9 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 coffee shops in Washington say.
9 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 5Set up the business. Now: Certificate of formation (LLC) and the annual report
0 of 9 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 through the Corporations and Charities Filing System. The certificate names a registered agent with a Washington street address, and the initial report is free when filed with the certificate. Form the LLC before applying for the state business license, which asks for the Unified Business Identifier the filing creates.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Needed whenever the business trades under any name other than the owner’s full legal name or the LLC’s registered name. Washington registers trade names on the state business license, not with the county, so most owners add it on the same application.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Needed to hire, to open a business bank account and for the state business license application. Issued at once online.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Register for taxOpens after step 1
One application does the state registration: it opens the Department of Revenue excise tax account for retail sales tax and the business and occupation tax on gross receipts, opens the unemployment insurance and workers’ compensation accounts when you say you will hire within 90 days, and carries the city endorsements. Required once gross income reaches $12,000 a year, you collect sales tax, hire, or use a trade name. Washington has no state income tax; the B&O tax is paid on the excise tax return, monthly, quarterly or yearly as the Department assigns.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Most Washington cities require their own general business license, and more than 200 of them issue it as an endorsement on the state license; Seattle, Tacoma, Bellevue and a few others license directly. Cities with a local B&O tax register the business for it at the same time. Unincorporated county areas usually need no general license.
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; a change of occupancy needs building permits, plan review and inspections, and the certificate of occupancy comes before the health permit and the liquor license. The local building official enforces the state building, fire and energy codes.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Get the permits for your kind of businessOpens after step 3
Washington’s Department of Health writes the food code and the local health jurisdictions permit and inspect. Submit the plan review with the menu, floor plan and equipment list before building out, pass the pre-opening inspection, then post the permit. Restaurants, bars, coffee shops, bakeries and ice cream shops are all food establishments under the code.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Every worker who handles unwrapped food, utensils or food contact surfaces holds a Washington food worker card within 14 days of starting. Since the 2022 food code took effect, an establishment that cooks raw animal foods, cools cooked foods, uses specialized processes or serves a highly susceptible population also needs a certified food protection manager; the manager certificate does not replace the worker card. The person in charge must show food safety knowledge at every inspection.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Before the first hireOpens after step 4
Every employer with any employee must carry workers’ compensation, and Washington sells it only through the state fund at Labor and Industries; private policies are not allowed and self-insurance is for very large employers. Paid Family and Medical Leave and WA Cares premiums are collected through the Employment Security Department on the same quarterly report. Report each new hire or rehire within 20 days. The wage base rises to $82,000 in 2027.
The free location checkWho lives and works around an address, the coffee shops already there and the traffic on its road, from public records.
The full reportWhether the rules allow a coffee shop at that address, the rent it supports, what has opened and closed nearby, and the questions to settle before signing.
No account. The coffee shop check reads public records at the address itself.
Sources and dates
Secretary of State LLC filing resource page and filings, forms and information page (fee list); Department of Revenue business license application pages; WAC 458-02-200 (handling fees); IRS EIN page; WAC 458-02-200 (Business Licensing Service fees); Department of Revenue apply for a business license and tax registration pages; Department of Revenue city endorsements pages; city license ordinances; State Building Code Council; city and county development codes; Department of Health food business pages; WAC 246-215 (food service); Public Health Seattle and King County food and facilities program fees for 2026; King County Board of Health Code Title 5; Chapter 69.06 RCW (food worker cards); WAC 246-215-02107 (person in charge and certified food protection manager); Department of Health food worker pages; Employment Security Department tax rate and taxable wage base pages (2026); Labor and Industries employers’ guide to workers’ compensation insurance (F101-002-000); DSHS new hire reporting page; 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.
9 items, in order: certificate of formation (llc) and the annual report, trade name registration (dba), employer identification number (ein), state business license: department of revenue tax registration (sales tax and b&o) and employer accounts, city business license (city endorsement) and zoning approval and certificate of occupancy, and 3 more.
Washington Secretary of State, Washington Department of Revenue, Internal Revenue Service, Your city, Your city or county planning and building departments and Your local health jurisdiction, and 1 more.
With certificate of formation (llc) and the annual report (Washington Secretary of State, Corporations and Charities Division), then trade name registration (dba). The steps run structure, tax, space, permits and employer, in that order.
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 coffee shop in Washington (2026) | DoorWorthy
