Restaurants, commercial kitchens, and food trucks.
Hillsborough County food-facility health permits run about $225–$875 annually, depending on size or sales volume. Confirm the exact amount with New Hampshire DHHS, Division of Public Health Services - Food Protection Section 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 New Hampshire DHHS, Division of Public Health Services - Food Protection Section issues the health permit.
What the local foodservice landscape looks like — useful whether you’re opening here or sizing up the competition.
▲ 0.9% change in establishments since 2022 (891 → 899).
The average foodservice wage here is $593 below the New Hampshire average ($27,190); New Hampshire has about 3,324 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.
State-administered by the NH Food Protection Section for most of the state, including Hillsborough County; IMPORTANT: the cities of Manchester and Nashua self-license and self-inspect; establishments there apply to the city health department, not the state, and city fees differ
State Food Protection Section inspects to the FDA Food Code; Priority/Priority Foundation/Core violations shown in the online portal, no letter grade.
Per the NH Food Protection Section fee schedule; Class assignment depends on whether the unit cooks/handles potentially hazardous food; In Manchester/Nashua the respective city health department licenses mobile units
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 $375–$1,050 for Hillsborough 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 IPC 2021, 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 where grease-laden waste is produced, sized under the state plumbing code, with the FOG discharge permit issued by the local sewer authority.
Size the interceptor with our grease-trap sizing calculator, compare units in the grease-trap catalog, and confirm the local FOG permit with New Hampshire DHHS, Division of Public Health Services - Food Protection Section (contact above).
Hood fire suppression (NFPA 1 (2024)): 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 and is permitted and inspected by the State Fire Marshal / local fire official. See do I need a hood? and the hood CFM calculator.
Backflow prevention: An annual RPZ/backflow assembly test is required under state cross-connection control rules and administered by the public water supplier. 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 | $350/yr (Class C; caterers serving food off site) | Off-site catering is Class C on the NH Food Protection Section schedule; Manchester/Nashua self-license |
| Commissary / central preparation kitchen | not a distinct NH license class; a commissary is licensed under the class matching its food-prep activity and volume; Confirm with the Food Protection Section | No stand-alone commissary class on the NH schedule |
| Bakery / food processing | $225 (Class D; bakeries with 0-24 seats); $150 (Class F; bakeries not serving PHF with 0 seats); $350 (Class C; commercially process <100,000 units/yr); $875 (Class A; process 100,000+ units/yr) | Class depends on seating, whether potentially-hazardous food is served, and processing volume |
| Bar / limited food service | $350 (Class C; bar/lounge serving alcohol WITH a food-prep area); $100 (Class G; bar/lounge serving alcohol, no food-prep area) | Presence of a food-prep area drives the class |
| Grocery / market with deli | $450 (Class B; retail food store with more than 2 prep areas); $350 (Class C; 1-2 prep areas); $150 (Class F; no prep area) | Retail food store class is driven by number of food-prep areas |
| Temporary / seasonal event | NH issues temporary event food licenses, but a temporary fee is not listed on the annual class fee schedule; Confirm with the Food Protection Section (603-271-4589) | Temporary/event licensing is handled separately from the annual class schedule |
| Pushcart / mobile vending | $175 (Class E; mobile units which cook food); $150 (Class F; mobile units serving pre-packaged / non-PHF unwrapped foods) | Manchester and Nashua license mobile units through their own city health departments |
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 Hillsborough 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 →