Restaurants and food trucks.
Dallas County food-facility health permits run about $141–$513 annually, depending on size or sales volume. Plan review runs about $205. Confirm the exact amount with Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS), Environmental Health Division 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 Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS), Environmental Health Division issues the health permit.
Cities with their own health department: Dallas, Garland, Irving, Richardson, Grand Prairie, Mesquite. Food businesses inside these cities apply to the city health department (with its own fees and rules), not Dallas County. Confirm which authority covers your exact address.
About 5,883 food & drinking establishments operate here, serving a population of about 2,606,358. (U.S. Census 2023 estimate; County Business Patterns 2022, NAICS 722)
Fees per the DCHHS 2025-2026 fee schedule (Oct 1, 2025; Sep 30, 2026); Tiered by risk level and square footage
Turnaround: Plan review must be completed before the first (pre-opening) inspection; specific turnaround not published
City of Dallas scores food establishments 0–100 (no letter grade); scores posted online — 100–90 very good down to ≤59 unacceptable.
Effective 2026-07-01, per HB 2844 (2025), DCHHS mobile food unit permits are no longer valid and are not grandfathered; operators must hold the DSHS statewide mobile food unit license; DCHHS previously charged $258/yr for a Mobile Food Unit permit ($150 plan review); Local fire/zoning still applies
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.
A code-compliant kitchen in Dallas County needs more than the health permit — these approvals are handled by separate offices. Confirm current requirements with each.
| Category | Annual fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| temporary/seasonal/special-event | $52 single event / $200 multiple events | Temporary Food Permit; single-event $52, multiple-event $200 |
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 Dallas 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 →