Catering Business Permit Requirements in Warwick, RI

1. EIN (Employer Identification Number)

   Required if you have employees or operate as an LLC or corporation. Free from the IRS.

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online application)

   Free

   Immediate (online application)

1. Rhode Island Division of Taxation — Sales Tax Permit

   Required for all businesses selling tangible personal property or taxable services in Rhode Island. Rhode Island charges a 7% state sales tax with no local sales taxes. Register with the RI Division of Taxation online via the RI Tax Portal.

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online)

   Free

   Immediate (online)

2. Rhode Island Department of Health - Certified Food Safety Manager

   Under the Rhode Island Food Code (FDA Food Code 2022, section 2-102.12), the person in charge of a food establishment must be a certified food protection manager who has passed a test forming part of an accredited program, so a catering operation needs at least one. RIDOH issues the Certified Food Safety Manager credential and only trained, certified people may use that title. Certification runs five years, and renewal requires 8 professional development units - eight hours of approved food safety and sanitation training - within the period.

   Official government source

   $50.00 RIDOH Certified Food Safety Manager certification fee and $50.00 at each renewal under fee regulation 216-RICR-10-05-2, plus the private provider's course and national examination fees.·Not published by RIDOH; certification lasts five years and renewal notices are sent 60 days before the expiration date.

   $50.00 RIDOH Certified Food Safety Manager certification fee and $50.00 at each renewal under fee regulation 216-RICR-10-05-2, plus the private provider's course and national examination fees.

   Not published by RIDOH; certification lasts five years and renewal notices are sent 60 days before the expiration date.

1. Rhode Island Department of Health - Caterer / Food Service Establishment License

   Catering businesses in Rhode Island are licensed by the RI Department of Health's Center for Food Protection. Rhode Island has no county or municipal health departments and Kent County has no government at all, so licensing is entirely at state level. The business must work from a licensed commercial kitchen or commissary, pass a pre-operational inspection, and have the required number of Certified Food Safety Managers. City or town zoning approval comes first, and DEM or Drinking Water Quality approval is needed where the site has an on-site septic system or well.

   Official government source

   $280.00 per year for a Caterer or Commissary license, prorated to $210.00 or $140.00 depending on when in the license year you register. A restaurant-style Food Service Establishment license is $160.00 under 50 seats or $240.00 at 50 seats or more. New construction, or a renovation costing more than 50% of the establishment's value, adds a plan review fee equal to the license fee.·Submit the application package and fees at least two weeks before the proposed opening date for an existing facility, or at least one month before construction for a new or renovated facility.

   $280.00 per year for a Caterer or Commissary license, prorated to $210.00 or $140.00 depending on when in the license year you register. A restaurant-style Food Service Establishment license is $160.00 under 50 seats or $240.00 at 50 seats or more. New construction, or a renovation costing more than 50% of the establishment's value, adds a plan review fee equal to the license fee.

   Submit the application package and fees at least two weeks before the proposed opening date for an existing facility, or at least one month before construction for a new or renovated facility.

2. No General Business License in Warwick

   Warwick issues no general business license or business tax certificate. The city's Licensing Division, administered through the Warwick Police Department and filed on the city's OpenGov portal, licenses only specific activities - liquor, second class victualler, inside and outside entertainment, food truck/cart/trailer, general and produce peddlers, daily vendor, kennel, massage therapy, permanent make-up, second hand dealer, used car dealer, tobacco, private detective, laundromat, dry cleaners and similar. Mobile dog grooming appears nowhere in that catalogue, and Rhode Island has no state grooming license.

   Official government source

   No fee - Warwick issues no general business license, and neither Warwick nor the state licenses dog grooming.·Not applicable - no general business license is issued.

   No fee - Warwick issues no general business license, and neither Warwick nor the state licenses dog grooming.

   Not applicable - no general business license is issued.

Official Sources

• Kent County Health Department
• Rhode Island Division of Taxation — Sales Tax Permit

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