Get a health permit to open a restaurant, bar, or other retail food location

You must have a permit with the health department to open and run your retail food facility in San Francisco.

What to know

Apply for a Health Permit at least 1 month before you open a:

Restaurant
Bar
Food market
Bakery
Liquor store
School cafeteria
Vending machine
Catering facility

New owners have to get a new permit

Apply for a new health permit when the current ownership structure reorganizes from:

Sole proprietor to a (different) sole proprietor, partnership, limited liability company (LLC), or corporation
Partnership to (different) partnership, limited liability company (LLC), or corporation
Limited liability company (LLC) to (different) LLC, or corporation
Corporation to (different) corporation
If you wish to lease an existing food facility, you may contact the Health Department for a site evaluation before leasing the business.

See the EHB Fee Schedule

See the EHB Fee Schedule for application, license, and other fees that may apply.

What to know

Apply for a Health Permit at least 1 month before you open a:

Restaurant
Bar
Food market
Bakery
Liquor store
School cafeteria
Vending machine
Catering facility

New owners have to get a new permit

Apply for a new health permit when the current ownership structure reorganizes from:

Sole proprietor to a (different) sole proprietor, partnership, limited liability company (LLC), or corporation
Partnership to (different) partnership, limited liability company (LLC), or corporation
Limited liability company (LLC) to (different) LLC, or corporation
Corporation to (different) corporation
If you wish to lease an existing food facility, you may contact the Health Department for a site evaluation before leasing the business.

See the EHB Fee Schedule

See the EHB Fee Schedule for application, license, and other fees that may apply.

What to do

1. Have your business information ready

Getting your health permit is only one step in the process to open a restaurant in San Francisco.

Before you apply for your health permit, you should already have:

A location
Registered your business
Prepared for necessary inspections
Applied for other City permits and services

To view these steps, go to the City's guide to opening a restaurant.

2. Get your food safety certifications

Your team can get certified online after taking a course and test. You need the following:

At least 1 person has to be certified as a food safety manager.
Almost all others who work with food should get a food handler card.

3. Fill out the online health permit application

Have ready your:

Business account number, or BAN
Location ID number, or LIN
Federal taxpayer ID

(Find your BAN or LIN numbers.)

You might need to show other documents, too, like a menu or floor plan. It depends on the type of business you have. You can save and return to this application at any time.

Apply for food permit