Restaurants, commercial kitchens, and food trucks.
DeKalb County food-facility health permits run about $250–$800 annually, depending on size or sales volume. Plan review runs about $200–$500. Confirm the exact amount with DeKalb Public Health (DeKalb County Board of Health) - Division of Environmental Health, Food Safety 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 DeKalb Public Health (DeKalb County Board of Health) - Division of Environmental Health, Food Safety Program issues the health permit.
What the local foodservice landscape looks like — useful whether you’re opening here or sizing up the competition.
▲ 1.1% change in establishments since 2022 (1,618 → 1,635).
The average foodservice wage here is $2,444 above the Georgia average ($22,101); Georgia has about 21,984 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.
Georgia food service rules (Ch; 511-6-1) administered locally; Apply/submit to Richardson Health Center, 445 Winn Way, Suite 320, Decatur, GA 30030; DeKalb.EH@dph.ga.gov; (404) 508-7900. All fees must be paid before plan review begins and before a permit is issued/renewed
Turnaround: specific turnaround not published; must notify DeKalb Public Health at least 30 days prior to beginning construction of a new facility
State DPH posts a 0-100 score and corresponding letter grade (A 90-100, B 80-89, C 70-79, U <70) displayed at the establishment plus available online.
Georgia mobile food service units must operate from a permitted base of operation/commissary in a home-base county; Complete the food service permit + plan review process before operating
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 $470–$1,450 for DeKalb 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 DeKalb County and Georgia. Georgia DPH publishes food service inspection scores statewide in a searchable online portal.
Georgia 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 Georgia State Minimum Standard Plumbing Code (IPC 2018 base), 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 the Georgia State Minimum Standard Plumbing Code, with local sewer-authority FOG permits.
Size the interceptor with our grease-trap sizing calculator, compare units in the grease-trap catalog, and confirm the local FOG permit with DeKalb Public Health (DeKalb County Board of Health) - Division of Environmental Health, Food Safety Program (contact above).
Hood fire suppression (Georgia State Minimum Standard Fire Prevention Code (IFC 2018 base)): 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 Georgia's fire code, enforced by the State Fire Marshal and local AHJ. See do I need a hood? and the hood CFM calculator.
Backflow prevention: Annual RPZ backflow 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.
| Category | Annual fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Caterer | $121 food establishment application + $205 plan review (new/change of ownership) | Caterer is an accepted food service establishment classification permitted by DeKalb Public Health Environmental Health; standard food establishment application/plan review fees apply |
| Commissary/central kitchen | — | Standard commissary letter required at plan review; commissary operates as a permitted food service establishment; County-specific commissary fee not separately published |
| Temporary/special-event | $150 for first 4 days, then $20/day up to 14 consecutive days | Temporary food service establishment permit; application due at least 30 days before the event |
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 DeKalb 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 →