Restaurants and food trucks.
Blue Earth County food-facility health permits run about $185–$670 annually, depending on size or sales volume. Plan review runs about $450–$550. Confirm the exact amount with Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) - Food, Pools, and Lodging Services (restaurants/food service); Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) (grocery/retail food). Blue Earth County is NOT a delegated licensing agency - the state licenses directly. 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 Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) - Food, Pools, and Lodging Services (restaurants/food service); Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) (grocery/retail food). Blue Earth County is NOT a delegated licensing agency - the state licenses directly. issues the health permit.
What the local foodservice landscape looks like — useful whether you’re opening here or sizing up the competition.
▲ 0.6% change in establishments since 2022 (156 → 157).
The average foodservice wage here is $5,096 below the Minnesota average ($23,300); Minnesota has about 10,937 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.
Blue Earth County (Mankato) has no county food-licensing delegation; MDH licenses restaurants/bars/food service and MDA licenses grocery/retail; Fees effective July 1, 2025. Source: MDH FPLS Plan Review and License Fees (health.state.mn.us)
MDH/MDA (and delegated programs) inspect under the Minnesota Food Code; no letter grade or score. Minnesota generally does not post results online — reports available on request.
Food Cart license is $150 (plan review $750-$800 new); Special Event Food Stand license $250
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 $460–$2,275 for Blue Earth 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.
Under Minnesota Plumbing Code (Ch. 4714, based on 2018 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. Grease interceptors are required under the Minnesota Plumbing Code, with FOG limits set by the local sewer utility.
Size the interceptor with our grease-trap sizing calculator, compare units in the grease-trap catalog, and confirm the local FOG permit with Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) - Food, Pools, and Lodging Services (restaurants/food service); Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) (grocery/retail food). Blue Earth County is NOT a delegated licensing agency - the state licenses directly. (contact above).
Hood fire suppression (Minnesota State Fire Code (Ch. 7511, based on IFC)): 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 kitchen hood suppression follows NFPA 96 as adopted in the Minnesota State Fire Code and is inspected by the local fire authority. See do I need a hood? and the hood CFM calculator.
Backflow prevention: Restaurants must install a testable backflow preventer (typically an RPZ) that is tested annually and reported to the local water utility. 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 event | $250 (Special Event Food Stand license) or $150 (Seasonal Temporary / Seasonal Permanent Food Stand license), plus base fee $300 + hospitality $50 + technology $5 where applicable | MDH state fees effective July 1, 2025; Blue Earth County is not a delegated agency |
| Pushcart / mobile vending | $150 (Food Cart license) or $75 (Mobile Food Unit license), plus base fee $300 + hospitality $50 + technology $5 | MDH-licensed statewide |
| Grocery / market with deli | grocery/retail food is licensed by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA), not MDH; MDA retail food handler fees not captured here | Retail food (grocery) falls under MDA jurisdiction in Minnesota |
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 Blue Earth 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 →