How do I transfer a food premises licence when buying a restaurant?

Food premises approvals come from public health authorities rather than from the seller, and the rules vary by province and sometimes by health region. Some places call the approval a licence, others a permit, and Ontario’s regulation refers to notice. A buyer should ask the local public health office, before closing, what the new owner must file and when.

Permits that do not move to the new owner

Vancouver Coastal Health says every operator of a food service establishment must hold a valid annual permit and that the annual permit is not transferable to a new owner. The buyer therefore applies for a permit of their own, and the authority’s approval process includes an on-site inspection by an environmental health officer against the approved floor plan. Build that timeline into the closing date.

Registration when ownership changes

Manitoba takes a registration approach. Its health department says anyone preparing or selling food to the public must register the establishment and obtain a permit from the public health inspector before operating, and that a change of ownership of an existing business means submitting the Food Handling Permit Registration Form, the menu and a detailed floor plan. The City of Winnipeg’s page says it has required no City licence since 2015 and points to the provincial health permit.

In Ontario, the regulation refers to notice

Ontario’s Food Premises regulation, O. Reg. 493/17, refers to a person giving the medical officer of health notice of an intention to begin operating a food premise, with the person’s name, contact information and the premise’s location. A buyer who will run the restaurant should ask the local public health unit whether a fresh notice is needed at closing, and should know the regulation requires a public health inspector’s written approval before an operator alters floor space or the number of toilets or washbasins.

Liquor licences are separate

A liquor licence follows its own transfer process. In British Columbia the current licensee starts the transfer, the buyer applies, and the buyer becomes the deemed licensee once the branch confirms the application is administratively complete. What licences transfer when I buy a business covers the wider set.