Restaurants and food trucks.
Adams County food-facility health permits run about $481–$581 annually, depending on size or sales volume. Plan review runs about $155. Confirm the exact amount with Adams County Health Department - Environmental Health (retail food license fees are set by the State of Colorado / CDPHE and are uniform statewide; locally administered) 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 Adams County Health Department - Environmental Health (retail food license fees are set by the State of Colorado / CDPHE and are uniform statewide; locally administered) issues the health permit.
What the local foodservice landscape looks like — useful whether you’re opening here or sizing up the competition.
▲ 6.1% change in establishments since 2022 (826 → 876).
The average foodservice wage here is $2,276 below the Colorado average ($28,457); Colorado has about 13,675 food & drink establishments statewide.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 (NAICS 722, food services & drinking places) — establishments with paid employees. Some small-county payroll figures are withheld by Census for confidentiality.
State-set fee schedule under SB25-285; identical across Colorado local agencies; Fees rise again in 2027 and 2028. Limited food service establishments (bars/limited prep) are $338. 2026 fees apply to licenses issued on/after Sept 1, 2025
Colorado law (C.R.S. 25-4-1607.7) bars local letter grades; inspections result in Pass or Re-Inspection Required, posted online.
Statewide license reciprocity took effect Jan 1, 2026 under HB25-1295; a single local-agency license lets a mobile unit operate across most Colorado jurisdictions without re-permitting
Fees/payment and forms are on the department site; application steps vary by concept — see the checklist below.
The government permit & plan-review fees below total roughly $791–$1,217 for Adams County:
That’s the paperwork only. Add buildout, equipment, deposits and licenses with the cost-to-open calculator. Fees change — confirm current amounts with the department.
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.
food establishments here must control fats, oils & grease (FOG) with a grease interceptor or trap, and typically register with the local sewer/wastewater authority. A grease interceptor sized to the adopted plumbing code is required, with a municipal sewer-authority FOG discharge permit.
Size the interceptor with our grease-trap sizing calculator, compare units in the grease-trap catalog, and confirm the local FOG permit with Adams County Health Department - Environmental Health (retail food license fees are set by the State of Colorado / CDPHE and are uniform statewide; locally administered) (contact above).
Hood fire suppression: commercial cooking under a Type I hood needs a wet-chemical suppression system to NFPA 96, permitted and inspected by the local fire marshal. Type I hood fire suppression must meet NFPA 96 and the fire code adopted by the local fire authority. See do I need a hood? and the hood CFM calculator.
Backflow prevention: An approved backflow preventer with a certified annual test is required by the local water purveyor. A certified backflow assembly (often an RPZ) on the water service, tested annually, is standard — confirm with your water utility.
| Category | Annual fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bar / limited food service | $338/yr (Limited Food Service Establishment, 2026) | State CDPHE fee (SB25-285) for limited-prep establishments; uniform statewide |
| Grocery / market with deli | Grocery: $244 (<15,001 sq ft) / $441 (>15,000 sq ft); Grocery with deli: $469 (<15,001 sq ft) / $894 (>15,000 sq ft) (2026) | State CDPHE fee schedule; grocery fees are by square footage, higher when a deli/prepared-foods department is present |
| Pushcart / mobile vending | $481 (full service) / $338 (prepackaged only) per year (2026); plus $155 mobile plan review | Statewide reciprocity under HB25-1295 (effective Jan 1, 2026) lets one license operate across most Colorado jurisdictions |
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 Adams 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 →