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 ice cream shops in North Dakota 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: Articles of organization (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 online through the Secretary of State’s FirstStop portal. The articles name a registered agent with a North Dakota street address. The first annual report falls due the November after the year the LLC was formed.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Needed whenever the business trades under any name other than the owner’s legal name or the LLC’s registered name. Filed through FirstStop; the registration protects the name in North Dakota only and the office mails a renewal notice before the five years run out.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Needed to hire, to open a business bank account and for the state tax registration. Issued at once online.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Register for taxOpens after step 1
Apply through ND TAP before the first sale; the one application opens the sales and use tax permit and, once you have employees, the withholding account. The state rate is 5% and cities such as Fargo and Bismarck add their own local sales tax, which the same return collects. Restaurants and bars also collect any city lodging and restaurant tax.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Ask the city auditor before signing the lease whether your kind of business needs a city license. The city auditor is also where the local alcohol license, the kennel or pet shop license and any sidewalk or sign permit are filed.
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 use needs building permits and inspections under the city’s building code, and the certificate of occupancy comes before the food license and the alcohol license. The fire marshal or local fire department inspects assembly spaces such as bars and restaurants.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Get the permits for your kind of businessOpens after step 3
Submit the plan review with the menu, the floor plan and the equipment list before building out, then pass the opening inspection and post the license. Restaurants, bars, coffee shops, bakeries and ice cream shops are all food establishments under the state food code (N.D.A.C. 33-33-04.1). In Fargo, Bismarck, Grand Forks, Minot and the other cities with a local public health unit the local unit issues the license under the same fee rule. Ask Food and Lodging, or your local public health unit, for the current fee sheet before budgeting; several units raised fees in January 2026.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
North Dakota adopted the FDA Food Code without the rule that the person in charge be a certified food protection manager, so the state recommends the certificate but does not require it. A person in charge must still be on duty at all hours and show food safety knowledge at every inspection. Some counties and local public health units require a certified manager by ordinance, so ask the unit that licenses you.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Before the first hireOpens after step 4
North Dakota is a monopoly workers’ compensation state: every employer with any employee opens a WSI account before the first day of work, and going without coverage is a criminal offense. Private policies do not count in North Dakota. Report each new hire within 20 days of the first day of work for pay.
The free location checkWho lives and works around an address, the ice cream shops already there and the traffic on its road, from public records.
The full reportWhether the rules allow an ice cream shop at that address, the rent it supports, what has opened and closed nearby, and the questions to settle before signing.
No account. The ice cream shop check reads public records at the address itself.
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; 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); 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: articles of organization (llc) and the annual report, trade name registration (dba), employer identification number (ein), sales and use tax permit and income tax withholding account, city business or occupational license and zoning approval, building permits and certificate of occupancy, and 3 more.
North Dakota Secretary of State, Internal Revenue Service, North Dakota Office of State Tax Commissioner, Your city auditor’s office, Your city or county planning and building inspections departments and North Dakota Health and Human Services, and 2 more.
With articles of organization (llc) and the annual report (North Dakota Secretary of State), 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 an ice cream shop in North Dakota (2026) | DoorWorthy
