Restaurants, commercial kitchens, and food trucks.
City & County of San Francisco food-facility health permits run about $408–$1,991 annually, depending on size or sales volume. Plan review runs about $276–$2,207. Confirm the exact amount with San Francisco Department of Public Health - Environmental Health Branch (EHB), Food Safety Program 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 San Francisco Department of Public Health - Environmental Health Branch (EHB), Food Safety Program issues the health permit.
Fees stack with a Fire Department referral $156 and a Zoning referral $192. Most core restaurant/bar/take-out annual-license cells are blank ($-) in the published schedule; the $470 Permit to Operate application fee is the confirmed food-permit charge; confirm the annual license amount with EHB; Inspection/reinspection billed at $276/hr; Values shown are the current 4/1/26-3/31/27 license period; the schedule also lists a following-year (4/1/27-3/31/28) column with higher amounts (e.g., Restricted Food Service Facility $1,598, Employee Cafeteria w/ Food Prep $1,460)
Turnaround: Multi-agency plan review/inspection (health, fire, building, planning) commonly takes 3-6 months overall
SF posts green/yellow/red placards (Pass/Conditional Pass/Closed) plus a 1-100 score; reports online.
DPH-EHB issues the health MFF permit; a separate SF Public Works permit is required to operate in the public right-of-way (street/sidewalk)
Fees/payment and forms are on the department site; application steps vary by concept — see the checklist below.
| Category | Annual fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| caterer | — | 'Caterers', 'Catering Facilities with Cooking' and 'without Cooking' are listed but published with no flat annual license fee ($-); SF charges a $470 Permit to Operate application fee plus hourly inspection; From DPH-EHB Fee Schedule (revised 7/1/2026) |
| commissary/central kitchen | $1,288 | License period 4/1/26-3/31/27: 'Commissaries for Cooking' $1,288; 'Commissary for Mobile Food Facility Servicing' $741; 'Cooking school' $741; 'Host Facility' $988. (Following-year 4/1/27-3/31/28 amounts are $1,416 / $815 / $815 / $1,087.) |
| shared kitchen | $988 | License period 4/1/26-3/31/27: Shared Kitchen Complex less than 2,000 sq ft $988; 2,000 sq ft or more $1,235 |
| bakery | — | 'Retail Bakeries WITH Food Prep' and 'WITHOUT Food Prep' are listed but published with no flat annual license fee ($-) |
| bar/tavern | — | 'Bars / Taverns (W Food Prep)' and '(W/O Food Prep)' are listed but published with no flat annual license fee ($-) |
| market/grocery with deli | $1,159 | License period 4/1/26-3/31/27. Retail Markets WITH Food Prep (deli): Under 5,001 sq ft $-, 5,001-10,000 $1,159, 10,001-20,000 $1,407. WITHOUT Food Prep: Under 5,001 $-, 5,001-10,000 $1,091, 10,001-20,000 $1,358, over 20,000 $1,648. Supermarkets over 20,000 sq ft $1,593 (1 food prep) / $1,793 (2-3) / $1,991 (4+) |
| temporary/seasonal/special-event | $225 | 'Temporary Facilities' $225 (license period 4/1/26-3/31/27); Special Events: Food Operator High $152 / Low $59; Event Sponsor Permit Application $211; Annual Special Events Application; Food Operator (Low or High Potential Hazard) $412. 'Certified Farmers Markets' $628 |
| pushcart/limited operation | $555 | 'Retail Food Vendor at Farmers Market (Pushcarts)' $555 (license period 4/1/26-3/31/27) |
| food processing/wholesale | $922 | License period 4/1/26-3/31/27: 'Food Manufacturing / Processing' $922; 'Wholesale Food Markets' $894; 'Fisherman's Markets' $894 |
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.
This is a typical sequence — confirm the exact sequence with your authority having jurisdiction.
Official plan-check requirements: plan-check guide →