Local permits & fees

City & County of San Francisco, CA — Commercial Kitchen Permits

San Francisco Department of Public Health - Environmental Health Branch (EHB), Food Safety Program · department site →

Fees change often — always confirm the current amount with the department before you budget.

Restaurant / food-facility permit

Retail Food Permit to Operate

Permit to Operate Application Fee (with initial inspection) $470. Annual license fees (EHB Fee Schedule revised 7/1/2026, license/registration period 4/1/26-3/31/27): the core restaurant annual-license lines - Restaurants Under 1,000 / 1,000-2,000 / Over 2,000 sq ft, Bars/Taverns (with or without food prep), Take-Outs, Caterers, and Retail Bakeries - are all published with no amount ($-). Lines that do carry a fee include Restricted Food Service Facility $1,453; Employee Cafeteria WITH Food Prep $1,327; Employee Cafeteria WITH Limited Food Prep $408; Hospital Kitchens $1,368; Stadium Concessions $916; Supermarkets over 20,000 sq ft $1,593 (1 food prep) / $1,793 (2-3) / $1,991 (4+).

Fees stack with a Fire Department referral $156 and a Zoning referral $192. Most core restaurant/bar/take-out annual-license cells are blank ($-) in the published schedule - the $470 Permit to Operate application fee is the confirmed food-permit charge; confirm the annual license amount with EHB. Inspection/reinspection billed at $276/hr. Values shown are the current 4/1/26-3/31/27 license period; the schedule also lists a following-year (4/1/27-3/31/28) column with higher amounts (e.g., Restricted Food Service Facility $1,598, Employee Cafeteria w/ Food Prep $1,460).

Plan review — required

Plan Check (flat by project category, rates effective 7/1/26-6/30/27): Cat 1 small (mechanical ventilation, minor restroom/bar remodel within a restaurant, 3 hrs) $828; Cat 2 medium (prepackaged food facilities/bar/lounges, 4.5 hrs) $1,241; Cat 3 large (new construction or remodel of retail restaurants, coffee/deli/tea/ice cream shops, supermarkets with prep, 8 hrs) $2,207; Cat 4 preliminary/field evaluation (1 hr) $276; Cat 5 vending machines (4 hrs) $1,103. Hourly $276.

Turnaround: Multi-agency plan review/inspection (health, fire, building, planning) commonly takes 3-6 months overall.

Plan-review details & forms →

Food truck / mobile permit

Mobile Food Facility (MFF) Permit to Operate

Plan check (rates eff. 7/1/26-6/30/27): Mobile Food Facility Low Risk $414; High Risk $690; Mobile Food Support Unit $690 (Compact Mobile Food Operation Low/Moderate/High Risk plan checks are published as $-). Annual MFF license lines (Mobile Food Facility Low Risk / High Risk / Mobile Support Unit / Compact Mobile Food Operation Low/Moderate/High Risk / Permitted Auxiliary Conveyance) are all published with no amount ($-) in the schedule - confirm the annual license fee with EHB. Commissary for Mobile Food Facility Servicing $741/yr (license period 4/1/26-3/31/27).

DPH-EHB issues the health MFF permit; a separate SF Public Works permit is required to operate in the public right-of-way (street/sidewalk).

How to apply

Apply / county portal →Forms & applications

Watch out for

Food permit fees stack with a mandatory Fire Department referral ($156) and Zoning referral ($192) fee.
Mobile vendors need both a DPH-EHB health permit and a separate SF Public Works right-of-way permit to vend on streets/sidewalks.
Many core annual food-license lines (restaurants, bars, take-outs, caterers, bakeries, mobile units) are published with no dollar amount ($-); the confirmed food charge is the $470 Permit to Operate application fee plus hourly inspection time.

Other food-service permits in this jurisdiction

Category	Annual fee	Notes
caterer	—	'Caterers', 'Catering Facilities with Cooking' and 'without Cooking' are listed but published with no flat annual license fee ($-); SF charges a $470 Permit to Operate application fee plus hourly inspection. From DPH-EHB Fee Schedule (revised 7/1/2026).
commissary/central kitchen	$1,288	License period 4/1/26-3/31/27: 'Commissaries for Cooking' $1,288; 'Commissary for Mobile Food Facility Servicing' $741; 'Cooking school' $741; 'Host Facility' $988. (Following-year 4/1/27-3/31/28 amounts are $1,416 / $815 / $815 / $1,087.)
shared kitchen	$988	License period 4/1/26-3/31/27: Shared Kitchen Complex less than 2,000 sq ft $988; 2,000 sq ft or more $1,235.
bakery	—	'Retail Bakeries WITH Food Prep' and 'WITHOUT Food Prep' are listed but published with no flat annual license fee ($-).
bar/tavern	—	'Bars / Taverns (W Food Prep)' and '(W/O Food Prep)' are listed but published with no flat annual license fee ($-).
market/grocery with deli	$1,159	License period 4/1/26-3/31/27. Retail Markets WITH Food Prep (deli): Under 5,001 sq ft $-, 5,001-10,000 $1,159, 10,001-20,000 $1,407. WITHOUT Food Prep: Under 5,001 $-, 5,001-10,000 $1,091, 10,001-20,000 $1,358, over 20,000 $1,648. Supermarkets over 20,000 sq ft $1,593 (1 food prep) / $1,793 (2-3) / $1,991 (4+).
temporary/seasonal/special-event	$225	'Temporary Facilities' $225 (license period 4/1/26-3/31/27). Special Events: Food Operator High $152 / Low $59; Event Sponsor Permit Application $211; Annual Special Events Application - Food Operator (Low or High Potential Hazard) $412. 'Certified Farmers Markets' $628.
pushcart/limited operation	$555	'Retail Food Vendor at Farmers Market (Pushcarts)' $555 (license period 4/1/26-3/31/27).
food processing/wholesale	$922	License period 4/1/26-3/31/27: 'Food Manufacturing / Processing' $922; 'Wholesale Food Markets' $894; 'Fisherman's Markets' $894.

California statewide rules

Who licenses you, reciprocity, and the state regime.

What equipment you need

Build a tailored equipment checklist for your concept.

Permits & plan review, explained

The stack of approvals before you open.

Sources: www.sf.gov · media.api.sf.gov · www.sfdph.org · observed 2026-08-10