Restaurants and food trucks.
Brooke County food-facility health permits run about $125–$500 annually, depending on size or sales volume. Plan review runs about $50. Confirm the exact amount with WV Bureau for Public Health legislative rule 64CSR30 'Fees for Permits' (companion rule 64CSR51 'Fees for Service'); adopted/amended via the WV Legislature. Local health departments administer/collect but the fee schedule is set statewide by the legislative rule. 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 WV Bureau for Public Health legislative rule 64CSR30 'Fees for Permits' (companion rule 64CSR51 'Fees for Service'); adopted/amended via the WV Legislature. Local health departments administer/collect but the fee schedule is set statewide by the legislative rule. issues the health permit. West Virginia sets food-establishment fees at the state level through WV Bureau for Public Health legislative rule 64CSR30 'Fees for Permits' (companion rule 64CSR51 'Fees for Service'); adopted/amended via the WV Legislature. Local health departments administer/collect but the fee schedule is set statewide by the legislative rule., EXCEPT in counties/cities that run their own health department (which set their own fees). Confirm which applies to your exact address.
What the local foodservice landscape looks like — useful whether you’re opening here or sizing up the competition.
▼ 10.2% change in establishments since 2022 (49 → 44).
The average foodservice wage here is $760 below the West Virginia average ($18,776); West Virginia has about 3,269 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.
Set at the state level by WV Bureau for Public Health legislative rule 64CSR30 'Fees for Permits' (companion rule 64CSR51 'Fees for Service'); adopted/amended via the WV Legislature; Local health departments administer/collect but the fee schedule is set statewide by the legislative rule; a single statewide fee schedule for counties without their own health department; Effective Fee schedule per 64CSR30/64CSR51 as amended 2024 legislative session (food establishment rule 64CSR17 effective 2023-04-01)
State-set mobile-food fee; confirm commissary and local requirements
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 $235–$675 for Brooke 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 IPC 2018 (adopted by the WV State Fire Commission / State Building Code), 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 West Virginia's adopted plumbing code, with FOG permits from 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 WV Bureau for Public Health legislative rule 64CSR30 'Fees for Permits' (companion rule 64CSR51 'Fees for Service'); adopted/amended via the WV Legislature. Local health departments administer/collect but the fee schedule is set statewide by the legislative rule. (contact above).
Hood fire suppression (West Virginia State Fire Code (NFPA 1, 2021)): commercial cooking under a Type I hood needs a wet-chemical suppression system to NFPA 96, permitted and inspected by the local fire marshal. Kitchen hood suppression follows NFPA 96 under the West Virginia State Fire Code, enforced by the State Fire Marshal. See do I need a hood? and the hood CFM calculator.
Backflow prevention: Annual RPZ backflow assembly testing is required by the local water utility's cross-connection control program. A certified backflow assembly (often an RPZ) on the water service, tested annually, is standard — confirm with your water utility.
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 Brooke County with its neighbors.
This is a typical sequence — confirm the exact sequence with your authority having jurisdiction.