Restaurants and food trucks.
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 City of Albuquerque Environmental Health Department (within city limits); Bernalillo County Consumer Health Protection / NM Environment Dept for unincorporated county issues the health permit.
What the local foodservice landscape looks like — useful whether you’re opening here or sizing up the competition.
▲ 4.4% change in establishments since 2022 (1,418 → 1,480).
The average foodservice wage here is $961 above the New Mexico average ($22,830); New Mexico has about 3,932 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.
Fee is risk-based per the 2024 Food Service & Retail Ordinance (eff; 2024-08-01), set by establishment type, Class, and Risk Category in the Rules Appendices; specific dollar amounts NOT published on the fees web page; Discounts for non-profits, adult/child care, and microbusinesses (<=7 employees); amount not found online
Turnaround: Plan review required for new construction or remodeling before a food establishment opens
Albuquerque/Bernalillo Environmental Health inspects and posts results online; no letter grade (downgrade/closure notices only).
figures from secondary food-truck guides, not a direct .gov fee table; Risk-based fee structure under 2024 ordinance
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 $200–$700 for Bernalillo 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.
U.S. Census 2023 population; County Business Patterns 2022 (NAICS 722).
Under UPC, 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 state 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 City of Albuquerque Environmental Health Department (within city limits); Bernalillo County Consumer Health Protection / NM Environment Dept for unincorporated county (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. Commercial hood suppression must meet NFPA 96 and the state fire code enforced by the New Mexico State Fire Marshal and local fire officials. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| temporary/seasonal/special-event | — | Special Event Vendor permitting listed; fee not published on page |
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 Bernalillo 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 →