Sources and how links are checked
Every state link on this site comes from one of the federal directories below. We do not copy fees, deadlines or requirements from third-party blogs.
| Source | Used for | Last verified |
|---|---|---|
| TTB: Alcohol Beverage Authorities in the United States | State alcohol authority links | 2026-10-17 |
| FDA: State Retail and Food Service Codes and Regulations by State | State food-service program links | 2026-10-17 |
| IRS: State government websites | Per-state page of business, tax and employer links | 2026-10-17 |
| U.S. DOL: Minimum Wages for Tipped Employees by State | Tipped wage table, document revised 2026-07-01 | 2026-10-17 |
| SBA: Apply for licenses and permits | General reference | 2026-10-17 |
| Reddit r/KitchenConfidential: permits thread | Owner account | 2026-10-17 |
| Fairfax County Board Auditor: restaurant permitting study | Public study | 2026-10-17 |
| Institute for Justice: Restaurant | Public report | 2026-10-17 |
Link checks
On 2026-10-17 each link was checked. Links that loaded are shown plainly. Where the federal directory's deeper link no longer loaded, we show the agency's home page and say so. Where a site blocked our check (HTTP 403), the link is labeled as not confirmed. A handful of outdated federal-directory links (about 15) were replaced with the same agency's current page, found by web search on 2026-10-17.
The U.S. DOL page could not be read directly, so the tipped-wage table was read another way and transcribed by hand; the DOL document was dated 2026-07-01.