Restaurants, commercial kitchens, and food trucks.
Dane County food-facility health permits run about $266.76–$1,457.35 annually, depending on size or sales volume. Plan review runs about $562.50–$1,200. Confirm the exact amount with Public Health Madison & Dane County - 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 Public Health Madison & Dane County - Environmental Health Division issues the health permit.
About 1,295 food & drinking establishments operate here, serving a population of about 575,347. (U.S. Census 2023 estimate; County Business Patterns 2022, NAICS 722)
Not a flat fee; scaled by anticipated gross annual food & drink sales (7 tiers) and food-handling complexity (Prepackaged TCS / Simple / Moderate / Complex); Verified from the official PHMDC Food License Fees sheet (eff; May 4, 2026); City of Madison Clerk's Office (608-266-4601) collects applications/fees; PHMDC does inspections/plan review
Public Health Madison & Dane County inspects under the Wisconsin Food Code; no letter grade. Inspection reports posted online.
WI licenses a mobile as a Retail Food Establishment (scaled by sales/complexity) plus a mobile Service Base; Holders of a statewide DATCP mobile license are exempt from PHMDC licensing but may incur a $50 Transient Operator inspection fee; Verified from PHMDC Food License Fees sheet (eff; May 4, 2026)
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 |
|---|---|---|
| market/grocery with deli | Retail Food Establishment; Not Serving Meals new-license fee: $835.56 (sales <=$10k, prepackaged) up to $2,753.25 (sales >$5M, complex); e.g; mid-tier ($100,001-$250,000, moderate) $1,471.66 | Groceries/markets license as 'Retail Food Establishment; Not Serving Meals'; complexity tier rises with on-site handling such as a deli; New-license fee = our annual + state annual + pre-inspection; Verified PHMDC sheet eff; May 4, 2026 |
| temporary/seasonal/special-event | Transient Food Establishment new-license (our + state): Prepackaged TCS only $111.60; Non-TCS $150.90; TCS $199.30. Transient Operator Inspection Fee (operator licensed by state or another WI municipality) $50 | Wisconsin 'Transient' = mobile/temporary operator moving among events/locations; Verified PHMDC sheet eff; May 4, 2026 |
| commissary/central kitchen | $423.06 new license (Mobile Retail Food Establishment Service Base; No Food Preparation or Processing; $266.76 our + $6.30 state + $150 pre-inspection) | The commissary/service-base category is the 'Service Base; No Processing' license supporting mobile units; Verified PHMDC sheet eff; May 4, 2026 |
| micro market | Single micro market $40.00 new license ($34.40 our + $5.60 state); 2+ at same location $60.00 | Unattended micro-market license; Verified PHMDC sheet eff; May 4, 2026 |
| school | School; Satellite $149.00; School; Production $360.00 (our fee; DATCP/DPI MOU) | Verified PHMDC sheet eff; May 4, 2026 |
| bakery | — | No separate bakery category; a bakery licenses as a Retail Food Establishment (Serving Meals or Not Serving Meals) at the applicable sales/complexity tier |
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 Dane 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 →