Eating House Licence for Restaurants in Haryana and Delhi
An eating house licence is the local permission a restaurant, dhaba or café needs to serve customers from its premises, on top of FSSAI. In Faridabad and the rest of Haryana it comes from the Municipal Commissioner under Section 335 of the Haryana Municipal Corporation Act, 1994. In Delhi, the old police registration ended in June 2025 and the licence now sits with the civic body.
What it is
An eating house is any place where the public walks in to eat or drink. The licence is the local body’s permission to run that business from that address. FSSAI looks at the food. The municipal licence looks at the premises: where it is, how clean it is, and whether the building may be used this way at all.
In Haryana, Section 335 of the Haryana Municipal Corporation Act, 1994 says eating houses must not be used without a licence from the Commissioner. In Faridabad that means the Municipal Corporation of Faridabad (MCF). Towns with municipal councils and committees follow the Haryana Municipal Act, 1973. In Delhi, Section 421 of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957 carries the same rule for MCD areas. Delhi also used to require a separate eating house registration from the Delhi Police Licensing Unit, but the Lieutenant Governor’s order of 19 June 2025 ended police licensing for eating houses, hotels and five other trades.
Who it applies to
You are opening a restaurant, café or dhaba
Say a family is turning a ground-floor shop in a Faridabad sector market into a 30-seat restaurant. The licence goes into the plan before the kitchen is fitted.
You are shifting or buying an outlet
The licence names the premises, so a new address means a fresh application. Buying a running outlet? Check the licence holder’s name and renewal status before you pay.
You are adding tables to a sweet shop or bakery
Once customers eat on the premises, you are running an eating house. MCD also licenses banquet halls as a health trade.
Why it matters
Keep the sealing team away
A municipal inspection is a short visit when the licence is on the wall. Without one, it can end with your shutters sealed.
Prove the premises can be used
The licence confirms the building and the zone suit a food business. MCD says a licence issued for a non-conforming area is void from the start.
File your other approvals in order
Corporations ask for your FSSAI licence and fire clearance with the application. Get the order right and nothing is filed twice.
Delhi and Haryana at a glance
| Haryana (Faridabad, Gurugram and others) | Delhi | |
|---|---|---|
| Police licence | Not part of the process; the licence is municipal | Not needed since the LG’s order of 19 June 2025 |
| Municipal licence | Commissioner’s licence under Section 335, HMC Act 1994 (MCF in Faridabad) | MCD health trade licence under Section 421, DMC Act 1957; NDMC treats a valid FSSAI licence as a deemed health trade licence |
| Food safety | FSSAI registration or licence | FSSAI registration or licence |
| Fire | Fire scheme approval and certificate under the Haryana Fire and Emergency Services Act, 2022 where Section 18(2) applies | Fire clearance from Delhi Fire Service where the building and seating require it |
Here is the catch in Delhi. In July 2025 the Lieutenant Governor announced that restaurants would not need the MCD health trade licence either. NDMC acted on it by early 2026, while MCD’s formal notification was still awaited. We check the position on the day we file.
Documents required
For the premises
- Ownership proof, or a registered rent or lease agreement
- Latest property tax receipt
- Approved building plan, where available
- Kitchen and seating layout
For the business
- PAN and ID of the owner, partners or directors
- Firm or company registration certificate
- GST registration, if you have one
- Photograph of the applicant
- Previous year’s turnover, for renewals
Clearances
- FSSAI registration or licence
- Fire NOC, where your building needs one
- Copy of the previous licence, for renewals
How it works
Check the zone and the building
We confirm the zoning and building rules allow an eating house at the address. If they do not, you hear it before you sign the lease.
Get FSSAI and fire clearance lined up
We file your FSSAI registration or licence and check whether the building needs a fire NOC. Corporations usually ask for both.
File with the right corporation
For Faridabad and other Haryana cities, we apply through the Haryana urban local bodies online services or Saral Haryana. In Delhi, we use the MCD web portal, or confirm the NDMC deemed licence.
Answer queries and handle the inspection
If the regulating officer issues a deficiency notice, we reply with the missing paper and follow up until the licence is issued.
Display it and diarise the renewal
Display the licence at the outlet. We diarise the renewal with your FSSAI annual fee.
Timelines
Get it before you open
The licence must be in hand before the eating house serves its first customer.
Renew the MCD licence every year
MCD charges an annual licence fee. After a one-month grace period, late renewal costs 10% of the annual fee for every month of delay.
Pay the FSSAI fee every year
FSSAI licences issued from 1 April 2026 do not expire, but the annual fee is compulsory. Skipping it is treated as a suspension of the licence.
What happens if you run without one
Your outlet gets sealed
MCD can take penal action under the DMC Act, including closure and sealing. Reopening costs a de-sealing charge of three times the annual fee, plus the licence.
The Commissioner can stop the use
In Haryana, Section 337 of the HMC Act gives the Commissioner powers over premises used in breach of their licence.
No FSSAI licence is a criminal matter
Running a food business without an FSSAI licence can mean imprisonment up to six months and a fine up to ₹5 lakh under Section 63 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
Frequently asked questions
Do I still need an eating house licence from Delhi Police?
No, not since June 2025. The Lieutenant Governor’s order of 19 June 2025, under the Delhi Police Act, 1978, ended police licensing for eating houses, hotels, guest houses, swimming pools, discotheques, video game parlours, amusement parks and auditoriums. Your restaurant still needs FSSAI, the civic body’s licence and, where the building requires it, fire clearance. We tell you which of these apply to your outlet.
Which authority issues an eating house licence in Faridabad?
The Municipal Corporation of Faridabad issues it. Section 335 of the Haryana Municipal Corporation Act, 1994 bars the use of premises as an eating house without the Commissioner’s licence. Applications go online through the Haryana urban local bodies services or Saral Haryana. In a council town, the Haryana Municipal Act, 1973 applies. We file with the right body for your address.
Is FSSAI registration enough to open a restaurant?
Usually not. You need FSSAI for the food, the municipal licence for the premises and fire clearance where the building requires it. From 1 April 2026, a food business with turnover up to ₹1.5 crore takes FSSAI registration and one above ₹1.5 crore up to ₹50 crore takes a state licence. The exception is NDMC in Delhi, which treats a valid FSSAI licence as a deemed health trade licence. We map the full list for your outlet.
Does a small dhaba or café also need the licence?
Yes, if customers eat on the premises. Section 335 of the Haryana Act and Section 421 of the Delhi Act do not exempt small outlets. Size changes the fee, not the need: MCD’s rate card starts at eating houses of up to 20 seats. We size the paperwork to the outlet, so a ten-seat café is not treated like a banquet hall.
Does my restaurant need a fire NOC?
It depends on the building. In Haryana, Section 18(2) of the Fire and Emergency Services Act, 2022 needs fire scheme approval for all assembly buildings and for mercantile and similar buildings above 500 sq m on a floor. In Delhi, the High Court ruled on 17 April 2026 that Khan Market eateries seating fewer than 50 did not need a fire safety certificate. We check your building against the rule before you apply.
How long does it take to get the licence?
Mostly on how ready your papers are. Since June 2025, MCD lets traders upload documents, pay online and download the health trade licence certificate from its portal, with a deficiency notice if anything is missing. Haryana corporations work online too, with an inspection where the officer wants one. In practice, the usual hold-up is a missing fire NOC or property tax receipt. We collect everything first, so the file goes in complete.
Can I get a licence for a restaurant in a residential area?
Only if the zoning allows commercial use there. Picture a café planned on the ground floor of a house in a residential sector: without commercial-use permission for that plot, it cannot be licensed. MCD has said a licence issued for a trade in a non-conforming area is void from the outset, and Haryana corporations check land use too. We look at the property papers and zoning before you sign, so you never pay rent on premises that cannot be licensed.
What does an MCD eating house licence cost?
MCD’s rate card, announced in July 2022, set a registration fee and an annual licence fee by seating. Up to 20 seats paid ₹10,000 each; 20 to 50 seats paid ₹15,000 and ₹20,000; above 50 seats paid ₹20,000 and ₹25,000, plus ₹1,000 processing fee. We confirm the current rate before filing, so there are no surprises.
What it costs
Our fee plus the government fee that applies to your case, quoted before you commit. Tell us the situation and we will price it exactly.
MCD’s 2022 rate card is below. FSSAI charges ₹100 a year for registration and ₹2,000 a year for a state licence for most food service outlets. Haryana corporations fix their own fees; we confirm the MCF figure when we file.
| MCD eating house (seats) | Registration fee | Annual licence fee |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 20 | ₹10,000 | ₹10,000 |
| 20 to 50 | ₹15,000 | ₹20,000 |
| Above 50 | ₹20,000 | ₹25,000 |
Ready to begin?
Send us your outlet address and seating plan, and we will tell you which licences you need and in what order.