Opening licences: Shops and Food

LICENCES

Apr 27

Written By Francisco Javier Muñoz Fuentes

If you are thinking of opening a food store, there are surely many aspects that you should take into account and you do not know where to start: have a business plan, create a name and logo, find a place in a suitable area for your customers , find out about suppliers, hire staff, establish a marketing plan and, finally, the legal aspects.

In this post we will try to solve all the doubts you may have about how to process the opening / activity license for a food store. This procedure is applicable for a multitude of public businesses such as: butchers, fishmongers, greengrocers, bakeries, ice cream parlors... If, after reading it, you have any questions about it, we recommend that you read our post: Opening licenses: everything you need to know

WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS?

The first requirement that must be taken into account will be the urban regulations. Municipal planning establishes a series of permitted uses and specific rules depending on the location of the property, so the first step before buying or renting a place to open our restaurant, we must verify that this use is allowed by urban regulations.

In addition to this, there are a series of requirements that we are going to group as follows:

Minimun Stays

In general, food stores are one of the places that have the fewest requirements in terms of minimum stays. Although it may vary slightly depending on the specific use, in general it will be enough to have an area for the public in which the counter and food displays (where appropriate) will be located, a storage area and a single unisex toilet (except premises larger areas where there will be an occupation of fifty or more people, in which it will be necessary to have at least two toilets differentiated by sex).

Accessibility Regulations

The most relevant aspects of this regulation that must be taken into account are:

There must be at least one accessible access to the premises. In the event that there is unevenness between the exterior pavement and the premises, it must be saved by means of a ramp or other technical aids (such as lifting platforms).
The floor of both the access ramp and the entire premises must be non-slip.
The openings and doors must be more than 80cm wide.
The corridors must be at least 1.00m wide, and there must be turning areas (with a free diameter of 1.50m) at certain points such as the lobby, in corridors of more than 10m in length, in front of the elevator ( in your case) and so on.

Fire Protection

The requirements regarding fire protection installations may vary depending on the usable area of the premises, but in general we can say that there must be at least one extinguisher located every 15 meters, emergency lighting and exit signs.

Lighting and Ventilation

As for the lighting, this must be sufficient for the development of the work that is carried out there, being it advisable to have at least 300-400 lux. As for ventilation, this may be natural (through openings in doors, windows or grilles in facades and patios) or forced (through motors and ventilation ducts with impulsion and extraction intakes). In any case, you must ensure that there are around 6 air changes per hour.

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WHAT IS THE PROCEDURE?

In the event that the premises meet all the requirements and it is not necessary to carry out renovation works, the procedure to follow consists of preparing an activity project (which must be signed by an architect) in which the activity is described that will be developed in the premises, the facilities and machinery that will be used, the fulfillment of all the corresponding regulations is justified and plans of all this are provided.

In addition to this, you should know that certain uses of those intended for commerce and food are subject to the environmental qualification procedure according to Law 7/2007, of July 9.

This is the case, for example, of retail and wholesale fishmongers, retail and wholesale butchers, bakeries or confectionery and pastry shops, stores or sales of fruits or vegetables, preparation of prepared and take-away meals. … Depending on the size of the premises, this procedure must be carried out in an ordinary way or by means of a responsible declaration (more agile). In both cases, a technical project will have to be carried out describing the activity, machinery and equipment to be used, materials used, environmental risks ... and it must be justified that the project does not pose an environmental risk or have a polluting nature.

Once this project is completed, the form of administrative authorization will be through a declaration of responsibility.Table of activities (document in which it is declared that all the requirements are met or to start the activity and that it does not need a response from the Administration, so it can be started from the moment it is presented).

Documentation necessary to present the responsible declaration: (may vary slightly depending on the municipality)

Responsible declaration form.
Identification of the holder (photocopy of ID in the case of natural persons).
Document accrediting the availability of the use of the establishment (lease contract, for example).
Documentation related to the viability of urban use.
Activity project.

If you have any questions about the procedure, it is extensively explained in our post: Opening licenses: everything you need to know and, in any case, you can contact us for any clarification or request for a budget without obligation. We will be happy to help you!

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