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Licence & Compliance Checklist
State + format → FSSAI / GST / fire NOC / trade / signage / music / liquor / professional tax: cost, duration, authority. Gated PDF download.
Total cost (low–high)
₹2,30,000–8,64,500
Lead time (worst case)
60–180 days
Closure-level renewals
6 licences
Miss any of these → shop seal.
| Licence | Authority | Cost (₹) | Validity | Lead time | Critical? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FSSAI State Licence | Food Safety and Standards Authority of India | 2,000 – 5,000 | 12m | 10–21 d | Yes | Mandatory for any food business above ₹12L turnover. Cost varies by validity period (1-5 years). |
| GST Registration | GSTN (Goods and Services Tax Network) | 0 – 0 | Permanent | 3–7 d | Yes | Free of cost. Mandatory above ₹40L turnover (₹20L for some states/categories). |
| Trade Licence | Local Municipal Corporation | 3,000 – 15,000 | 12m | 15–45 d | Yes | Cost depends on city, area sqft, and category. Renewable annually. |
| Fire NOC | State Fire Department | 5,000 – 25,000 | 12m | 21–60 d | Yes | Required for premises >100 sqm seating or kitchens with LPG bank. Fire-safety equipment install adds ₹40K-₹2L capex. |
| Signage / Hoarding Licence | Local Municipal Corporation | 1,500 – 12,000 | 12m | 7–30 d | No | Cost varies by signage area (per sqft) and visibility class. |
| Music / Performance Licence | PPL India + IPRS (joint) | 12,000 – 60,000 | 12m | 3–14 d | No | Required if recorded or live music is played in the premises. Cost depends on seating + city tier. |
| Liquor Licence (FL-3 / restaurant bar) | State Excise Department | 2,00,000 – 7,00,000 | 12m | 60–180 d | Yes | Maharashtra FL-3 (restaurant bar) — separate from FL-4 (beer/wine). Cost driven by Bombay Suburban / Pune urban classification. |
| Eating House Licence | Police Commissioner / Local Police | 3,000 – 15,000 | 12m | 14–45 d | No | Required in many states (e.g. Delhi). Combines with trade licence in some others. |
| Pollution NOC (Consent to Operate) | State Pollution Control Board | 3,000 – 25,000 | 60m | 30–90 d | No | Required for kitchens above 100 sqm or with significant exhaust. Renewable every 5 years. |
| Shop & Establishment Registration | State Labour Department | 500 – 5,000 | 12m | 5–21 d | Yes | Mandatory for any commercial premises. Cost depends on number of employees. |
| Professional Tax Registration | State Commercial Tax Department | 0 – 2,500 | 12m | 3–14 d | No | Applies in Maharashtra, Karnataka, West Bengal, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat (and a few more). Capped at ₹2,500/year/person under Article 276. |
Maharashtra: Professional tax applicable; FL-3 + FL-4 framework for liquor. · Single-window: MAITRI Portal.
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Forkcast alerts at 60 / 30 / 14 / 7 / 3 / 1 days before each expiry — closure-level licences pre-filled for Maharashtra.
Related reading
- pre launchFSSAI licence in Maharashtra: cost, timeline, documentsFSSAI is the single most-asked-about licence for new restaurant owners. The actual process is simpler than the fixers around FoSCoS suggest. Here is what you actually pay, what you actually upload, and what trips up first-time applicants.
- pre launchFire NOC for restaurants: cost and timeline by stateFire NOC is the licence that blocks everything else — no Trade Licence, no aggregator listing, no opening without it. Cost and timeline vary sharply by state and premises size. Here is the 2026 breakdown and the filing sequence that avoids a 60-day delay.
- complianceFSSAI annual fee 2026: deemed suspension on FoSCoSTL;DR: Perpetual FSSAI licences need an annual FoSCoS fee. Miss it and inspectors treat you as suspended from 1 April 2026 — wall certificate or not. Log in, pay, download receipt before the next visit.
- complianceMaharashtra FDA compliance order 2026: what restaurants must doTL;DR: ~4.5 lakh Maharashtra food establishments are in scope year-round. Order 716/2026 is binding now — not a seasonal drive. Here's the owner checklist mapped to each rule area.
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