Health Department Permit: State-by-State Guide
Health Department Permit applies to restaurants, food retailers, and any business serving prepared food to the public. Who issues it is the first thing that changes at the state line — sometimes a state agency, often a city or county. Each state page below names the office we verified for that state, or says plainly that we could not.
Typical cost (US range)
$100–$2,000
Typical timeline
14–60 days
Renewal
Usually annual, with unannounced inspections in between.
Who issues this across the US
44 jurisdictions issue this locally; 7 jurisdictions where we have not verified the issuing office.
What varies: which code edition applies, the risk categories, the fee, and whether the county or the city inspects.
Choose your state
- Health Department Permit in Alabama · local
- Health Department Permit in Alaska · not verified
- Health Department Permit in Arizona · local
- Health Department Permit in Arkansas · not verified
- Health Department Permit in California · local
- Health Department Permit in Colorado · local
- Health Department Permit in Connecticut · local
- Health Department Permit in Delaware · not verified
- Health Department Permit in Florida · local
- Health Department Permit in Georgia · local
- Health Department Permit in Hawaii · local
- Health Department Permit in Idaho · local
- Health Department Permit in Illinois · local
- Health Department Permit in Indiana · local
- Health Department Permit in Iowa · local
- Health Department Permit in Kansas · not verified
- Health Department Permit in Kentucky · local
- Health Department Permit in Louisiana · local
- Health Department Permit in Maine · local
- Health Department Permit in Maryland · local
- Health Department Permit in Massachusetts · not verified
- Health Department Permit in Michigan · local
- Health Department Permit in Minnesota · local
- Health Department Permit in Mississippi · local
- Health Department Permit in Missouri · local
- Health Department Permit in Montana · local
- Health Department Permit in Nebraska · local
- Health Department Permit in Nevada · local
- Health Department Permit in New Hampshire · not verified
- Health Department Permit in New Jersey · local
- Health Department Permit in New Mexico · local
- Health Department Permit in New York · not verified
- Health Department Permit in North Carolina · local
- Health Department Permit in North Dakota · local
- Health Department Permit in Ohio · local
- Health Department Permit in Oklahoma · local
- Health Department Permit in Oregon · local
- Health Department Permit in Pennsylvania · local
- Health Department Permit in Rhode Island · local
- Health Department Permit in South Carolina · local
- Health Department Permit in South Dakota · local
- Health Department Permit in Tennessee · local
- Health Department Permit in Texas · local
- Health Department Permit in Utah · local
- Health Department Permit in Vermont · local
- Health Department Permit in Virginia · local
- Health Department Permit in Washington · local
- Health Department Permit in West Virginia · local
- Health Department Permit in Wisconsin · local
- Health Department Permit in Wyoming · local
- Health Department Permit in District of Columbia · local
Related filings
Most businesses that need a health department permit end up needing at least one of these too.