Eating Establishment (Restaurant), Lounge, Nightclub and Pub Licences

The Licensing By-law requires a business licence to operate an eating establishment, lounge, night club or pub in the City of Vaughan. See descriptions of each business licence type below. 

 

Also, the “Eating Establishment” business licence category includes restaurants, as well as cafeteria-style, buffet, self-service, or take out facilities, however does not include a Banquet Hall, which has its own licence type.  

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What type of business licence do I need?

The by-law has different licence types for businesses that serve food, such as "Eating Establishments", "Lounges", "Night Clubs" and "Pubs", all of which have different operating requirements.   To identify which type of licence is needed, please see the Business Licensing By-law in the By-law Library, as well the table below.   

 

Table - Comparison of the Eating Establishment, Lounge, Nightclub and Pub licences

No

Type of business licence

Overview

1Eating Establishment (restaurant)
  •  Any place where food or drink are offered for sale, and includes places with a convenience store, takeout or drive-through.
  • Eating establishments have at least 70 per cent of the floor space for serving food/dining, and a full kitchen.
  • All ordering, serving and consumption must occur at the table.
2Lounge
  • A place where alcohol is sold and served in a lounge-like atmosphere, which has live or pre-recorded music provided for listening or dancing.
  • Lounges must have at least one security guard for every 100 persons in attendance, and all entrances must have a metal detector used by security guards to screen each person who enters.
  • Lounges must have high-definition cameras in operation at least one hour before opening and one hour after closing. 
    Cameras must record all points on entry or exit as well as areas within 10 metres around the building.
  • A lounge that operates as a restaurant for part of the time may obtain an endorsement (at no extra cost) to do so.
3Nightclub
  •  Meets the definition of a "Night Club" under the City's Comprehensive Zoning By-law 001-2021, specifically that the principal use is the provision of live or pre-recorded music for listening or dancing and where the sale of food and beverages is secondary and incidental to the principal use.
  • A place where alcohol is sold and served in a nightclub-like atmosphere, which has live or pre-recorded music provided for listening or dancing.
  • Nightclubs must have at least one security guard for every 100 persons in attendance, and all entrances must have a metal detector used by security guards to screen each person who enters.
  • Nightclubs must have high-definition cameras in operation at least one hour before opening and one hour after closing. 
    Cameras must record all points on entry or exit as well as areas within 10 metres around the building.
  • A night club that operates as a restaurant for part of the time may obtain an endorsement (at no extra cost) to do so.
4Pub
  •  A place where alcohol is served, and which may include the sale of food.
  • A pub may have live or pre-recorded music provided for listening entertainment or dancing played at a volume at which normal conversation is possible.  

Apply for a Vaughan licence or check whether a business or event has one!

Get or Renew a Business Licence or Permit
Check if a business or event has a Vaughan licence

Other options to apply

In-person or by mail

For an in-person or by mail to:

By-Law and Compliance, Licensing & Permit Services

Vaughan City Hall, Level 100 

2141 Major Mackenzie Dr.

Vaughan, ON  L6A 1T1

Drop boxes

Via the drop-boxes located at the entrances of Vaughan City Hall. 

Email

By e-mail to bylaw.licensing@vaughan.ca, along with scanned copies of required documentation.

Please ensure the application or e-mail indicates a contact phone number for staff to collect payment.

If submitting your application by mail or via the drop-box, please enclose payment in the form of a cheque made payable to the City of Vaughan. If submitting your application via e-mail, please ensure the application or accompanying message indicate a contact name and phone number for our staff to collect payment.

Application form

If you are applying in-person, by mail, drop-box or email, complete the following form for submission: 

Eating Establishment Application (PDF)

Otherwise, you can apply online on the Licensing Portal for the Eating Establishment.

Notes About Zoning

  • To apply for a new licence, a Zoning Clearance, issued within the last 365 days, is required to be submitted with the application form above.
  • You can apply for a Zoning Clearance online here.

 

Fees

Fee20252026
Initial fee$ 542$ 559
Renewal fee$ 227$ 234

Contact Information

By-law and Compliance, Licensing and Permit Services

Vaughan City Hall
2141 Major Mackenzie Dr.
Vaughan, ON L6A 1T1
Canada

Email
bylaw@vaughan.ca
Phone
(905) 832-2281
Fax Number
905-832-8549

Related Links

City Web Pages

By-laws

City Forms

Policies and Guides