Restaurants, commercial kitchens, and food trucks.
Sonoma County food-facility health permits run about $1,488 annually. Plan review runs about $261–$2,088. Confirm the exact amount with Sonoma County Environmental Health & Safety (Dept. of Health Services) 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 Sonoma County Environmental Health & Safety (Dept. of Health Services) issues the health permit.
About 1,170 food & drinking establishments operate here, serving a population of about 481,812. (U.S. Census 2023 estimate; County Business Patterns 2022, NAICS 722)
Tiered by prep level and floor area; Minimal/No Prep $662; Moderate Prep <2,000 sq ft $1,488 / 2,000-6,000 $1,544 / >6,000 $1,826; Extensive Prep <2,000 $1,938 / 2,000-6,000 $2,117 / >6,000 $2,286
Sonoma posts green/yellow/red placards (program since June 2016); inspection reports online.
Minimal/No Prep $490; Moderate Prep $862; Extensive Prep $977. Each truck is a separate business requiring its own inspection and permit; approved plans + valid health permit required before operation
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 | $858 | Food; Caterer (3R40) $858; Food; Local Caterer w/ TFF (3R42) $1,175 |
| commissary/shared/central kitchen | $1,070 | Food; Rental/Catering Kitchen (3R45) $1,070; Food; Host Facility (3R47) $597 |
| temporary/seasonal/special-event | $263 | TFF Pre-Pkg No Food Prep Annual (3T11) $263; Community Event Organizer 2-5 Vendors (3T43) $804; 6-19 Vendors (3T47) $1,254 |
| pushcart/limited or low-risk operation | $224 | LSCFO Pre-Pkg No Prep (3CF1) $224 (Limited Service Charitable Feeding Op / low-risk prepackaged); General 'Minimal or No Preparation' food facility (3R05) $662 |
| market/grocery with deli | — | No market-specific line published; retail food permitted by preparation-risk tier (Minimal/No Prep $662; Moderate Prep <2,000 sq ft $1,488) |
| bakery | — | No distinct bakery category; permitted under preparation-risk food facility tiers |
| bar/tavern | — | No distinct bar/tavern category published on the fee schedule page |
| food processing/wholesale | — | Not published as a distinct category |
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 Sonoma 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 →