Restaurants, commercial kitchens, and food trucks.
Hennepin County food-facility health permits run about $100–$1,040 annually, depending on size or sales volume. Plan review runs about $74–$175. Confirm the exact amount with Hennepin County Public Health — Epidemiology & Environmental Health (479 Prairie Center Dr, Eden Prairie) 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 Hennepin County Public Health — Epidemiology & Environmental Health (479 Prairie Center Dr, Eden Prairie) issues the health permit.
Cities with their own health department: Minneapolis, Bloomington, Edina, Richfield, Minnetonka, Wayzata, Brooklyn Park. Food businesses inside these cities apply to the city health department (with its own fees and rules), not Hennepin County. Confirm which authority covers your exact address.
What the local foodservice landscape looks like — useful whether you’re opening here or sizing up the competition.
▲ 0.8% change in establishments since 2022 (2,810 → 2,832).
The average foodservice wage here is $4,058 above the Minnesota average ($23,300); Minnesota has about 10,937 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.
Fees are per-facility, set by category (food type, handling, risk, size) assigned by a plan reviewer; 'Additional' = extra facilities at the same address; Verified from Hennepin County 2026 Food, Beverage & Lodging License Fees PDF
Turnaround: Up to 30 calendar days from a complete application
No letter grade. Minneapolis posts routine/follow-up inspection reports on its Health Inspection Lookup Dashboard; rest of Hennepin County (MDH/delegated cities) available on request.
Seasonal Temporary Food Stand $405 first/$202 add'l; Special Event high-risk $102 first day / $11 each add'l day
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 $397–$1,827 for Hennepin 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.
A code-compliant kitchen in Hennepin County needs more than the health permit — these approvals are handled by separate offices. Confirm current requirements with each.
| Building / plans | City of Minneapolis – Development Services (Construction Permits) · 612-673-3000 |
| Fire marshal | Minneapolis Fire Dept / Regulatory Services – Fire Inspection Services · 612-673-3000 |
| Zoning / planning | City of Minneapolis – CPED, Development Services (Zoning) · 612-673-3000 |
| Sewer / grease | City of Minneapolis Public Works – Surface Water & Sewers / Metropolitan Council Environmental Services (grease) |
| Business license | City of Minneapolis – Licenses & Consumer Services (Food Establishment License) · 612-673-2080 |
Under Minnesota Plumbing Code (Ch. 4714, based on 2018 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. Grease interceptors are required under the Minnesota Plumbing Code, with FOG limits set by the local sewer utility.
Size the interceptor with our grease-trap sizing calculator, compare units in the grease-trap catalog, and confirm the local FOG permit with Hennepin County Public Health — Epidemiology & Environmental Health (479 Prairie Center Dr, Eden Prairie) (contact above).
Hood fire suppression (Minnesota State Fire Code (Ch. 7511, based on 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. Commercial kitchen hood suppression follows NFPA 96 as adopted in the Minnesota State Fire Code and is inspected by the local fire authority. See do I need a hood? and the hood CFM calculator.
Backflow prevention: Restaurants must install a testable backflow preventer (typically an RPZ) that is tested annually and reported to the local water utility. 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 | $807 (High Small Facility) / $1,040 (High Large Facility) | Primary-facility annual fee; 'Caterer' listed in High Small (<175 seats/<500 meals) and High Large tiers |
| commissary/central kitchen | $807 / $1,040 | 'Commissary kitchen' listed in High Small and High Large facility tiers |
| bakery | $215-$807 | Bakery sales-only $215 (Low); bake-off no-decor non-PHF $405 (Medium Limited); decorating non-PHF $612 (Medium Small); potentially-hazardous fillings/decorations $807 (High Small) |
| market/grocery with deli | $405-$1,040 | Small grocery $405; large grocery $612; Deli / Combo deli-meat market $807 (High Small) / $1,040 (High Large) |
| bar/tavern | $612 | 'Bar' listed under Medium Small Facility (open food) |
| temporary/seasonal/special-event | $51-$204 (event) / $405 (seasonal stand) | Special Event Food Stands (<=10 days): low-risk $51/high-risk $102 first day (+$11/day), sold-on-site $102-$204; Seasonal Temporary Food Stand $405 first stand |
| pushcart/limited operation | $51-$612 | Low Limited Facility (portable bar/no prep) $100; delivery/transport carts $51 non-PHF / $106 PHF; Catering food vehicle $612; Mobile Food Unit $612 first unit |
| food processing/wholesale | — | Wholesale food manufacturing regulated by MN Dept of Agriculture, not Hennepin County |
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 Hennepin 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 →