Restaurants, commercial kitchens, and food trucks.
Ouachita Parish food-facility health permits run about $75–$150 annually, depending on size or sales volume. Plan review runs about $100–$1,000. Confirm the exact amount with Louisiana Department of Health (LDH), Office of Public Health, Bureau of Sanitarian Services / Retail Food Program (state-administered through the OPH regional office in Region 8 serving Ouachita Parish/Monroe). Parish government does not issue food permits. 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 Louisiana Department of Health (LDH), Office of Public Health, Bureau of Sanitarian Services / Retail Food Program (state-administered through the OPH regional office in Region 8 serving Ouachita Parish/Monroe). Parish government does not issue food permits. issues the health permit.
About 268 food & drinking establishments operate here, serving a population of about 157,568. (U.S. Census 2023 estimate; County Business Patterns 2022, NAICS 722)
Statutory fee schedule, uniform statewide; Restaurants/food service fall under the standard 'permit' tier (Section A); Fees are annual
Louisiana Dept. of Health inspects on a risk schedule and cites critical/non-critical violations — no grade or score; reports on the LDH online dashboard.
Mobile food establishments require plan review and a commissary/base of operations; Fee follows the general per-permit schedule; confirm exact classification with the parish sanitarian
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Grocery / market with deli | Retail food store, food sales >=60% of gross; by annual gross revenue: <$100,000 $75.00; $100,000-$500,000 $112.50; $500,001-$1,000,000 $187.50; $1,000,001-$2,500,000 $375.00; $2,500,001-$5,000,000 $600.00; over $5,000,000 $750.00 | La; R.S; 40:31.37 Section C; Stores where food is <60% of gross use a separate per-permit tier (Section D); New retail store initial fee $112.50 |
| Temporary / seasonal event | Temporary/special event $25.00 per event; Seasonal establishment $15.00 per month of operation | La; R.S; 40:31.37 statutory fees, uniform statewide |
| Commissary / central preparation kitchen | permitted under the standard Section A per-permit schedule (first permit $150.00) with no distinct commissary line item | Confirm classification with the parish sanitarian; commissaries support mobile units |
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 Ouachita Parish with its neighbors.
This is a typical sequence — confirm the exact sequence with your authority having jurisdiction.
Official plan-check requirements: plan-check guide →