Restaurants and food trucks.
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 Fulton County Board of Health, Environmental Health Services issues the health permit.
About 3,534 food & drinking establishments operate here, serving a population of about 1,079,105. (U.S. Census 2023 estimate; County Business Patterns 2022, NAICS 722)
Fee is set by facility Risk Type per the county EHS Fee Schedule (approved by BOC March 2022); see EHS-Fee-Schedule.pdf source
Turnaround: Minimum 6 weeks after submission
State DPH posts a 0-100 score and corresponding letter grade (A 90-100, B 80-89, C 70-79, U <70) displayed at the establishment plus available online.
Mobile unit permit fee set by risk type on same EHS fee schedule; a separate Fulton County Food Truck Administrative Use Permit (Planning/Zoning) may be fee-exempt or fee-required by case
Fees/payment and forms are on the department site; application steps vary by concept — see the checklist below.
U.S. Census 2023 population; County Business Patterns 2022 (NAICS 722).
A code-compliant kitchen in Fulton County needs more than the health permit — these approvals are handled by separate offices. Confirm current requirements with each.
| Building / plans | City of Atlanta Office of Buildings (Dept. of City Planning) (principal city) · 404-330-6150 |
| Fire marshal | Atlanta Fire Rescue - Office of the Fire Marshal / Fire & Life Safety · 470-716-5173 |
| Zoning / planning | City of Atlanta Office of Zoning & Development · 404-330-6175 |
| Sewer / grease | City of Atlanta Dept. of Watershed Management - Grease Management Program · 404-546-1503 |
| Business license | City of Atlanta Business License / Occupation Tax (Office of Revenue) |
| Category | Annual fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| temporary/special-event food service | 1-2 day $35; 3-14 day $50 | Fulton County Board of Health temporary food permit; late-application surcharges apply (up to $77.50/$100); One free 1-day permit per group every 6 months |
| pop-up food service | $150 | Assessment/Letter of Approval $150 per vendor and $150 per facilitator (Fee Schedule eff; 4/1/2022) |
| caterer | — | Georgia regulates catering as a food service establishment (GA DPH Ch; 511-6-1); no separate caterer permit/fee published |
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 Fulton 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 →