Catering Business Permit Requirements in Nashville, TN

1. EIN (Employer Identification Number)

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

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online)

   Free

   Immediate (online)

1. Tennessee Department of Agriculture Catering License

   There is no Tennessee Department of Agriculture catering license. TDA regulates retail food stores and food manufacturing facilities and states plainly that it does not license or inspect restaurants; standalone restaurants, cafes, food trucks, and other places where food is prepared and served to the public are food service establishments regulated by the Tennessee Department of Health. In Davidson County, food establishment permitting and inspection is handled locally by Metro Public Health (615-340-5620), one of Tennessee's contract counties. If you cater events across county lines, confirm permitting with the health department in each jurisdiction.

   Official government source

   No fee — this license does not exist. Your cost is the food service establishment permit from the health department with jurisdiction over each location.·Not applicable — there is no TDA catering license to apply for

   No fee — this license does not exist. Your cost is the food service establishment permit from the health department with jurisdiction over each location.

   Not applicable — there is no TDA catering license to apply for

2. Tennessee Sales and Use Tax Certificate (Caterers)

   Caterers must register with the Tennessee Department of Revenue through TNTAP and collect sales tax. Catered food and beverages are prepared food, which is excluded from the 4% rate that applies to food and food ingredients and is taxed instead at the general state rate of 7%, plus the local rate - 2.25% in Davidson County, for 9.25% in Nashville. Charges that are part of the sales price of the taxable food, including labor and service charges and delivery, are taxable with it even when separately itemized. Returns are filed and paid electronically through TNTAP; monthly filers are due the 20th of the month following the reporting period.

   Official government source

   No fee. Registration through TNTAP costs nothing.·Not immediate. The Department of Revenue states it takes up to 10 business days to register your business.

   No fee. Registration through TNTAP costs nothing.

   Not immediate. The Department of Revenue states it takes up to 10 business days to register your business.

3. Food Handler Certification (for employees)

   Catering operations are food service establishments, regulated by the Tennessee Department of Health's Environmental Health Program — not the Department of Agriculture, which states it does not license or inspect restaurants and covers only retail food stores and food manufacturers. In Davidson, Hamilton, Knox, Madison, and Shelby counties, food establishment permitting and inspection is contracted to the local health department; in Nashville that is Metro Public Health (615-340-5620). Employee food-handler training and certified food protection manager requirements come from the Tennessee Food Safety Rules as applied by the health department with jurisdiction over your operation — confirm what your county requires before hiring.

   Official government source

   No state-published per-employee fee; training and exam prices are set by the private ANSI-accredited course providers you choose·Varies by course provider; confirm current requirements with your local health department (Metro Public Health, 615-340-5620, in Nashville)

   No state-published per-employee fee; training and exam prices are set by the private ANSI-accredited course providers you choose

   Varies by course provider; confirm current requirements with your local health department (Metro Public Health, 615-340-5620, in Nashville)

4. Tennessee Secretary of State Business Registration

   Required if operating as an LLC, corporation, or partnership in Tennessee. Establishes your legal entity and protects your business name in the state.

   Official government source

   $100 for a for-profit corporation charter (form SS-4417); $300 minimum for LLC Articles of Organization (form SS-4270) — $50 per member, $300 minimum, $3,000 maximum·Filed online through the Secretary of State's business services portal and effective when accepted; allow additional time for mailed paper filings.

   $100 for a for-profit corporation charter (form SS-4417); $300 minimum for LLC Articles of Organization (form SS-4270) — $50 per member, $300 minimum, $3,000 maximum

   Filed online through the Secretary of State's business services portal and effective when accepted; allow additional time for mailed paper filings.

1. Metro Nashville Food Service Establishment Permit (Catering)

   Catering in Nashville and Davidson County is permitted by the Metro Public Health Department's Food Protection and Public Facilities Division, which oversees more than 6,800 permitted facilities. A caterer is a food service establishment: it must operate out of an approved, permitted commercial kitchen rather than a home kitchen, go through plan review, and pass a pre-opening inspection before the permit issues. Where a caterer also runs a mobile unit, Metro additionally requires a notarised commissary or servicing agreement and Metro Water Services approval of the grease trap and gray water disposal site. Permits are renewed and paid for through Metro's online food and public facilities permit portal, which adds a 2.3% convenience charge.

   Official government source

   Metro Public Health does not publish its food establishment fee schedule on nashville.gov; the online portal quotes the amount at payment. Confirm the current fee with the Food Division at 615-340-5620 (general public facilities line 615-340-5616). Paying through the portal adds a 2.3% fee.·Metro publishes no processing time. The sequence is plan review, then a pre-opening inspection, then issuance - so allow time for both rather than relying on a fixed window. Lentz Public Health Center, 2500 Charlotte Avenue.

   Metro Public Health does not publish its food establishment fee schedule on nashville.gov; the online portal quotes the amount at payment. Confirm the current fee with the Food Division at 615-340-5620 (general public facilities line 615-340-5616). Paying through the portal adds a 2.3% fee.

   Metro publishes no processing time. The sequence is plan review, then a pre-opening inspection, then issuance - so allow time for both rather than relying on a fixed window. Lentz Public Health Center, 2500 Charlotte Avenue.

2. Davidson County Business License (Business Tax License)

   Required for businesses operating in Metro Nashville-Davidson County and issued by the Davidson County Clerk's Business Services office - not the Metro Finance Department. A caterer with Tennessee gross receipts over $3,000 but under $100,000 gets a minimal activity license; at $100,000 or more it needs a standard business license and must register for and remit Tennessee business tax with the Department of Revenue. Below $3,000 in gross receipts no license is required. This license is separate from, and in addition to, the food establishment permit from the Metro Public Health Department.

   Official government source

   $15 flat (General Service District, outside Nashville city limits) or $30 flat (Urban Service District, within city limits) - not a percentage of gross revenue.·Issued by the Davidson County Clerk when you apply and pay - online, in person, or by mail. Standard (non-minimal-activity) licensees must first register for business tax with the Tennessee Department of Revenue, which takes up to 10 business days.

   $15 flat (General Service District, outside Nashville city limits) or $30 flat (Urban Service District, within city limits) - not a percentage of gross revenue.

   Issued by the Davidson County Clerk when you apply and pay - online, in person, or by mail. Standard (non-minimal-activity) licensees must first register for business tax with the Tennessee Department of Revenue, which takes up to 10 business days.

Official Sources

• Metro Nashville Public Health Department
• Tennessee Department of Agriculture - Food Safety
• Metro Nashville Finance Department - Business Tax
• Tennessee Department of Revenue - Sales Tax

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