Vending machine license and permits in Michigan
Short answer: Michigan licenses food vending through MDARD, from $686 a year, unless the machines sell only canned or bottled sodas and packaged non-perishable snacks. You also need a sales tax license, which is free; only heated or cooled food and drink is taxed.
Checked against official sources on October 1, 2026 · Not legal or tax advice
- Sales tax registration
- Sales tax license, from the Michigan Department of Treasury · No fee
- Vending machine license
- State food vending license from MDARD, except packaged snacks and canned drinks
- Food and health
- Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD)
- City and county
- Detroit · Grand Rapids
Sales tax registration in Michigan
Sales tax license — Michigan Department of Treasury. Fee: No fee.
Anyone selling to the final consumer needs one. Register through Michigan Treasury Online or Form 518; licenses run January–December and are reissued each year on MTO. Source (official page, opens in a new tab)
How vending sales are taxed
Non-food items are taxed at 6%. Vended food or drink heated above 75°F or cooled below 65°F is taxable, except milk, sealed nonalcoholic drinks and fresh fruit; mixed machines may instead pay on 45% of non-carbonated-drink proceeds. Source (official page, opens in a new tab)
Is there a vending machine license in Michigan?
Food machines that are not exempt need MDARD's food vending license: $686 a year for a primary vending base serving 1–20 vending banks, rising with route size; a secondary vending base is $186. Source (official page, opens in a new tab)
Food and health permits
Who regulates it: Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD).
A machine that only dispenses canned or bottled sodas, packaged nonperishable snacks, or bulk gum, nuts and candy needs no license. Other vending machine locations are food establishments under the Michigan Food Law, licensed by MDARD. Source (official page, opens in a new tab)
Cotton candy, ice cream and frozen-drink machines prepare or hold food, so they are the ones most likely to need a permit where a packaged-snack machine does not. Check the classification for your exact machine before you place it.
City and county rules
Detroit
Detroit discontinued its Vending Machines, Branch Candy/Vending Machines and coin-operated game location licenses in 2021, among 34 license types it dropped. Check the city's remaining license list for your venue type. Source (official page, opens in a new tab)
Grand Rapids
No general business license. The City Clerk licenses only listed business types, such as mobile vending carts, transient merchants and indoor events; vending machines are not on the list. Source (official page, opens in a new tab)
The license goes where the machine sits, not where you live: a machine in another town means that town’s rules.
Sources
Checked on October 1, 2026 against these official pages:
- Michigan Treasury: Sales Tax License FAQ (official page, opens in a new tab)
- MCL 205.54g (vending machine food and drink) (official page, opens in a new tab)
- MDARD: Food establishment license exemptions (official page, opens in a new tab)
- MDARD: New Food Vending Application (fees) (official page, opens in a new tab)
- MCL 289.4111 (vending company base location fees) (official page, opens in a new tab)
- MCL 289.4105 (vending machine locations as extensions of a licensed establishment) (official page, opens in a new tab)
- City of Detroit: elimination of some licensing fees (Nov. 24, 2021) (official page, opens in a new tab)
- City of Grand Rapids: Business Licenses (official page, opens in a new tab)
What we could not confirm: michigan.gov pages refuse automated fetching; we verified them in a browser. We could not confirm whether cotton candy counts as food heated above 75°F under MCL 205.54g, since it is usually sold at room temperature.
Agencies change their rules and their websites. Confirm with the office before you rely on this page, and tell us if something here is out of date.
What we've signed in Michigan
Pinpoint currently holds 3 signed, available locations in Michigan, with 2 more already hosting a machine. Listed venues average 32,500 visitors a year, and signed venues take 35–40% of revenue. Every one has a host agreement in place — the permits above are the operator’s side of the paperwork; the venue’s side is done.
You handle the permits. We find the venue and sign it for you.
Common questions
Do I need a license to put a vending machine in Michigan?
Food machines that are not exempt need MDARD's food vending license: $686 a year for a primary vending base serving 1–20 vending banks, rising with route size; a secondary vending base is $186. Separately, you need the sales tax license from the Michigan Department of Treasury (no fee).
Do I need a health permit for a vending machine in Michigan?
A machine that only dispenses canned or bottled sodas, packaged nonperishable snacks, or bulk gum, nuts and candy needs no license. Other vending machine locations are food establishments under the Michigan Food Law, licensed by MDARD.
How is sales tax charged on vending machine sales in Michigan?
Non-food items are taxed at 6%. Vended food or drink heated above 75°F or cooled below 65°F is taxable, except milk, sealed nonalcoholic drinks and fresh fruit; mixed machines may instead pay on 45% of non-carbonated-drink proceeds.
Does the venue need the permits, or do I?
You do. The venue provides the space and the power under the host agreement; the sales tax registration, licenses and health permits attach to whoever operates the machine.