Restaurants and food trucks.
Fairfield County food-facility health permits run about $575 annually. Confirm the exact amount with No single county health department - Connecticut food licensing is delegated to town health departments and multi-town health districts (e.g., City of Bridgeport Environmental Health; City of Stamford Health Dept; Town of Fairfield Health Dept; Greenwich Health Dept) 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 No single county health department - Connecticut food licensing is delegated to town health departments and multi-town health districts (e.g., City of Bridgeport Environmental Health; City of Stamford Health Dept; Town of Fairfield Health Dept; Greenwich Health Dept) issues the health permit.
CT uses statewide risk classes: Class 1 (low-risk retail), Class 2 (limited prep, hot/cold holding), Class 3 (full-service/complex prep, restaurants & caterers), Class 4 (highly susceptible populations / specialized processes); Class 2, 3, and 4 establishments must employ a Certified Food Protection Manager (Qualified Food Operator); Bridgeport EH (203) 576-7474; Fairfield Health Dept (203) 256-3020
Turnaround: not published
State adopted the 2022 FDA Food Code (eff. 2023); inspections categorize violations as Priority/Priority Foundation/Core with no letter grade or numeric score; reports public via local health departments.
Connecticut has NO statewide food-truck license; each of ~71 local health departments and ~19 health districts licenses mobile units separately, so a truck must be licensed in each town it operates; A signed commissary letter (commissary must be a licensed CT food establishment, not a home kitchen) is required for plan-review submission
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.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| temporary/seasonal/special-event | $125.00 | 'Temporary Vendor; Festival' (seasonal); Fairfield County CT has no county health dept; licensing is municipal/district; Figures are City of Bridgeport (reference jurisdiction provided); General food establishments licensed by size/class (Class 1-4, $230-$400), not by the caterer/bakery/commissary categories |
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 Fairfield 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 →