Buying or taking over an existing licensed business

If you are planning to purchase a licensable food business, you will need to determine whether the business holds a current licence and the current status of the premises. To amend the licence into another person's name, an Application for Amendment of Food Business Licence and relevant fee must be submitted to Council. This form must be signed by both the current licensee and the proposed licensee and accompanied by the relevant fee.

It is also recommended that you conduct a business search to determine if there are any outstanding requisitions or outstanding fees owed by the business. There are two types of searches as follows:

Activity Facility Records Search - Current status of licence/registration records only (does not include an inspection report). Applications must be accompanied by the relevant fee and consent of the licence/registration holder.

Activity/Facility Search and Inspection - Current status of licence/registration records and current inspection report where applicable. Applications must be accompanied by the relevant fee and consent of the licence/registration holder.