Not a flat fee - scaled by anticipated gross annual food & drink sales (7 tiers) and food-handling complexity (Prepackaged TCS / Simple / Moderate / Complex). Verified from the official PHMDC Food License Fees sheet (eff. May 4, 2026). City of Madison Clerk's Office (608-266-4601) collects applications/fees; PHMDC does inspections/plan review.
CORRECTED from unverified ~$400 flat. WI licenses a mobile as a Retail Food Establishment (scaled by sales/complexity) plus a mobile Service Base. Holders of a statewide DATCP mobile license are exempt from PHMDC licensing but may incur a $50 Transient Operator inspection fee. Verified from PHMDC Food License Fees sheet (eff. May 4, 2026).
| Category | Annual fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| market/grocery with deli | Retail Food Establishment - Not Serving Meals new-license fee: $835.56 (sales <=$10k, prepackaged) up to $2,753.25 (sales >$5M, complex); e.g. mid-tier ($100,001-$250,000, moderate) $1,471.66 | Groceries/markets license as 'Retail Food Establishment - Not Serving Meals'; complexity tier rises with on-site handling such as a deli. New-license fee = our annual + state annual + pre-inspection. Verified PHMDC sheet eff. May 4, 2026. |
| temporary/seasonal/special-event | Transient Food Establishment new-license (our + state): Prepackaged TCS only $111.60; Non-TCS $150.90; TCS $199.30. Transient Operator Inspection Fee (operator licensed by state or another WI municipality) $50 | Wisconsin 'Transient' = mobile/temporary operator moving among events/locations. Verified PHMDC sheet eff. May 4, 2026. |
| commissary/central kitchen | $423.06 new license (Mobile Retail Food Establishment Service Base - No Food Preparation or Processing; $266.76 our + $6.30 state + $150 pre-inspection) | The commissary/service-base category is the 'Service Base - No Processing' license supporting mobile units. Verified PHMDC sheet eff. May 4, 2026. |
| micro market | Single micro market $40.00 new license ($34.40 our + $5.60 state); 2+ at same location $60.00 | Unattended micro-market license. Verified PHMDC sheet eff. May 4, 2026. |
| school | School - Satellite $149.00; School - Production $360.00 (our fee; DATCP/DPI MOU) | Verified PHMDC sheet eff. May 4, 2026. |
| bakery | — | No separate bakery category; a bakery licenses as a Retail Food Establishment (Serving Meals or Not Serving Meals) at the applicable sales/complexity tier. |