Restaurants, commercial kitchens, and food trucks.
Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) Food Protection Program; business license issued by Dept. of Business Affairs & Consumer Protection (BACP) · department site →
Fees change often — always confirm the current amount with the department before you budget.
Cook County food-facility health permits run about $660–$1,650 annually, depending on size or sales volume. Confirm the exact amount with Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) Food Protection Program; business license issued by Dept. of Business Affairs & Consumer Protection (BACP) 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 Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) Food Protection Program; business license issued by Dept. of Business Affairs & Consumer Protection (BACP) issues the health permit.
Cities with their own health department: Chicago, Evanston, Skokie, Oak Park, Stickney. Food businesses inside these cities apply to the city health department (with its own fees and rules), not Cook County. Confirm which authority covers your exact address.
About 12,106 food & drinking establishments operate here, serving a population of about 5,087,072. (U.S. Census 2023 estimate; County Business Patterns 2022, NAICS 722)
Last verified: 2026-08-17 — we re-confirmed the serving authority, its contact, and that the fees below match the current published schedule. Fee schedules may carry an earlier effective date (shown per fee); local ordinances & amendments aren’t individually reviewed, so confirm current rules with the authority having jurisdiction.See something out of date? Report an update →
Restaurant / food-facility permit
Retail Food Establishment license (City of Chicago)
Square-footage based, 2-year term:
$660 (0-1,000 sq ft), scaling up to $1,650 (over 10,000 sq ft)
Issued via BACP; CDPH sets the health/inspection requirements; Fee tiers by sq ft; renewed on a 2-year cycle
Plan review — required
Fee not published online.
Turnaround: Submit digital plans to CDPH before build; health inspection after build-out to approved plan
Illinois Food Code risk-based inspection; result is Pass, Pass with Conditions, or Fail (no score/letter grade). Chicago posts results weekly on its open data portal; suburbs via Cook County Dept of Public Health.
Inspection scores & grading
Grading system: Pass / Pass with Conditions / Fail. Chicago Dept. of Public Health (CDPH) inspects within the city; results are Pass, Pass w/ Conditions, or Fail and are searchable on the Chicago Food Inspections open-data portal. Suburban Cook is covered by Cook County Dept. of Public Health (cookcountypublichealth.org) using the same pass/fail categories.
Fees/payment and forms are on the department site; application steps vary by concept — see the checklist below.
How Cook County’s permit cost compares
At about $660/year, Cook County’s restaurant health permit is above the Illinois median ($125) and above the U.S. median ($125) — higher than about 99% of U.S. counties.
Ranked 62nd-lowest of 62 Illinois counties by permit cost.
Comparison uses the lowest published annual restaurant-permit figure in each county; confirm your exact tier with the department.
Local food-service market
About 12,106 food & drinking establishments serve ~5,087,072 residents in Cook County — one per ~420 residents, denser than the Illinois average (one per ~483).
U.S. Census 2023 population; County Business Patterns 2022 (NAICS 722).
Budget the permit stack
Start with ~$660 annual health permit.
Plus building, fire, and business-license fees that vary locally — use the cost calculators and the checklist below to budget the full stack.
The full approval stack
A code-compliant kitchen in Cook County needs more than the health permit — these approvals are handled by separate offices. Confirm current requirements with each.
Chicago requires the correct MFP-vs-MFD choice based solely on whether cooking happens on the truck; MFP is for true cook-on-board food trucks
CCDPH only licenses UNINCORPORATED suburban Cook County; most suburbs (incorporated municipalities) have their own local health department, so jurisdiction must be verified by address
Other food-service permits in this jurisdiction
Category
Annual fee
Notes
food processing/wholesale
$1,320 (2-yr)
Wholesale Food Establishment license, issued by City of Chicago BACP
commissary/central kitchen
$330 (2-yr operator); user $75 short-term / $330 long-term
Licensed as 'Shared Kitchen'; Operator license, plus Shared Kitchen User (short-term $75) and Supplemental $330
bakery
$660-$1,650 (2-yr, by sq ft)
No separate bakery license; covered under Retail Food Establishment license (0-1,000 sqft $660 up to over-10,000 sqft $1,650)
market/grocery with deli
$660-$1,650 (2-yr, by sq ft)
Grocery/market licensed as Retail Food Establishment, fee by square footage
caterer
—
No standalone caterer license; catering operates under a Retail Food Establishment or Shared Kitchen User license
Equipment your Cook County plan review will check
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.
Square-footage based, 2-year term: $660 (0-1,000 sq ft), scaling up to $1,650 (over 10,000 sq ft) These are annual health-permit fees, usually tiered by seating or size; confirm your exact category with the department.
Is plan review required in Cook County?
Yes — plan review is required before you build or remodel a food facility.
Do I need a commissary for a food truck in Cook County?
In most cases, yes — most mobile units must operate from an approved commissary; confirm exemptions with the department. Vehicle plan review by CDPH required before licensing; Chicago's two license types depend on whether food is cooked/prepared on the vehicle
Who issues food permits in Cook County?
Food permits here are issued by Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) Food Protection Program; business license issued by Dept. of Business Affairs & Consumer Protection (BACP). See the department site for current details.
Are city building and fire approvals separate?
Yes — building, plumbing, mechanical and fire approvals are always separate from the health permit and are often handled by different offices.
Published by Resultex Media Group LLC · Independent & vendor-neutral · Educational only, not legal or engineering advice · Last verified September 2026