Opening & Operating a Nightlife Establishment

To open a bar or restaurant in NYC, you need several certificates, permits, and licenses from various City and State agencies. Use the NYC Small Business Services Step-by-Step Wizard to get a customized list of the applicable licenses and permits, as well as additional information that you may need to know.

Step-by-Step Wizard: Get a customized list of licenses and permits for your business

 

Liquor Licensing & Community Board Process

If your business deals with the importation, manufacture, distribution or sale of alcohol in NY, you need a liquor license. The NY State Liquor Authority issues licenses for selling alcoholic beverages. Input from local communities where applicants intend to operate their businesses is an essential part of the NY State Liquor Authority's licensing process. 

Read more about the Liquor License and Community Board Process

 

You may also be interested in:

• Temporary One-Day Special Event Liquor Permits
• FDNY Certificates, Permits, and Plan Review Information
• Department of Health Permits & Licenses
• Food Protection Training
• Sidewalk Café License & Resources
• Smoking and Tobacco Laws & Compliance

Hookah Laws & Permit Information

New NYC laws about hookah went into effect in 2018. It is now required for all hookah-serving establishments to have a permit, only serve non-tobacco shisha, and display warning signs about the health risks of hookah smoke. After October 22, 2018, no new permit applications will be accepted.

 Learn more Hookah Laws from the NYC Department of Health.

If you have a Non-Tobacco Hookah Establishment permit, see below for additional guidance on how to comply with the law:

• Hookah Compliance Guide (PDF) | Other languages: Español | العربية
• Hookah Warning Signs FAQ (PDF) | Other languages: Español | العربية
• Get additional information about the Non-Tobacco Hookah Establishment permit.

Did you know?

Businesses can create a NYC Business Portal Account to apply for or renew licenses, pay for violations or learn to avoid them, identify regulations and incentives, learn what you need to know in order to comply with New York City rules and regulations, and organize and maintain all of your City permits in one place.

NYC Small Business Services (SBS) offers client management, FREE compliance consultations, plan examinations, and inspections on behalf of many City agencies.

The SBS on-site consultation walkthroughs will help you understand common compliance challenges faced by new or operating business owners in New York City. SBS will not issue violations or fines — SBS is available to help you understand the rules, help your business open its doors faster and remain open.

Learn more about the SBS compliance services

More inspection guidelines:

• NYC Department of Buildings (DOB)
• NYC Fire Department (FDNY)
• NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene (DOHMH)

 

Avoiding Common Violations

Find out how to ensure compliance and avoid or reduce fines, fees and penalties associated with common violations by reviewing the NYC Small Business Services (SBS) links below:

• List of Common Fines & Violations: Bar
• List of Common Fines & Violations: Restaurant
• Learn more about Avoiding Common Violations
• Small Business Services Support for Businesses

Requirements:

• Health Department: Letter Grading
• Health Department: Required Signage

Visit the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (formerly the Department of Consumer Affairs) to learn about your responsibilities in the workplace as an employer as well as labor standards and policies to create a fair workplace.

• Learn more about Workplace Laws
• Learn more about Workers' Rights

 

You may also be interested in:

• Food Service Operators
• Freelance Workers Rights
• Immigrant Workers Rights
• NY State Department of Labor Posting Requirements
• Paid Sick Leave
• Restaurant Worker Safety

 

Stop Sexual Harassment Act

The NYC Commission on Human Rights is the City agency responsible for enforcing the NYC Human Rights Law, one of the most comprehensive anti-discrimination laws in the country, which protects anyone who works, lives, or visits New York City from discrimination at work, at home, and in public places, including nightlife establishments. Nightlife establishments have responsibilities as employers and as public spaces. To learn more about the NYC Human Rights Law, please visit nyc.gov/humanrights

As of April 1, 2019, the Stop Sexual Harassment in NYC Act mandated new posting and training requirements to help prevent sexual harassment in the workplace.

• Employers with 15 or more employees must ensure that their staff have received annual anti-sexual harassment training. The NYC Commission on Human Rights has launched an online training that employers can use to meet this requirement that is available on our website by visiting nyc.gov/HarassmentFreeNYC
• All employers must display an anti-sexual harassment notice in both English and Spanish
• All employers must distribute an anti-sexual harassment factsheet to individual employees at the time of hire.

Best Practices for Nightlife Establishments Handbook

The Best Practices for Nightlife Establishments handbook was created by the New York City Police Department (NYPD) in conjunction with the New York City Hospitality Alliance. It was designed to assist the nightlife industry in maintaining establishments which are safe and free from illegal activity, including drug sales, underage drinking, overconsumption of alcohol, violence, assaults, and sex offenses, and what nightlife professionals should know about counterterrorism threats and preparedness.

Download the 2018 Third Edition:

Best Practices for Nightlife Establishments (English)

Buenas Prácticas para Centros Nocturnos (Spanish)

 

Free Downloads - NYPD Patron Safety Posters

Protect your venue while encouraging your patrons to keep an eye on their belongings. Download and print the posters below.

 

 

Getting to Know Your Neighborhood Coordination Officers

Neighborhood Coordination Officers, or NCOs, are your local problem solvers. They are the cornerstone of NYPD's Neighborhood Policing program, a comprehensive crime-fighting strategy built on improved communication and collaboration between local police officers and community residents. Neighborhood Policing divides precincts into four or five fully-staffed sectors that correspond, as much as possible, to the boundaries of actual established neighborhoods. NCOs spend all their working hours within the confines of their assigned sectors, actively engaging with local community members and residents. They get to know the neighborhood, its people, and its problems extremely well.

Use the links below to find your sector and see who your NCOs are:

• Find your Precinct & Sector& NCO's
• Build the Block meetings, hosted by NCOs
• Crime Prevention Unit

 

Monitoring the Sound from Your Venue

If you play music in your restaurant, nightclub, café, bar, or establishment, you need to comply with the City's noise code, and take common sense steps to avoid unreasonable sound disturbances to better coexist with neighbors.

Learn more about playing music in a bar or restaurant, sound mitigation and addressing sound complaints

In most cases, the NYC Sanitation Department (DSNY) does not collect waste from businesses. Businesses must arrange to have garbage and recyclables removed by a licensed carting company, though owners can also apply for permission from the Business Integrity Commission (BIC) to haul their own waste. Review the links below for educational materials and trainings to assist businesses in meeting recycling and organics requirements to reduce waste before even creating it while avoiding common violations.

• Guidelines for Hiring a Private Carter
• Introduction to Commercial Waste System (Video)
• Sanitation Department Business Resources
• Sanitation Department Downloadable Materials

 

Did you know?

The NYC Sanitation Department (DSNY) recently launched food portal for businesses wishing to donate excess food.

The Office of Nightlife encourages establishments that serve food to consider implementing a regular food rescue program to regularly donate food surplus to those in need.

• DonateNYC Food Rescue Portal

Visit the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities resources and learn about making your business accessible and understanding the benefits.

 

• Accessibility Resource for Small Business
• Restaurant Access Program RAP
• Accessibility Business Benefits and Incentives
• Web Accessibility Checklist (PDF)
• Accessible Social Media Guide (PDF)

The Office of Nightlife serves as a liaison between City agencies, nightlife business owners, employees, performers, patrons, and residents to help ensure a vibrant, safe, efficient, and fair nightlife environment in New York City. 

Here you will find a collection of quick links to connect business owners, patrons, employees, and residents to the programs, resources, and information provided by City agencies that affect nightlife.

• Nightlife Related Quick Link Index by Agency
• NYC Programs & Initiatives for Nightlife Businesses