10 licenses, permits and registrations, in the order to get them, each with the agency, the fee and the official page, and what the Census counts of cocktail bars in Delaware say.
10 licenses, permits and registrations, in the order to get them
Every row checked against its agency’s page; the latest on Oct 21, 2026.
Step 1 of 6Set up the business. Now: Certificate of formation (LLC) and the annual LLC tax
0 of 10 items done. Each step opens when the one before it is complete. Progress stays on this device. Members keep a dated, noted plan for each saved location in the workspace.
1Set up the business0 of 3
File online or through a registered agent; every Delaware LLC names a registered agent with a Delaware street address. The $300 payment due June 1, 2026 covered 2025 and the first $400 payment falls due June 1, 2027. A late payment adds a $200 penalty plus 1.5% interest a month, and three unpaid years cancel the certificate.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Since February 2, 2026 trade names are filed once, statewide, in the Delaware Trade Name Registry on One Stop rather than with each county’s Prothonotary, with no notarization. Needed whenever the business trades under any name other than the owner’s legal name or the LLC’s registered name; a state business license is required to register.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Needed to hire, to open a business bank account and for the One Stop registration. Issued at once online.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Register for taxOpens after step 1
Every business operating in Delaware holds a Division of Revenue business license before opening; One Stop issues it and, with one application, registers the business for gross receipts tax, employer withholding, unemployment insurance and workers’ compensation reporting. A separate license is needed for each distinct activity. Nothing is collected from customers; there is no sales tax to charge.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Wilmington, Dover, Newark and most incorporated towns license businesses inside their limits in addition to the state license, and ask for a copy of the state license with the application. Ask the town before signing the lease; outside town limits only the state license applies.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Approve the spaceOpens after step 2
Confirm the zoning allows your use before signing. Any change of use or tenant fit-out is reviewed by the State Fire Marshal before the county or town issues building permits, and the final fire inspection comes before the certificate of occupancy. New Castle County issues a certificate of use that the liquor, food and child care licenses all ask for; parcels inside a town need the town’s approval first.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Get the permits for your kind of businessOpens after step 3
Delaware permits food at the state level, not through county health departments. Mail the plan review application with the menu, floor plan and equipment list to the Office in Dover before building out; reviews run about 30 working days, and the permit issues after the pre-operational inspection. Restaurants, bars, coffee shops, bakeries and ice cream shops are all food establishments under the Food Code. A second re-inspection costs $50, a third $100 and later ones $150. Ask the Office of Food Protection (302-744-4546) which permit class and fee apply to your menu.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
At least one employee, the person in charge at the time of inspection, holds a food protection manager certificate from an accredited program. The Division grants a standing variance to very low, low and medium risk establishments, so a coffee shop or bakery may face a lighter rule than a full restaurant; ask the Office which risk category you fall in.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Alcohol permitsOpens after step 4
Apply through the Commissioner’s online portal with the lease, floor plan, zoning approval and owners’ disclosures; notice is published in two newspapers and posted at the premises, and a protest within 30 days brings a public hearing. A restaurant license goes to a premises kept principally to serve meals; a bar without that character holds a taproom or tavern license, which must sit at least 1,200 feet by road from any other taproom or tavern in a town, or 0.9 miles outside one. Allow 60 to 90 days. Ask the Commissioner’s office whether the fee schedule changes in January 2027 before you file.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Before the first hireOpens after step 5
Workers’ compensation insurance is required for every employer with one or more employees, and the policy must be in force before work begins. Report each new hire to the State Directory of New Hires within 20 days. Businesses under 10 employees are outside Paid Leave.
The free location checkWho lives and works around an address, the cocktail bars already there and the traffic on its road, from public records.
The full reportWhether the rules allow a cocktail bar at that address, the rent it supports, what has opened and closed nearby, and the questions to settle before signing.
No account. The cocktail bar check reads public records at the address itself.
Sources and dates
Division of Corporations fee schedule and LLC tax pages; 6 Del. C. 18-1107 as amended by House Bill 400 (85 Del. Laws c. 273); One Stop trade name pages and FAQ; 6 Del. C. chapter 31 as amended by House Bill 40 and Senate Bill 291; IRS EIN page; Division of Revenue tax tips for general retailers and restaurant retailers; 30 Del. C. chapters 23 and 29; One Stop registration pages; City of Wilmington business license application and 2023 fee ordinance; municipal codes; State Fire Marshal tenant fit-out, renovation and occupancy change application; New Castle County certificate of use requirements; county and municipal codes; Office of Food Protection plan review requirements; 16 Del. C. 134 as amended in 2020; State of Delaware Food Code (16 DE Admin. Code 4458); State of Delaware Food Code 2-102.12; Office of Food Protection certified food protection manager FAQ; 4 Del. C. 554 (license fees) and 541 (hearings); Commissioner’s FAQ and online licensing pages; Department of Labor employer services pages (2026 taxable wage base and merit rate table); Delaware Paid Leave FAQ; Office of Workers’ Compensation employer knowledge base (19 Del. C. 2306); Division of Child Support Services employer pages; U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023; U.S. Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics. Fees are as published by each agency on the date checked; cities add their own.
Questions about opening here.
10 items, in order: certificate of formation (llc) and the annual llc tax, trade name (dba) registration, employer identification number (ein), state business license, gross receipts tax and withholding registration, city or town business license and zoning approval, state fire marshal plan review and certificate of occupancy, and 4 more.
Delaware Division of Corporations, Delaware Division of Revenue, Internal Revenue Service, Your municipality, Your county or municipal land use and building office and Delaware Division of Public Health, and 2 more.
With certificate of formation (llc) and the annual llc tax (Delaware Division of Corporations), then trade name (dba) registration. The steps run structure, tax, space, permits, alcohol and employer, in that order.
Yes, to sell it: restaurant, taproom or tavern license. The local license usually comes first.
Each item's fee, renewal cycle and official page are shown to members, as the agency published them on the date checked. Cities and counties add their own fees.
How to open a cocktail bar in Delaware (2026) | DoorWorthy
