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 restaurants in Maryland 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: Articles of organization (LLC) and the annual report (Form 1)
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 through Maryland Business Express. The articles name a resident agent with a Maryland address. The same Form 1 carries the business personal property return when the LLC owns furniture, equipment or inventory, and the county bills personal property tax from it. Two missed reports and the LLC is forfeited.
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. The registration runs five years from acceptance; if it is not renewed SDAT forfeits the name and a new application is needed.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Needed to hire, to open a business bank account and for the Comptroller’s combined registration. Issued at once online.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Register for taxOpens after step 1
Register through the Combined Registration Application on Maryland Tax Connect before the first sale; the same application opens the withholding and unemployment accounts. The sales and use tax license must be posted. Maryland’s sales tax is 6%, with a 9% rate on alcoholic beverages sold by the drink or the bottle.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Maryland has no general business license, but anyone who sells goods at retail, from a boutique to a salon selling product, holds a traders license from the clerk, priced on the inventory declared on the personal property return or a declaration of inventory. A service-only business with nothing to sell needs none. Ask the clerk whether your business also needs one of the other Title 17 licenses.
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, and the use and occupancy permit comes after the final inspections. The state salon and barbershop permits, the health department and the liquor board all ask for it, so it comes first.
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 pre-opening inspection; the county ranks the facility high, moderate or low priority by what it prepares, and a HACCP plan is required for moderate and high priority facilities. Restaurants, bars, coffee shops, bakeries and ice cream shops are all food service facilities. The state is adopting the FDA Food Code, which changes plan review and manager rules once it takes effect.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Maryland has no statewide manager certification rule yet, but the counties require one: Baltimore County and Baltimore City require a certified manager for moderate and high priority facilities (in Baltimore County, on site during all hours), and Montgomery County licenses the manager itself after an ANSI-accredited course. The state’s adoption of the FDA Food Code adds a certified food protection manager requirement for every retail establishment once it takes effect.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Alcohol permitsOpens after step 4
Maryland issues retail licenses through 24 county liquor boards, each with its own classes, fees, food ratios and hearings, so start with your county’s board. A Class B license needs a restaurant with a kitchen and a minimum share of food sales (40% in Montgomery County); a Class D is the tavern license. Some boards issue few new licenses, so a license is often bought from an existing holder and transferred. Montgomery County is a control county: the county’s Alcohol Beverage Services is the only wholesaler. Ask the county liquor board for its current fee sheet and whether a new license is available before signing a lease.
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, with few exceptions. Report each new hire within 20 days to the State Directory of New Hires. FAMLI benefits begin in 2028; an employer that wants a private plan files a declaration of intent with the FAMLI Division by November 15, 2026.
The free location checkWho lives and works around an address, the restaurants already there and the traffic on its road, from public records.
The full reportWhether the rules allow a restaurant at that address, the rent it supports, what has opened and closed nearby, and the questions to settle before signing.
No account. The restaurant check reads public records at the address itself.
Sources and dates
SDAT articles of organization form (revised May 2026) and corporate charter fee schedule; Form 1 annual report instructions; SDAT trade name application and instructions (Corporations and Associations Article 1-406); IRS EIN page; Comptroller business tax tip #13 (opening a new business) and the Maryland Tax Connect registration guide; Comptroller business tax tip #64 (a guide to business licenses); Howard and Somerset County Clerk of the Circuit Court business license pages; Business Regulation Article 17-1804 and 17-1807; County and municipal zoning ordinances and building codes; Board of Cosmetologists and Board of Barbers new shop instructions (use and occupancy permit first); Maryland Department of Health food service facility regulations (COMAR 10.15.03); Baltimore County Department of Health fee schedule; Baltimore City Health Code 6-403; Maryland Department of Health food code fact sheet; Montgomery County Code 15-8 and fee schedule; Baltimore County and Baltimore City food program pages; Alcoholic Beverages and Cannabis Article (county titles); Chapter 1015 of 2024 (Baltimore City fees); Montgomery County Alcohol Beverage Services license descriptions and Board rules; Division of Unemployment Insurance 2026 employer contribution rates; Workers’ Compensation Commission employer FAQ (Labor and Employment Article 9-402); Department of Human Services new hire reporting pages; FAMLI Division contribution 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: articles of organization (llc) and the annual report (form 1), trade name registration (dba), employer identification number (ein), combined registration: sales and use tax license, employer withholding, traders license and zoning approval and use and occupancy permit, and 4 more.
Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation, Internal Revenue Service, Comptroller of Maryland, Clerk of the Circuit Court in your county, Your county or municipal zoning and permits office and Your county health department, and 2 more.
With articles of organization (llc) and the annual report (form 1) (Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT)), then trade name registration (dba). The steps run structure, tax, space, permits, alcohol and employer, in that order.
Yes, to sell it: class b (restaurant) or class d beer, wine and liquor 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 restaurant in Maryland (2026) | DoorWorthy
