Hi nellieFoo, Have you had a chance to check out the Permit Me Tool? Just plug in your city and industry and it will generate a list of permits that you would need to apply for. We also have a guide for the food and beverage industry, so feel free to take a look. Thank you everyone who has been responding with such good information!

No, you will not need a license for the kitchen. But, you may need a license as the business owner because you yourself will be handling food. Generally, though, the only thing that is inspected is the kitchen and if you are renting space in a kitchen that is licensed, then you'll be fine. You do, however, need to make sure that the licenses are up to date and that the inspectors did not find any problems. You should also get copies of all the licenses and permits for your business records just in case the Health Department ever questions you. In many states, the state Department of Agriculture is usually in charge of restaurant inspections. Call the department to make sure everythis is on the up and up. If you have additional questions, do a search online for Name of your State Food Inspection or Name of your State Food Handling laws. Best of luck! :) Message Edited by hostingdiva on 10-22-2009 09:52 AM

You can find out with a quick call to your local health department (they do commercial kitchen inspections). Usually, the kitchen is licensed and anyone working in it is covered, though you may want to photocopy the license for your records. Kitchens are inspected and licensed annually.