Brick-and-Mortar Food-Service Establishment

Overview

A brick-and-mortar food-service or restaurant establishment includes entities like restaurants, cafés, grocery stores, and bakeries. These types of businesses needs approval by all three levels of government—the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA); the State of Connecticut’s Department of Consumer Protection and Tax office; and The City of New Haven’s City Plan Department, Health Department, and Building Department. The steps for opening one of these businesses is included in this section. Make sure to register your business with the Federal FDA here. Do yourself a favor and sign up on the CT New Business Checklist website to create a personalized checklist, but keep in mind that this checklist will only cover State processes and will not cover City of New Haven processes.

First Steps & Construction

• Find a Location: Use this SiteFinder to find commercial spaces for sale in New Haven and reach out to the Economic Development office for help finding a space.*
• Zoning Approval: You must check with the New Haven Zoning Department to ensure the type of business you are pursuing is permissible in this location. Zoning information in the business and residential districts are included here.
• Configure Plans: Configure properly prepared plans and specifications for food-service or restaurant-industry establishment construction, showing layout arrangements, and construction materials of all areas, as well as the location, size, and type of fixed equipment and facilities must be submitted for approval with the director before work is begun.
• Submit a Floor Plan: Submit a floor plan for plan review to Zoning, Building, Fire Marshal, Tax Office, Water Pollution Control Authority, and Health Department for approval.
• Move to Application Steps: Once you’ve completed all of these steps, you are ready to apply for a food-service and restaurant establishment license with the City of New Haven! Instructions here.

* Be wary of choosing a location within the dedicated New Haven Historic Districts. If a site in these districts is chosen, you are required to obtain permission through a Certificate of Appropriateness from the New Haven Historic District Commission for your business plan and changes you plan to make on the architectural integrity of the building. If you are looking to demolish a historic building, you will need a demolition permit, which is subject to delay if the building is listed on the historic resources inventory, on a list of individual properties on the National Register of Historic Places, or is a contributing property located within a National Register Historic District.