salary. We flag when your numbers make it worth it. See S-corp election.
Does this replace my expediter or attorney?
No, and this is not legal advice. A local permit expediter and a hospitality attorney help with a difficult permit or a landlord issue. File.Business assembles the routine permit stack, handles the entity and tax, and tracks the renewals, so your specialists focus on the hard cases. Talk to us.
Every permit for your concept

Open your doors on the day you planned

Form the entity, map the exact permit stack, start the slow ones first, and let us keep every renewal current across your locations. Start now, or talk with our team about your concept.

Open your restaurant See the compliance calendar
SOC 2 Type II · Not a law firm · State fees passed through at cost