# Registering a pub, cafe or restaurant as a food business: the 28-day deadline, who must do it and what the council can and cannot do

> You must register a food business with the council at least 28 days before trading. It is free, cannot be refused, and a new operator must do it again.

- Page to cite: https://aeolookup.com/hospitality/register-food-business-council-28-days-before-opening-pub-cafe/
- Publisher: AEO Lookup (https://aeolookup.com/)
- Section: Restaurants, pubs and small hotels, Allergens, licensing and rates
- Published 6 October 2026
- Key fact: To open on Saturday 5 December 2026 a venue has to be registered with its council by Saturday 7 November 2026, 28 days earlier; registration costs nothing, and a pub taken over on that date needs a new registration from the new operator even though the same kitchen is in use.
- Sources: GOV.UK, "Register a food business" (28 days before trading; premises, mobile units and online); Regulation (EC) 852/2004 Article 6(2) as retained in UK law, legislation.gov.uk; Milton Keynes City Council, "How to register a food business establishment" (no fee; councils cannot refuse; change of operator; closure); all read 2026-10-06. The opening date and venues are invented.

Anyone who opens a pub, cafe or restaurant that handles food has to register it with the local council at least 28 days before trading starts. Registration is free and the council cannot refuse it. The trouble is the date. Owners who register four weeks ahead are fine; those who register after the keys arrive are already late.

## The rule

GOV.UK says that if you sell, cook, store, handle, prepare or distribute food you may be a food business, and that you must register "at least 28 days before trading". It covers food businesses run from home, from a mobile unit or temporary premises, and online. If you operate in more than one place, each site is registered with the council for the area it sits in.

The legal basis is Article 6(2) of Regulation (EC) 852/2004. It says that "every food business operator shall notify the appropriate competent authority, in the manner that the latter requires, of each establishment under its control". Operators must also make sure the council "always has up-to-date information on establishments, including by notifying any significant change in activities and any closure of an existing establishment."

## What the council cannot do

Milton Keynes City Council's guidance, which is one council's wording and not a national rule, says there is no fee for registering and that local authorities "do not have the power to refuse a food business registration". It aims to deal with the paperwork within 28 days, though "there is no statutory time frame". So registration is a notification, not a permit.

Do not confuse it with a premises licence. Selling alcohol needs one, and it has fees and a different process (see [how much a premises licence costs](https://aeolookup.com/hospitality/premises-licence-fees-pub-restaurant-bands-annual-fee/)). A food business registration costs nothing and does not give you the right to sell alcohol.

## Counting back from your opening date

An invented cafe-bar plans to open on Saturday 5 December 2026, in the run-up to Christmas.

| Step | Date |
|---|---|
| Opening day | Saturday 5 December 2026 |
| Last day to register (28 days earlier) | Saturday 7 November 2026 |
| Safer date, with a week in hand | Saturday 31 October 2026 |

A venue that wants to take Christmas bookings from the start of December should have the form in by the end of October. The last day is a Saturday, so do not leave it to the weekend. Keep the confirmation you get when you send it.

## Cases owners miss

**Taking over a pub.** The council's page says a change of food business operator means the new operator completes an application form. The kitchen staying the same does not carry the old registration across. In our worked example, a pub taken over on Saturday 5 December needs the new operator registered by Saturday 7 November. Read [how long a premises licence transfer takes](https://aeolookup.com/hospitality/premises-licence-transfer-how-long-buying-a-pub/) alongside it, because the two sets of dates run in parallel.

**Closing.** The regulation requires you to tell the council of any closure, and the council's page lists it among the things to report. A venue that shuts for good and says nothing stays on the register.

**A significant change.** Adding a takeaway counter or a delivery kitchen is a change in activities that the regulation says to notify.

**Pop-ups and temporary events.** GOV.UK includes temporary premises, so a one-off stall is food handling too. [The temporary event notice guide](https://aeolookup.com/hospitality/temporary-event-notice-pub-cost-deadline-limits/) covers the alcohol side, and the food registration is separate.

## A short checklist

- Opening date written down, and the date 28 days earlier in the diary.
- Registration submitted to the council for the area the venue sits in, with the confirmation saved.
- If you are a new operator at an existing venue, your own registration, not the seller's.
- Your allergen information in order before trading starts. The [allergen matrix template](https://aeolookup.com/hospitality/allergen-matrix-template-restaurant-pub-14-allergens/) is a place to start.
- A reminder to report any closure or significant change.

Overlyft ![](https://aeolookup.com/img/d/ours-badge.png) can set up an AI assistant that keeps an opening and compliance diary for a venue, counts back from each date and prompts the person responsible a few weeks ahead.

This is general information, not legal advice. Your council's environmental health team confirms its own form and process.

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General information for UK small firms, not legal, tax or financial advice.