Restaurants, commercial kitchens, and food trucks.
Cass County food-facility health permits run about $200–$400 annually, depending on size or sales volume. Plan review runs about $150. Confirm the exact amount with Fargo Cass Public Health (FCPH) - Environmental Health (local public health unit; licenses and inspects food establishments and mobile food units in Fargo, West Fargo & Cass County under NDCC 23-09 / FDA Food Code 2017) before you budget.
Confirm the authority for your exact address. Some cities run their own health division, and building, planning, fire, sewer/grease and business-license approvals are separate even when Fargo Cass Public Health (FCPH) - Environmental Health (local public health unit; licenses and inspects food establishments and mobile food units in Fargo, West Fargo & Cass County under NDCC 23-09 / FDA Food Code 2017) issues the health permit.
About 413 food & drinking establishments operate here, serving a population of about 196,362. (U.S. Census 2023 estimate; County Business Patterns 2022, NAICS 722)
Tiers are assigned by risk/complexity; Amounts are from the FCPH Food License Application fee schedule; alcohol service adds $150 (with a physical bar) or $50 (no physical bar); soft-serve ice cream adds $100
Turnaround: FCPH allows up to 30 calendar days for plan review
Fargo Cass Public Health inspects under the ND Food Code (risk-based); no letter grade or score. ND HHS provides an online public inspection search; recent reports available.
Establishments providing catering or delivery service must also apply for the Mobile Food License; A licensed commissary is required if food prep is not completed in the self-contained unit
Fees/payment and forms are on the department site; application steps vary by concept — see the checklist below.
Comparison uses the lowest published annual restaurant-permit figure in each county; confirm your exact tier with the department.
U.S. Census 2023 population; County Business Patterns 2022 (NAICS 722).
Plus building, fire, and business-license fees that vary locally — use the cost calculators and the checklist below to budget the full stack.
| Category | Annual fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Caterer | Mobile Food License required for catering: Tier 1 $100 / Tier 2 $150 / Tier 3 $200 (+ $25 commissary fee if no brick-and-mortar) | FCPH requires establishments providing catering (or delivery) service to apply for the Mobile Food License |
| Commissary / central preparation kitchen | $25 commissary fee for mobile food (vendors without a brick-and-mortar); a commissary itself is licensed as a Food Establishment (Tier 1 $200 / Tier 2 $300 / Tier 3 $400) | Commissary fee applies to mobile vendors lacking a fixed location; the commissary facility is licensed on the food establishment tiers |
| Bakery / food processing | Grocery, bakery or retail meat: Tier 1 $100 / Tier 2 $150 / Tier 3 $175 (annual) | Retail bakeries fall under the grocery/bakery/retail-meat tier on the FCPH schedule |
| Bar / limited food service | Food establishment tiers (Tier 1 $200 / Tier 2 $300 / Tier 3 $400); alcohol service +$150 (with physical bar) or +$50 (no physical bar) | A bar serving food is licensed on the food establishment tiers plus the alcohol-service add-on |
| Grocery / market with deli | Grocery, bakery or retail meat: Tier 1 $100 / Tier 2 $150 / Tier 3 $175 (annual) | Grocery/market permitted on the grocery/bakery/retail-meat tier; a deli/food-prep area may add a food establishment tier |
| Temporary / seasonal event | Concession (Seasonal): Tier 1 $50 / Tier 2 $75 / Tier 3 $100. Concession (Year Round): Tier 1 $100 / Tier 2 $150 / Tier 3 $175 | FCPH prices event/concession operations on seasonal vs year-round concession tiers |
| Pushcart / mobile vending | Mobile food unit Vendor: Tier 1 $100 / Tier 2 $150 / Tier 3 $200 (+ $25 commissary fee if no brick-and-mortar) | Mobile/pushcart licensed on the mobile food unit vendor tiers; commissary required if prep is not done in the self-contained unit |
Health-department plan review looks for specific, code-compliant fixtures. Compare spec-filtered options, then confirm counts and sizes with your local requirements. See the full list in what equipment a commercial kitchen requires.
Permit costs and rules change at the county line — compare Cass County with its neighbors.
This is a typical sequence — confirm the exact sequence with your authority having jurisdiction.
Official plan-check requirements: plan-check guide →