Local permits & fees

Bergen County, NJ — Commercial Kitchen Permits

Bergen County Department of Health Services, Consumer Health Program (acts as the local health agency, performing inspections/plan review for ~30 contracting municipalities); retail food LICENSES are issued by each municipality · department site →

Fees change often — always confirm the current amount with the department before you budget.

Restaurant / food-facility permit

Retail Food Establishment License (municipal license under N.J.A.C. 8:24, Chapter 24 of the NJ State Sanitary Code)

Fee not published online — contact the department.

In NJ, retail food licensing is a MUNICIPAL function - the county department of health provides inspection and plan-review services to contracting towns but does not itself sell the operating license. The annual license fee is set by each municipality's ordinance and is not published county-wide; typical NJ municipal retail-food license fees run roughly $100-$500/yr depending on the town and establishment size. Confirm the exact fee with the specific municipality (or the Bergen County Health Dept for towns it serves). Left null - no single county fee exists.

Plan review — required

Fee not published online.

Turnaround: Not published. A plan review / pre-operational inspection is generally required before a municipality will issue a new retail-food license.

Plan-review details & forms →

Food truck / mobile permit

Mobile Retail Food Establishment License (municipal, under N.J.A.C. 8:24)

Fee not published online — contact the department.

Mobile/food-truck licensing is also municipal in NJ. A mobile vendor typically needs a retail food license from the town where the unit is based plus separate approvals in each additional municipality it operates in, and must work from an approved commissary. Fees vary by town and are not published at the county level - left null.

How to apply

Forms & applications

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New Jersey statewide rules

Who licenses you, reciprocity, and the state regime.

What equipment you need

Build a tailored equipment checklist for your concept.

Permits & plan review, explained

The stack of approvals before you open.

Sources: bergencountynj.gov · www.nj.gov · observed 2026-08-07