MBSJ and MBPJ licence and signboard permit: what a new shop needs

If your shop is in Subang Jaya, USJ or most of Puchong, the licensing authority is MBSJ. It issues business licences through three routes: Online Serta Merta (OSM), Sementara Enam Bulan (SM6B) and Permohonan Biasa. Renewals are done online through Sistem Ezy MBSJ, and signboards and other external advertising go through E-Lesen (MBSJ licensing FAQ). If your shop is in Petaling Jaya, the authority is MBPJ; confirm its current premise and signboard process with the council before you sign.

As a rule, Subang Jaya, USJ and much of Puchong fall under MBSJ (Majlis Bandaraya Subang Jaya), while most of Petaling Jaya, including SS2 and Damansara Uptown, falls under MBPJ (Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya). Council boundaries do not always follow township names, so check the assessment bill or ask the landlord which council collects it.

According to MBSJ's licensing FAQ (page dated 23 Apr 2024):

Which route your trade qualifies for depends on the business type and the premises. Ask MBSJ's licensing counter which category applies before you commit to a fit-out schedule.

• Renewals are online through Sistem Ezy MBSJ.
• External advertising permits, which cover signboards, are applied for through E-Lesen.
• Bunting and banner permits cost RM20 per unit plus a RM40 deposit.
• Temporary trading permits for events such as food festivals cost RM250 per booth.

MBSJ's FAQ does not give a signboard fee we could verify for 2026. Get the current fee from MBSJ before you order the sign, and do not install it before approval.

Two points in MBSJ's FAQ catch new operators:

• Operating hours for restaurants depend on hygiene grading. If you plan late-night trade, keep your hygiene grade in mind from day one.
• Licensees may not put foreign workers at the front counter as cashiers. Plan your staffing with this in mind.

Your kitchen set-up also matters for approval and for daily trade. See why exhaust, 3-phase power and water points matter.

Licensing problems usually come from doing steps in the wrong order. A safer sequence for a new ground-floor shop:

1. Shortlist the unit and confirm which council covers it.
2. Ask the council whether your trade is allowed at that address, before you pay a deposit.
3. Sign the tenancy with a licence condition (see below).
4. Submit the licence application and, separately or together as the council requires, the signboard permit.
5. Start the fit-out, and keep receipts and drawings for any inspection.
6. Open only after the licence is issued, and diarise the renewal date.

We could not verify MBPJ's current application portal or signboard fees from an official 2026 source, so we do not quote them here. Before you sign a tenancy in PJ, ask MBPJ's licensing department:

• Whether your trade is allowed at that premises.
• Whether the premise licence and signboard are applied for together or separately.
• The current fees and processing time.
• Any conditions for F&B, such as grease traps or exhaust.

Not on current information. From 1 Jul 2026, DBKL lets eligible KL licensees renew for 2 or 3 years with a 5% or 10% discount. Our research found no similar scheme at MBSJ or MBPJ.