The agencies state $47,460 in initial fees across 5 of the 11 items; 3 are free; 3 are set by the city, the county or a provider. Rent, build-out and equipment come on top and depend on the space.
How much does it cost to open a brewery taproom in North Dakota?
$47,460 in state fees the agencies state, across 5 of the 11 licenses, permits and registrations; 3 are free; 3 are set by the city, the county or a provider. Rent, build-out and equipment come on top.
What the state publishes for a brewery taproom in North Dakota
Drafted from the agencies’ own pages; some rows still wait to be confirmed. Open the official page before you pay anything.
- Stated state fees
- $47,460initial fees across 5 of 11 items
- Free items
- 3no fee as the agency publishes it
- Set elsewhere
- 3by the city, the county or a provider
- Items in all
- 11in the order to get them
Initial fees as each agency states them, summed; renewals are not included. Where a fee depends on size or sales the range is the lowest to the highest stated. Members see each row’s fee, its renewal and the official page.
Set up the business
Item Agency Fee Articles of organization (LLC) and the annual report North Dakota Secretary of State Premium only Trade name registration (DBA) North Dakota Secretary of State Premium only Employer Identification Number (EIN) Internal Revenue Service Free Register for tax
Item Agency Fee Sales and use tax permit and income tax withholding account North Dakota Office of State Tax Commissioner Free City business or occupational license Your city auditor’s office Premium only Approve the space
Item Agency Fee Zoning approval, building permits and certificate of occupancy Your city or county planning and building inspections departments Premium only Get the permits for your kind of business
Item Agency Fee Food establishment license North Dakota Health and Human Services Premium only Person in charge; certified food protection manager where the city requires one Health and Human Services or your local public health unit Free Alcohol permits
Item Agency Fee Local retail alcoholic beverage license, then the state retail license Your city Premium only Brewer taproom license (or microbrew pub licenses) North Dakota Office of State Tax Commissioner Premium only Before the first hire
Item Agency Fee Unemployment insurance account, new hire reporting and workers’ compensation (WSI) Job Service North Dakota Premium only
What comes on top of the fees
The state publishes its fees; the space sets the rest. These work it out from your own numbers.
- Rent the business can carryMonthly sales, or seats and average check, to the base rent that fits a healthy occupancy share.Rent-to-sales calculator
- The real cost of a NNN leaseBase rent plus CAM, property taxes and insurance, each month.NNN lease calculator
- The steps in orderThe same items as a walk-through you tick off, with progress saved to your account.How to open
Fees are shown to members as published. Create an account.
Sources and dates
Secretary of State FirstStop business filing pages; N.D.C.C. 10-32.1-92 (fees); Secretary of State trade name registration pages; N.D.C.C. 47-25; IRS EIN page; Office of State Tax Commissioner business registration pages (North Dakota Taxpayer Access Point, ND TAP); City of Fargo business and occupational licensing pages; city ordinances; Department of Commerce, Division of Community Services (State Building Code adoption); city ordinances; Health and Human Services food and beverage establishment pages; N.D.A.C. 33-33-08 (food establishment license fees); N.D.C.C. 23-09-02; HHS memo on the North Dakota Food Code adoption (exclusion of Food Code 2-102.12); North Dakota Food Code guide for food handlers; Attorney General application for state retail alcoholic beverage license (SFN 11066, revised May 2026) fee schedule; N.D.C.C. 5-02-03 (local license fees) and 5-02-04 (state license fees); City of Fargo liquor control board records; N.D.C.C. 5-01-21 (brewer taproom license) and 5-01-14 (microbrew pub); Office of State Tax Commissioner alcohol licensing pages; Job Service North Dakota 2026 unemployment insurance tax rate schedule; Workforce Safety and Insurance employer account pages; Child Support new hire reporting fact sheet (N.D.C.C. 34-15). Fees are as published by each agency on the date checked; cities and counties add their own.