Restaurants, commercial kitchens, and food trucks.
Marin County food-facility health permits run about $578–$1,728 annually, depending on size or sales volume. Confirm the exact amount with Marin County Environmental Health Services (Community Development Agency) 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 Marin County Environmental Health Services (Community Development Agency) issues the health permit.
About 644 food & drinking establishments operate here, serving a population of about 254,407. (U.S. Census 2023 estimate; County Business Patterns 2022, NAICS 722)
Annual operating permit under CalCode; Fee schedule effective July 1, 2019, modified Sept 2025. A $15 technology-fee surcharge is added to each permit; Institutions (jail/hospital) $2,042. Source: https://assets.marincounty.gov/marincounty-prod/public/2025-09/2019%20Food%20Program%20Operating%20Permit%20Fees%202019%20modified%20%20Sept%202025.pdf
Marin's 'Go For Green' program posts green (Pass) / yellow (Conditional Pass) / red (Closed) placards plus online reports.
MFF; Full Service = 50% of annual permit; Limited Food Prep and Prepackaged/Produce carts have separate lower fees (one permit covers up to 3 prepackaged carts, same owner); Verify exact dollar with EHS; Source PDF as above
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Caterer | $942 (+$15 tech fee = $957) | Separate 'Catering Facility' permit $628 (+$15 = $643) |
| Commissary / central preparation kitchen | $411 (+$15 tech fee = $426) | Annual commissary operating permit |
| Bakery / food processing | $658 (2,000-5,999 sq ft) / $959 (6,000+ sq ft); +$15 tech fee | Bakery <2,000 sq ft base fee not clearly listed in source table |
| Bar / limited food service | $1,154 (+$15 tech fee = $1,169) | Bar/Tavern without food OR with limited food prep |
| Grocery / market with deli | $1,302 (<2,000 sq ft) / $1,572 (2,000-5,999) / $1,965 (6,000+); +$15 tech fee | 'Market' permit tiered by square footage; deli/prep areas fall within the market permit |
| Temporary / seasonal event | Community Event TFF $369 (2-3 days) / $412 (4-30 days); Temp Food Facility same site $610 (1 yr) / $488 (6 mo); Community Event Organizer permit $350 (+$15) | Limited-prep and prepackaged temporary/cart tiers are lower ($253-$392); Late (<2 weeks before event) adds $104 |
| Pushcart / mobile vending | MFF/carts; prepackaged food/produce category exists (one permit covers up to 3 carts, same owner) but the exact dollar line is ambiguous in the source fee table | Confirm cart fee with Marin EHS; full-service MFF is charged at 50% of the annual permit fee |
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 Marin 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 →