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 wine bars in Michigan 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 statement
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 through Corporations Online Filing System (COFS). The articles name a resident agent with a Michigan street address. Two missed annual statements and the LLC loses good standing.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Needed when the business trades under any name other than the registered one. A sole proprietor files in the county where the business operates.
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
Register online before the first sale; the sales tax license arrives by mail. The same registration opens withholding once you have employees and sends your details to the Unemployment Insurance Agency.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Michigan has no statewide business license. Ask the city before opening: two dozen cities levy an income tax that employers withhold, and most require a certificate of occupancy before a storefront opens.
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 plan approval and a new certificate of occupancy, which the health department and the liquor commission ask for.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Get the permits for your kind of businessOpens after step 3
Food eaten on the premises is licensed by the county or district health department: submit the plan review at least 30 days before opening, pass the opening inspection, then post the license. A place that mostly sells food to take away is licensed by MDARD instead.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Every food service establishment needs at least one managerial employee certified through an accredited program; a new establishment has 90 days from licensing to put one in place.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Alcohol permitsOpens after step 4
Class C and Tavern licenses are rationed at one per 1,500 residents of the city or township, so where the quota is full the license comes from an existing holder by transfer at a market price. Apply with the lease, the floor plan and the local government’s approval; the Commission inspects and the city can object. Expect several months.
Fee
Members
Renewal
Members
Official page
Members
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Before the first hireOpens after step 5
Register with the UIA as soon as you have payroll (form 518 covers it). Workers’ compensation is required once you have three or more employees at one time, or one employee working 35 hours a week for 13 weeks or more. Report each new hire within 20 days.
The free location checkWho lives and works around an address, the wine bars already there and the traffic on its road, from public records.
The full reportWhether the rules allow a wine bar at that address, the rent it supports, what has opened and closed nearby, and the questions to settle before signing.
No account. The wine bar check reads public records at the address itself.
Sources and dates
LARA Corporations Division filing pages and fee schedule; LARA certificate of assumed name form; county clerk fee schedules; IRS EIN page; Treasury new business registration pages and form 518; Treasury city income tax pages; municipal ordinances; LARA Bureau of Construction Codes; municipal zoning ordinances; MDARD food establishment licensing pages (food service is licensed locally); Michigan Food Law manager certification requirement; MCL 436.1525 (license fees); MLCC on-premises retailer license application (LCC-100a); Unemployment Insurance Agency employer pages; Workers’ Disability Compensation Agency employer coverage 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 statement, assumed name (dba), employer identification number (ein), michigan business tax registration (sales tax license, withholding), local business license and city income tax and zoning approval and certificate of occupancy, and 4 more.
Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, LARA Corporations Division for an LLC or corporation, Internal Revenue Service, Michigan Department of Treasury, Your city and Your city or township building and zoning department, and 4 more.
With articles of organization (llc) and the annual statement (Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Corporations Division), then assumed name (dba). The steps run structure, tax, space, permits, alcohol and employer, in that order.
Yes, to sell it: class c 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 wine bar in Michigan (2026) | DoorWorthy
