AUTHORITY: Berks County has NO county health department; the PA Dept of Agriculture licenses and inspects most of the county under the Retail Food Facility Safety Act (3 Pa. C.S.A. 5701-5714). The City of Reading and Muhlenberg Township run their own food-safety inspection programs. A separate $35 annual registration under the PA Food Safety Act applies to certain food establishments (e.g., wholesale/manufacturing). Duplicate license $14.
PDA's fee schedule is type-agnostic (based on seats/size/ownership, not food category), so mobile units, commissaries, and bakeries all pay the retail food facility license fee.
| Category | Annual fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Commissary / central preparation kitchen | Licensed by PA Dept of Agriculture as a retail food facility: $241 new / $82 renewal - source https://www.pa.gov/agencies/pda/food/food-safety/retail-food/retail-food-facilities-and-restaurants | PDA's fee schedule is type-agnostic (by seats/size/ownership); most of Berks County is state-administered (no county health dept). |
| Pushcart / mobile vending | Mobile units licensed by PA Dept of Agriculture as retail food facilities: $241 new / $82 renewal - source https://www.pa.gov/agencies/pda/food/food-safety/retail-food/retail-food-facilities-and-restaurants | Same statewide schedule as fixed facilities. The City of Reading and Muhlenberg Township inspect their own establishments; the rest of Berks County is inspected by PDA. |