Restaurants and food trucks.
Flathead County food-facility health permits run about $85–$115 annually, depending on size or sales volume. Plan review runs about $115. Confirm the exact amount with Flathead City-County Health Department, Environmental Health Services (licenses retail food establishments on behalf of Montana DPHHS) 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 Flathead City-County Health Department, Environmental Health Services (licenses retail food establishments on behalf of Montana DPHHS) issues the health permit.
What the local foodservice landscape looks like — useful whether you’re opening here or sizing up the competition.
▼ 0.3% change in establishments since 2022 (328 → 327).
The average foodservice wage here is $1,833 above the Montana average ($22,607); Montana has about 3,067 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.
License fee is set statewide by MCA 50-50-205 and collected by the local health authority; the fee is the same regardless of establishment type; State law preempts local fee amounts
Turnaround: Typically 2-3 weeks; 4-6 weeks in spring/summer; Plan review approval valid 90 days (one 90-day extension available on request)
No letter grade; Flathead City-County Health posts inspection reports online.
Mobile units are retail food establishments under MCA Title 50, Ch; 50. Montana DPHHS charges a $115 mobile plan review fee
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 $285–$345 for Flathead 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 state 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 Flathead City-County Health Department, Environmental Health Services (licenses retail food establishments on behalf of Montana DPHHS) (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 state 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Grocery / market with deli | $85 (no more than two employees at any one time) / $115 (three or more employees); statewide retail food establishment license (MCA 50-50-205) | Montana licenses all retail food establishment types under one fee, set by employee count |
| Bakery / food processing | $85 / $115 (retail bakery = retail food establishment license, by employee count) | Wholesale food manufacturing requires a separate Montana DPHHS wholesale food license |
| Bar / limited food service | $85 / $115 (retail food establishment license; same statewide schedule) | Alcohol licensing is separate through the Montana Department of Revenue |
| Pushcart / mobile vending | $85 / $115 (mobile = retail food establishment license); Montana DPHHS mobile plan review $115 one-time | Mobile units are retail food establishments under MCA Title 50, Ch; 50 |
| Temporary / seasonal event | Flathead does not publish a temporary food fee; MCA 50-50-205 caps the temporary permit fee at the retail amount ($85/$115) and it is collected locally | Confirm the exact temporary fee with Flathead Environmental Health (406-751-8130) |
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 Flathead 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 →