Restaurants and food trucks.
Douglas County food-facility health permits run about $481–$581 annually, depending on size or sales volume. Plan review runs about $155. Confirm the exact amount with Douglas County Health Department, Environmental Health Division (Douglas County left the former Tri-County Health Department and established its own health department; retail food license fees are set statewide by CDPHE under SB25-285) 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 Douglas County Health Department, Environmental Health Division (Douglas County left the former Tri-County Health Department and established its own health department; retail food license fees are set statewide by CDPHE under SB25-285) issues the health permit.
What the local foodservice landscape looks like — useful whether you’re opening here or sizing up the competition.
▲ 5.0% change in establishments since 2022 (614 → 645).
The average foodservice wage here is $683 below the Colorado average ($28,457); Colorado has about 13,675 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.
Colorado retail food license fees are set by the STATE (SB25-285) and are identical in every CO jurisdiction; they phase up in 2026, 2027 and 2028. Restaurants and caterers are grouped and licensed by seating capacity; Each establishment pays only one applicable category fee; Douglas County Health Department administers licensing locally
No letter grades statewide; Douglas County posts retail food establishment inspection results online.
State fee schedule; Douglas County Health Department issues mobile-unit and pushcart licenses and reviews the required commissary/servicing area
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 $974–$1,217 for Douglas 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.
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.
food establishments here must control fats, oils & grease (FOG) with a grease interceptor or trap, and typically register with the local sewer/wastewater authority. A grease interceptor sized to the adopted plumbing code is required, with a municipal sewer-authority FOG discharge permit.
Size the interceptor with our grease-trap sizing calculator, compare units in the grease-trap catalog, and confirm the local FOG permit with Douglas County Health Department, Environmental Health Division (Douglas County left the former Tri-County Health Department and established its own health department; retail food license fees are set statewide by CDPHE under SB25-285) (contact above).
Hood fire suppression: commercial cooking under a Type I hood needs a wet-chemical suppression system to NFPA 96, permitted and inspected by the local fire marshal. Type I hood fire suppression must meet NFPA 96 and the fire code adopted by the local fire authority. See do I need a hood? and the hood CFM calculator.
Backflow prevention: An approved backflow preventer with a certified annual test is required by the local water purveyor. 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 | $481 (0-100 seats) / $538 (101-200) / $581 (over 200), 2026; source https://la-h-health.colorado.gov/news-article/notice-to-retail-food-establishments | Colorado's statewide SB25-285 schedule groups caterers with restaurants, licensed by seating capacity |
| Bar / limited food service | $338 (Limited Food Service Establishment), 2026; source https://la-h-health.colorado.gov/news-article/notice-to-retail-food-establishments | Statewide SB25-285 category for limited-menu operations (bars, coffee shops, etc.) |
| Grocery / market with deli | Grocery with deli: $469 (under 15,001 sq ft) / $894 (over 15,000 sq ft); grocery without deli $244 / $441, 2026; source https://la-h-health.colorado.gov/news-article/notice-to-retail-food-establishments | Statewide SB25-285 schedule, priced by square footage and whether a deli is present |
| Pushcart / mobile vending | Mobile full service $481 / prepackaged food only $338, 2026; source https://la-h-health.colorado.gov/news-article/notice-to-retail-food-establishments | Statewide SB25-285 mobile retail food establishment fees; commissary/servicing area required |
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 Douglas 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 →