Restaurants and food trucks.
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 Georgia DPH District 4 Public Health - Henry County Environmental Health (county board of health) issues the health permit.
What the local foodservice landscape looks like — useful whether you’re opening here or sizing up the competition.
▲ 1.4% change in establishments since 2022 (424 → 430).
The average foodservice wage here is $3,320 below the Georgia average ($22,101); Georgia has about 21,984 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.
Permits are valid for one year from date of issuance and 'fees shall be paid in accordance with the current fee schedule adopted by the Henry County Board of Health.' Statewide, GA county food-service permit fees typically run about $100-$500/yr, but the specific Henry County amount is not published online
State DPH posts a 0-100 score and corresponding letter grade (A 90-100, B 80-89, C 70-79, U <70) displayed at the establishment plus available online.
Georgia mobile food units must operate from a permitted base of operation and are permitted like fixed food service establishments; the fee amount is set locally and not posted
Fees/payment and forms are on the department site; application steps vary by concept — see the checklist below.
Check the health-inspection history and violation scores for any food establishment in Henry County and Georgia. Georgia DPH publishes food service inspection scores statewide in a searchable online portal.
Georgia inspection lookup →U.S. Census 2023 population; County Business Patterns 2022 (NAICS 722).
Under Georgia State Minimum Standard Plumbing Code (IPC 2018 base), 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 Georgia State Minimum Standard Plumbing Code, with local sewer-authority FOG permits.
Size the interceptor with our grease-trap sizing calculator, compare units in the grease-trap catalog, and confirm the local FOG permit with Georgia DPH District 4 Public Health - Henry County Environmental Health (county board of health) (contact above).
Hood fire suppression (Georgia State Minimum Standard Fire Prevention Code (IFC 2018 base)): commercial cooking under a Type I hood needs a wet-chemical suppression system to NFPA 96, permitted and inspected by the local fire marshal. Kitchen hood suppression follows NFPA 96 under Georgia's fire code, enforced by the State Fire Marshal and local AHJ. See do I need a hood? and the hood CFM calculator.
Backflow prevention: Annual RPZ backflow testing is required by the local water utility's cross-connection control program. A certified backflow assembly (often an RPZ) on the water service, tested annually, is standard — confirm with your water utility.
| Category | Annual fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Temporary / seasonal event | Georgia breaks out a Temporary Food Service Establishment permit, but the fee is set by the Henry County Board of Health and is not published in an accessible online source | Contact Henry County Environmental Health / District 4 Public Health (Henry Co; govt 770-288-6000) |
| Pushcart / mobile vending | mobile food units / carts are permitted by the county with a permitted base of operation, but the Henry County Board of Health fee is not published online | Georgia mobile food service units are permitted like fixed establishments; fee set locally and not posted |
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 Henry 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 →