Hosting a ticketed dinner in Ann Arbor: the checklist

Not legal advice. This is a starting checklist, checked 2026-09-25. Rules change and differ by county and city. Talk to a lawyer and confirm with the Washtenaw County Health Department before you sell a ticket or open your space.

At a glance

• Cheapest start: a free dinner for friends at home. Open it to the public and it's a food service establishment. MCL 289.1107
• Often the simplest route: book a licensed venue; your tickets cover the rental fee. York charged pop-ups $50 an event in 2021. Ann Arbor Observer
• Biggest risk: drinks on a ticketed night in an unlicensed space.

Quick answers

Can I sell tickets to a dinner I cook at home in Ann Arbor? No, not once it's open to the public. A public dinner is a food service establishment, so you need a licensed venue or a temporary licence. MCL 289.1107

What's the simplest legal way to host a ticketed dinner in Ann Arbor? Often a licensed venue. York charged pop-ups $50 an event in 2021. A Washtenaw temporary licence costs $167 (unverified: usually tied to a community event; call first). Ann Arbor Observer fees

Can drinks be part of a ticketed dinner in Ann Arbor? Yes. Keep drinks out of your ticket; the licensed venue or caterer sells them to guests directly. In an unlicensed space, any ticket, fee or donation rules out drinking, BYOB included. MLCC MCL 436.1913

Start here: one dish, free, at home

Already hosting? Skip to your routes.

• Cook one dish (one protein, one plate) for a few friends at home. Free: no ticket, no donation jar, no public post. Friends are honest critics who work for leftovers.
• Let a friend bring a friend. Still free, still invite-only.
• What turns it into a regulated sale in Michigan: opening it to the public MCL 289.1107. An ad or ticket listing likely counts (Kent County example). Kent
• When guests start asking to pay, pick a route below.

Your routes, cheapest first

Steps, in order

Already done some of these? Skip them.

Suggested order.

• 1. Talk to a lawyer before you charge anyone.
• 2. Sort your food safety certificate, business registration and sales tax. Check with the county and state.
• 3. Using a licensed venue? Confirm with the licence holder that it covers your night. MDARD
• 4. No licensed venue? File a temporary licence more than 3 business days ahead, or pay a late fee. Washtenaw
• 5. Catering instead? Cook from a licensed food service establishment. Washtenaw
• 6. Get event liability cover. FLIP
• 7. Put the fee, deposit, licence cover and drinks plan (see Drinks) in writing with the venue.
• 8. List your night.

Drinks

• Cheapest legal pour: a licensed restaurant, bar or hotel that sells the drinks itself. No licence cost to you. MCL 436.1913
• Caterer route: the Catering Permit ($70 plus $100 a year, liquor licensees with a food licence only) covers free, invite-only events. Not ticketed nights. MCL 436.1547
• Drinks in your ticket: "Keep drinks out of your ticket; the licensed venue or caterer sells them to guests directly." MCL 436.1913
• Unlicensed space: no BYOB, no "free" wine, no hired bartender. The ticket rules out all three. Zero-proof it is. MLCC MCL 436.1913
• Ann Arbor step: unlicensed spaces pour only under a nonprofit's Special License ($25 or $50 a day, 10 business days, police sign-off). LCC-110a Ann Arbor

Watch-outs

• Insurance: homeowners policies exclude activity "engaged in for money or other compensation." Some policies exempt small side income; get it in writing from your insurer. ISO HO-3
• You can't serve cottage food at a licensed temporary event (Kent County example). Kent
• From people who've done it: Lucha Puerco's Ypsilanti driveway sales once caused a traffic jam. York helped launch it, and it pops up at Cultivate (anecdotal). Ann Arbor Observer

Learn more

• Washtenaw temporary food licence
• Washtenaw catering licences
• MLCC: unlicensed premises
• Ann Arbor Observer: chefs in motion

Cost your micro hospitality night before you set a price: try the free Planner.

Not legal advice. Confirm with a lawyer and the Washtenaw County Health Department before you act.