Restaurants, commercial kitchens, 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 Mecklenburg County Public Health - Environmental Health Division issues the health permit.
About 2,885 food & drinking establishments operate here, serving a population of about 1,163,701. (U.S. Census 2023 estimate; County Business Patterns 2022, NAICS 722)
Under NC rules the operating permit itself is issued without a state annual permit fee; local fees attach to plan review and services
Sanitation score converts to a required grade card — A 90-100, B 80-89, C 70-79 (below 70 cannot operate) — posted at the establishment and available online.
Requires a permitted commissary; effective July 1, 2025 a change-of-commissary service fee applies to mobile food units/pushcarts and a new temporary-foodservice-event organizer fee was added; Exact dollar amounts not published in accessible search results
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 Mecklenburg County needs more than the health permit — these approvals are handled by separate offices. Confirm current requirements with each.
| Building / plans | Mecklenburg County Code Enforcement (LUESA) – Building Permits (countywide) · 980-314-2633 |
| Fire marshal | Charlotte Fire Department – Fire Marshal's Office / Fire Prevention (plan review) · 704-336-2101 |
| Zoning / planning | City of Charlotte – Planning, Design & Development (Zoning Administration, UDO) · 704-336-3569 |
| Sewer / grease | Charlotte Water – Fats, Oils & Grease (FOG) Program · 704-336-7600 |
| Business license | North Carolina has no general local business license (privilege license repealed); state/tax registration only |
| Category | Annual fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| temporary food establishment (TFE) | $75 per permit | Per event/vendor; apply >=15 days prior; New organizer fee for temporary foodservice events effective 7/1/2025 |
| pushcart | — | NC issues no annual permit fee for food establishments (state-set, only plan-review/TFE fees allowed); menu limited to hot dogs/encased meats; commissary agreement required |
| commissary/central kitchen | — | No separate permit; a permitted food establishment (restaurant, deli, catering facility) serves as commissary; agreement required at application; Change-of-commissary incurs a change-of-service fee |
| limited food service establishment | — | NC establishment classification (15A NCAC 18A .2600); no annual permit fee under NC law |
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 Mecklenburg 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 →