Minnesota Food License Guide: MDA, MDH or Your City or County Health Department

If you plan to sell food in Minnesota, the first question is not where to apply. It is which agency licenses your kind of food business. Minnesota has no single food license. Depending on what you sell and where you sell it, your Minnesota food license comes from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA), the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), or a city or county health department that holds delegation from MDH. This guide shows how to tell which one applies, what the fees are, and what to file before you open.

Informational only, not legal or tax advice. Fees, delegation lists and agency rules change. Confirm every figure on the agency page before you budget, sign a lease or buy equipment, and consult a qualified attorney or CPA for anything complex.

Minnesota Has No General Business License, So Start With the Activity

Minnesota issues no general statewide business license. Licenses are issued by agency, by occupation and by activity. The state's central lookup is License Minnesota (mn.gov/elicense), where you can browse required licenses by topic, by agency or through an A to Z index.

Two common steps are not licenses. Registering with the Department of Revenue for a Minnesota Tax ID and sales tax account is required before you make taxable sales, but it is a tax registration. Filing your LLC or corporation with the Secretary of State is a filing. Neither one authorizes you to sell food.

Which Agency Licenses Your Food Business

For food operations, the split works like this:

Type of operation	Licensing agency
Restaurants, bars and hot-food stands	MDH, or a city or county health department holding delegation
Food carts and mobile food units	MDH
Special event stands	MDH
Grocery and convenience stores	MDA
Bakeries	MDA
Vending	MDA
Prepackaged food	MDA
Sno-cones and popcorn	MDA

Check Whether Your City or County Issues the License

MDH's list dated February 4, 2026 shows 33 counties and 8 cities licensing food establishments under delegation: Bloomington, Brooklyn Park, Edina, Maplewood, Minneapolis, Minnetonka, Richfield and St. Cloud. St. Paul is licensed directly by MDH. Delegation lists change, so confirm with the health department that covers your address before you apply. If your city or county is not on the list, MDH is the licensing agency. The MDH home page is health.state.mn.us.

MDA Food License Fees

MDA's single Food Handler license replaced several former license classes on August 1, 2025. Under Minn. Stat. 28A.08, the fee depends on risk level and your prior-year sales. New licenses use your expected sales instead. The schedule for operations under $50,000 in sales is:

Risk level	Fee
High risk, under $50,000 in sales	$285
Medium risk, under $50,000 in sales	$195
Low risk, under $50,000 in sales	$135
Prepackaged nonperishable food, under $30,000 in sales	$90

This guide covers only the under-$50,000 bands. If your sales are higher, confirm the fee with MDA before you apply. The agency home page is mda.state.mn.us.

MDH Food License Fees

For restaurants, bars, hot-food stands and other MDH-licensed establishments, fees are set under Minn. Stat. 157.16 and MDH's FPLS fee sheet, effective July 1, 2025. Each establishment pays:

• A $300 base fee
• A $50 hospitality fee
• A $5 technology fee
• A category fee that depends on your operation

The category fee is $185, $430 or $670, depending on your operation. Add it to the $300 base, $50 hospitality and $5 technology fees to get your per-establishment total, and check the FPLS sheet with MDH to confirm which category fee applies to you.

Mobile and temporary operations have their own fees: $150 for a food cart or mobile food unit and $75 for a special event stand.

Plan Review for New Builds and Remodels

Plan review is separate from licensing and is required for new builds and remodels. Submit plans before you start construction or buy equipment, because changes after build-out cost more to fix. The plan review fee is not included in the license fees above. Confirm the amount with the agency that reviews your plans, either MDH or your delegated health department.

Certified Food Protection Manager

Most food establishments need a certified food protection manager. The certificate is valid for 3 years. Confirm with your licensing agency which certificate it accepts and how many staff must hold one.

Entity, Trade Name and Tax Registration

These filings sit beside your food license. They do not replace it.

• LLC: Articles of Organization cost $155 online or in person, or $135 by mail, and are filed with the Secretary of State under Minn. Stat. Chapter 322C. No publication is required. The Annual Renewal costs $0 and is due December 31 every year. Missing it results in termination or revocation without further notice. Reinstatement costs $65 by mail or $85 online or in person.
• Corporation: Articles of Incorporation cost $155 and follow the same December 31 Annual Renewal at $0. Missing it dissolves the corporation without further notice.
• Assumed name (DBA): If you operate under a name other than your legal name, file a Certificate of Assumed Name with the Secretary of State. It costs $50 online or in person, or $30 by mail. You must publish it for two consecutive issues in a qualified legal newspaper in the county of your principal place of business, because failure to publish may make the certificate invalid. It must be renewed each year at no charge. Filing forms are at sos.mn.gov.
• Tax: Register with the Department of Revenue for a Minnesota Tax ID and a Sales and Use Tax account before making taxable sales. Minnesota's state sales tax rate is 6.875 percent, with local taxes added on top. Whether a particular sale is taxable depends on what you sell, so confirm with Revenue at revenue.state.mn.us.

Tax treatment also depends on how your entity is taxed. An LLC taxed as a partnership or disregarded entity passes income to its owners, who pay Minnesota individual income tax at 5.35 to 9.85 percent. An LLC that files federally as a C corporation pays the 9.8 percent corporation franchise tax. Minnesota has no separate LLC franchise tax.

Local Zoning and City or County Licenses

Minnesota has 87 counties, about 853 cities and about 1,780 townships. A state food license does not settle whether your location allows a restaurant, a commissary kitchen or a food truck. Zoning and local business licenses are set locally. Minneapolis and St. Paul both license by category, and neither issues a general business license, so ask for the category that covers your operation. If your site is in a township, ask the township clerk whether local zoning or license rules apply.

Step-by-Step Checklist

1. Write down exactly what you sell and how: on site, from a cart, at events, prepackaged or wholesale.
2. Identify the licensing agency using the table above and the delegation list.
3. Ask the agency which license class and fee apply. For a new MDA license, expect to state your expected sales.
4. Check zoning and the city or county license category for your exact address.
5. Register with the Department of Revenue for a Minnesota Tax ID and sales tax account before your first taxable sale.
6. File an LLC or corporation with the Secretary of State if you are forming an entity, and a Certificate of Assumed Name if you use a trade name. Publish the assumed name.
7. Submit plans for plan review before construction or remodeling.
8. Get a certified food protection manager certificate for the staff who need one.
9. Apply and pay the license fee with the licensing agency.
10. Calendar the December 31 Annual Renewal for any LLC or corporation, and the yearly DBA renewal.

Other Agencies That May Apply

A food license is often only one of several. Depending on your activity, you may also deal with:

• The Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division, if you serve alcohol
• The Office of Cannabis Management, for cannabis-related activity
• The Department of Labor and Industry (DLI)
• The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF), if you provide child care
• MnDOT and the Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS), for mobile or delivery operations
• The professional boards for licensed occupations

License Minnesota will show which of these apply to your activity. For planning help, the Minnesota Small Business Development Center Network, run by DEED, offers free advising at mn.gov/deed.

When to Get Professional Help

Talk to an attorney or CPA before you sign a lease, buy equipment or form an entity if you have multiple owners, plan to run a home kitchen, sell in more than one city or county, or operate more than one location. Use the Secretary of State's business search to confirm that your business name is available before you file.

Disclaimer: This guide is informational content, not legal or tax advice. Verify all fees, deadlines and requirements with the Minnesota Secretary of State, Department of Revenue, MDA, MDH or your local health department before you act.