Plan Review and Construction of a New Restaurant

If you are building a new restaurant in Manchester, your plans must be reviewed and approved by all applicable city departments before construction or opening. The Health Department reviews the plans to ensure your kitchen, equipment, sinks, storage, and customer areas meet food safety requirements and can operate safely.

You can review our Pre-Opening Inspection Checklist (LINK) to prepare for your final health inspection.

You should contact the health department before you consider leasing a space to talk through general requirements. We are here to help prevent costly mistakes and ensure that operators fully understand the process.

Before you start building

• Get your plans reviewed and approved by the Health Department.
• Receive any needed approvals from the Building and Fire Departments.
• Complete all required sign-offs before final approval.
• Schedule the final inspection once construction is finished.

Why is a plan review needed?

• To ensure the restaurant is built to support safe food handling.
• To help prevent food contamination.
• To confirm that the kitchen, hand sinks, dishwashing area, refrigeration, and storage spaces are set up correctly.
• To avoid costly changes after construction is finished.
• To make sure the restaurant meets Manchester and New Hampshire food safety rules based on the 2017 Food Code.

What to submit

• A complete plan review application.
• Floor plans that are clear, legible, and drawn to scale.
• Equipment layout showing sinks, prep tables, storage, refrigeration, cooking equipment, and dishwashing areas.
• Menu or food list, if requested.
• Construction details for walls, floors, ceilings, lighting, plumbing, and ventilation.
• Any other information requested by the Health Department.

General code requirements

• Food must be prepared in a permitted commercial kitchen.
• All food areas should be easy to clean and maintained in good repair.
• You need proper handwashing sinks.
• Hand sinks must be located within 15-20 feet of all food preparation and dishwashing areas.
• Hand sinks must be easy to reach and should not be blocked by walls or other obstacles.
• All equipment must be commercial NSF or equivalent.
• Three-bay sinks must have 2 drain boards.
• Hot water heaters must be appropriately sized to handle the number of fixtures shown on the floor plan.
• There needs to be adequate refrigeration for safe food storage.
• You need approved dishwashing and sanitation methods.
• You need sufficient dry storage and workspace to ensure safe operations.
• Food must be protected from contamination during storage, prep, cooking, and service.
• The person in charge may need to be a Certified Food Protection Manager under the updated food code.