Restaurants, commercial kitchens, and food trucks.
El Dorado County food-facility health permits run about $600–$771 annually, depending on size or sales volume. Plan review runs about $343–$1,028. Confirm the exact amount with El Dorado County Environmental Management Department, Environmental Health Division (administers the California Retail Food Code / CalCode) 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 El Dorado County Environmental Management Department, Environmental Health Division (administers the California Retail Food Code / CalCode) issues the health permit.
What the local foodservice landscape looks like — useful whether you’re opening here or sizing up the competition.
▲ 2.5% change in establishments since 2022 (432 → 443).
The average foodservice wage here is $1,102 below the California average ($28,902); California has about 88,778 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.
Annual health permit set by the EMD fee schedule; California CalCode county; Fees vary by facility type and size; Related: Bar $326, Bakery $531, Bed & Breakfast $394, Schools/Public Agencies $566
No color-placard or letter-grade program identified; El Dorado posts inspection reports online.
Plan check for mobile/roadside/satellite food facilities is $343. Fee reductions available for veterans and individuals with visual disabilities
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 $1,114–$2,142 for El Dorado 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.
Under UPC, 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 California 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 El Dorado County Environmental Management Department, Environmental Health Division (administers the California Retail Food Code / CalCode) (contact above).
Hood fire suppression (IFC): 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 California Fire Code enforced 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 | Catering Operations $343; Catering Add-On $171; Plan Check (Catering) $343 | El Dorado County EMD published fee schedule; annual health permit |
| Commissary / central preparation kitchen | $377 (Commissary) | Annual health permit under the EMD fee schedule |
| Bakery / food processing | $531 (Bakery); Plan Check (Bakery) $857 | Retail bakery annual health permit; a Market +1 that adds a bakery department is $737 |
| Bar / limited food service | $326 (Bar); Restaurant-Bar $771 | Standalone bar $326; a restaurant that also operates a bar is permitted at $771 |
| Grocery / market with deli | Market/Retail <2000 sq ft $514 / >2000 sq ft $600; Pre-packaged only $309; Market +1 (meat/deli/bakery/restaurant) $737; +2 $908; +3 $1,080; +4 or more $1,251 | Markets are graded by size and by the number of added food-handling departments (deli/meat/bakery/restaurant) |
| Temporary / seasonal event | Pre-packaged single event $86; Limited prep (low risk) annual $171; Open prep (high risk) annual $343; Open prep single event $171; Event Coordinator $171 ($223 within 14 days) | Coordinator packets must be submitted at least 14 days before the event; fee reductions for veterans and visually disabled vendors |
| Pushcart / mobile vending | Mobile Food/Roadside $309; Mobile Food/Pre-packaged $171; Satellite Food Service $343; Plan Check (mobile/roadside/satellite) $343 | Annual health permit; plan check required for new/remodeled units |
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 El Dorado 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 →