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Health-department requirements

Opening a Kitchen in Missouri? Equipment You’re Required to Install

The equipment a Missouri health department expects, the state food code that actually controls here, and how plan review works.
Verified from primary sources. Educational, not legal advice — always confirm with your local health department.

What we verified

Each row is the verification state of one aspect for Missouri, taken from the data we hold. A check does not mean every local amendment or county fee was individually reviewed.

State framework✓Verified — core regulatory framework researched and confirmed
Licensing authority✓Verified — regulator named
Adopted code✓Verified — adopted food code named in the sources/detail below
Primary sources✓Linked
County coverage◐Partial — framework only; county-specific permit fees and plan review vary by local authority
Fee schedule•Varies by local AHJ — state-level fees are not verified here
Last checked•2026-08-10 (source links re-verified monthly)

Core equipment nearly every commercial kitchen needs

These come from the FDA Food Code — a model code that nearly every state adopts and amends, with enforcement that varies by jurisdiction. Treat them as commonly required, not universal: your menu, your state’s adopted edition, and your local authority (AHJ) may impose different or additional requirements.

Labels flag how firm each item is — Common baseline core Food-Code expectation · Frequently required usual on plan review · Varies locally set by local/plumbing code · Verify with AHJ confirm the specifics locally. The finer details (drainboard count, which sanitation listings are accepted, interceptor sizing) are plan-review and plumbing-code matters that vary by jurisdiction; the notes below are FoodServiceNerd planning guidance, not a code citation.

Common baseline
3-compartment sink
Manual warewashing (wash/rinse/sanitize), bowls sized to your largest pot — a core FDA Food Code expectation, often required even with a dish machine. Varies locally Drainboard count and indirect waste / air-gap details are set by local plumbing code and plan review.
Common baseline
Hand sink(s)
Dedicated, near prep + warewashing + restrooms; warm water ≥100°F, soap, towels, signage. Count and placement confirmed at plan review.
Common baseline
Commercial refrigeration
Holds cold TCS food ≤41°F. Verify with AHJ Most jurisdictions want a recognized sanitation listing (NSF/ANSI 7 or an accepted equivalent such as ETL-Sanitation) — residential units are commonly rejected. Confirm the accepted standard locally.
Frequently required
Cleanable work surfaces
Smooth, corrosion-resistant, cleanable — a recognized sanitation listing (e.g. NSF/ANSI 2) is the usual bar, not home furniture.

Varies locally Also required in most kitchens: a mop/service sink, mechanical exhaust hood (Type I over grease/smoke), adequate hot water, indirect waste/air gaps on food & warewashing equipment, and a grease interceptor where local plumbing code requires it — which apply, and their sizing, are set locally.

How Missouri licenses & reviews you

Licensing authority: City and county health depts. Regime: Fully local.

KCMO has 13 distinct mobile vendor permit categories. St. Louis City layers Health permit + Street Dept permit ($500/yr or $125/quarter). St. Louis County has 88 municipalities each with own rules. A KC+STL touring truck holds 4-6 permits minimum.

New builds and remodels almost always require a plan review and a pre-opening inspection. Submit your equipment layout early — the sink count, hood, and hot-water sizing are the usual sticking points.

Primary sources for Missouri

Permit fees, plan review and local requirements are set by your county/city health department (the AHJ) — confirm the current specifics with them.

Local requirements by county in Missouri (115)

Food-permit basics, inspection grading and your local health-department contact, county by county. Fees and plan review are set locally — find yours below.

Adair County
Andrew County
Atchison County
Audrain County
Barry County
Barton County
Bates County
Benton County
Bollinger County
Boone County
Buchanan County
Butler County
Caldwell County
Callaway County
Camden County
Cape Girardeau County
Carroll County
Carter County
Cass County
Cedar County
Chariton County
Christian County
Clark County
Clay County
Clinton County
Cole County
Cooper County
Crawford County
Dade County
Dallas County
Daviess County
DeKalb County
Dent County
Douglas County
Dunklin County
Franklin County
Gasconade County
Gentry County
Greene County
Grundy County
Harrison County
Henry County
Hickory County
Holt County
Howard County
Howell County
Iron County
Jackson County
Jasper County
Jefferson County
Johnson County
Knox County
Laclede County
Lafayette County
Lawrence County
Lewis County
Lincoln County
Linn County
Livingston County
Macon County
Madison County
Maries County
Marion County
McDonald County
Mercer County
Miller County
Mississippi County
Moniteau County
Monroe County
Montgomery County
Morgan County
New Madrid County
Newton County
Nodaway County
Oregon County
Osage County
Ozark County
Pemiscot County
Perry County
Pettis County
Phelps County
Pike County
Platte County
Polk County
Pulaski County
Putnam County
Ralls County
Randolph County
Ray County
Reynolds County
Ripley County
Saline County
Schuyler County
Scotland County
Scott County
Shannon County
Shelby County
St. Charles County
St. Clair County
St. Francois County
St. Louis County
St. Louis city
Ste. Genevieve County
Stoddard County
Stone County
Sullivan County
Taney County
Texas County
Vernon County
Warren County
Washington County
Wayne County
Webster County
Worth County
Wright County