Restaurants, commercial kitchens, and food trucks.
Chittenden County food-facility health permits run about $105–$1,000 annually, depending on size or sales volume. Confirm the exact amount with Vermont Department of Health - Food & Lodging Program 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 Vermont Department of Health - Food & Lodging Program issues the health permit.
What the local foodservice landscape looks like — useful whether you’re opening here or sizing up the competition.
▼ 1.2% change in establishments since 2022 (428 → 423).
The average foodservice wage here is $1,322 above the Vermont average ($26,227); Vermont has about 1,497 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.
State-administered by the Vermont Dept of Health Food & Lodging Program; Chittenden County (Burlington) has no county health department; Licenses are annual and not prorated
Turnaround: Submit complete application at least 30 days before planned opening
Health Dept Food & Lodging Program scores a 44-item inspection; establishment must score 70+ with no uncorrected critical violations to pass; reports online, no letter grade.
Mobile units and push carts must meet the Mobile Unit and Push Cart Requirements; mobile seafood vendors follow Food Caterer; Mobile 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 $245–$1,260 for Chittenden 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.
Check the health-inspection history and violation scores for any food establishment in Chittenden County and Vermont. The Vermont Department of Health Food & Lodging Program inspects retail food service establishments statewide and publishes reports in this portal.
Vermont inspection lookup →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 2024 (Vermont Plumbing Rules), 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 where grease-laden waste is produced, sized under the state plumbing code, with the FOG discharge permit issued by the local sewer authority.
Size the interceptor with our grease-trap sizing calculator, compare units in the grease-trap catalog, and confirm the local FOG permit with Vermont Department of Health - Food & Lodging Program (contact above).
Hood fire suppression (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. Commercial kitchen hood suppression follows NFPA 96 and is permitted and inspected by the Division of Fire Safety under the Vermont Fire & Building Safety Code. See do I need a hood? and the hood CFM calculator.
Backflow prevention: An annual RPZ/backflow assembly test is required under state cross-connection control rules and administered by the public water supplier. A certified backflow assembly (often an RPZ) on the water service, tested annually, is standard — confirm with your water utility.
| Category | Annual fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Caterer | $155/yr (Home Caterer); $260/yr (Commercial Caterer) | Vermont breaks out two caterer tiers in 18 V.S.A; § 4353 |
| Commissary / central preparation kitchen | not a distinct § 4353 category; a commissary/central kitchen is licensed as a Commercial Caterer ($260) or food service establishment depending on operation; Confirm with the Food & Lodging Program | No stand-alone commissary fee line in the statute |
| Bakery / food processing | a retail bakery is licensed as a food service establishment or Limited Operation ($140); wholesale food processing is regulated by the VT Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets, not the Dept of Health; Confirm applicable license | Health Dept covers food service; food manufacturing is an Agency of Agriculture program |
| Bar / limited food service | $140/yr (Limited Operations); full-service bars serving meals use the restaurant seating tiers ($105-$1,000) | Limited food service is the Limited Operations category; a bar serving full meals is priced by seats |
| Grocery / market with deli | retail food/grocery stores are licensed by the VT Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets, not the Dept of Health; an in-store deli/food-prep area may require a Health Dept food service license; Confirm store license with the Agency of Agriculture | Grocery/retail food = Agency of Agriculture jurisdiction in Vermont |
| Temporary / seasonal event | $125 (Fair Stand / temporary stand, single event 3 days or less / under 4 days per year); $230 (operating 4 or more days per year) | Vermont does not prorate license fees |
| Pushcart / mobile vending | § 4353 lists no stand-alone mobile-unit fee; mobile units/push carts are licensed as a Commercial Caterer ($260) or Limited Operation ($140) by menu; Confirm classification with the Food & Lodging Program | Mobile units must meet the Mobile Unit and Push Cart Requirements |
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 Chittenden 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 →