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 Salt Lake County Health Department - Food Protection Bureau issues the health permit.
About 2,380 food & drinking establishments operate here, serving a population of about 1,185,813. (U.S. Census 2023 estimate; County Business Patterns 2022, NAICS 722)
Exact restaurant permit fee NOT published on the county food-protection pages; fee is calculated by the Food Protection Bureau at the time of application; Contact Bureau at (385) 468-3845 / 788 East Woodoak Lane, Murray UT
Turnaround: Plan review must be completed before building/modifying the facility; fee calculated at submission (amount not published)
No letter grades or posted scores; risk-based rating with full inspection history posted online.
Before applying, operator must attend a mobile food service class and complete a Commissary Agreement and Restroom Agreement, then complete plan review before building the unit; Utah uses standardized statewide mobile tiers with cross-county reciprocity
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.
A code-compliant kitchen in Salt Lake County needs more than the health permit — these approvals are handled by separate offices. Confirm current requirements with each.
| Category | Annual fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| temporary/seasonal/special-event | $70 low-risk single day / $105 high-risk single day | Temporary Food Establishment permit; booth operating >45 days/yr requires an approved commissary |
| commissary/central kitchen | — | Required for all mobile food units and temporary booths >45 days; must be a health-dept-approved food establishment (restaurant/school/church kitchen); No separate flat fee published |
| caterer | — | No standalone caterer category; caterers hold a food service permit and each event vendor obtains its own temporary permit |
| market/grocery with deli | — | Grocery stores, butchers, bakeries and food manufacturing/processing are NOT regulated by SLCoHD; jurisdiction of Utah Dept of Agriculture & Food |
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 Salt Lake 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 →