NC restaurants are permitted by Cumberland County Environmental Health (F&L Section) under state food rules (15A NCAC 18A .2600); there is no recurring annual permit fee. The graded sanitation inspection is provided at no separate annual charge; the cost is the one-time plan review (and, for limited operations, the Limited Food Service renewal).
NC has no annual permit fee; the cost is the one-time plan review. Mobile units and push carts must operate from an approved commissary/base of operations (a commissary agreement is required).
| Category | Annual fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bar / limited food service | Limited Food Service Establishment: Initial Plan Review $250; Limited Food Service Renewal $75/year (Cumberland County Environmental Health Fees schedule). North Carolina uses a plan-review model with no general annual permit fee for full food service. | NC's Limited Food Service class (e.g., bars/low-risk operations) is the one food category with an explicit annual renewal fee. |
| Grocery / market with deli | null - groceries and markets (packaged retail food sales) are regulated by the NC Dept of Agriculture & Consumer Services (NCDA&CS), not county Environmental Health. A "Seafood Market" plan review is $200 at Cumberland County EH; a grocery with a deli/hot-food prep area would need a county Food Service plan review ($250). | NC splits retail food stores (NCDA&CS) from food service (county EH). |
| Temporary / seasonal event | $75 - Temporary Food Establishments (TFEs) per event (Cumberland County EH fees). | Flat per-event fee. |
| Pushcart / mobile vending | Mobile Food Units: $200 plan review fee (no annual permit fee). Push Carts: $150 plan review fee (no annual permit fee). | NC plan-review model - the cost is the one-time plan review; a commissary/base of operations is required. |