Local permits & fees

Franklin County, OH — Commercial Kitchen Permits

Columbus Public Health — Food Protection Program (240 Parsons Ave); Franklin County Public Health for balance of county · department site →
Fees change often — always confirm the current amount with the department before you budget.

Restaurant / food-facility permit

Food Service Operation (FSO) / Retail Food Establishment (RFE) license
Fee not published online — contact the department.

Ohio FSO/RFE licenses are priced by risk level (Class 1-4) and size (<25,000 vs >=25,000 sq ft), set annually by each board of health via cost analysis (OAC 3701-21-02.1/02.2). Columbus Public Health's exact 2026 dollar amounts could not be verified — columbus.gov blocks automated retrieval (HTTP 403). NOT VERIFIED, left null. Fee schedule PDF (blocked): https://www.columbus.gov/files/sharedassets/city/v/2/public-health/2024-food-program-fee-schedule.pdf . Secondary (non-gov, unverified) range cited by industry guides: ~$135-$500+ depending on class.

Plan review — required

Fee not published online.

Turnaround: Submit plans >=45 days before target opening; mobile license review up to ~30 days

Plan-review details & forms →

Food truck / mobile permit

Mobile Food Service Operation (MFSO) license
Fee not published online — contact the department.

Columbus Public Health issues MFSO licenses for Franklin-County-based trucks. Exact fee not verified via .gov (403). Secondary (unverified) guide figures: risk-tiered ~$150-$300/yr, large-metro MFSO ~$300-$500+. Requires plan review, menu, equipment layout, commissary letter, and pre-operational inspection.

Watch out for

  • Columbus/Franklin County requires mobile food operations to move every 40 days — they cannot anchor permanently at one location.
  • All Columbus mobile vendors must operate from an approved commissary and submit a signed commissary agreement with the MFSO application.

Other food-service permits in this jurisdiction

CategoryAnnual feeNotes
temporary/seasonal/special-eventTemporary FSO/RFE license, event-specific (apply >=5 days prior), Columbus Public Health. Fee schedule PDF not machine-accessible.
pushcart/limited operationVending FSO and pushcart mobile categories exist (Concession, Pushcart, Knockdown, Catering-type truck). Fees in blocked PDF.
catererOhio risk-level FSO/RFE scheme; catering handled as a catering-type mobile unit or catering FSO by risk level, not a standalone category. No separate bakery/grocery-deli/bar license.
Sources: www.columbus.gov · www.columbus.gov · www.columbus.gov · myfcph.org · observed 2026-08-06