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 Jefferson County Health Department issues the health permit.
What the local foodservice landscape looks like — useful whether you’re opening here or sizing up the competition.
▲ 2.7% change in establishments since 2022 (74 → 76).
The average foodservice wage here is $5,686 below the Illinois average ($25,407); Illinois has about 28,496 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.
A valid permit from the Health Officer is required to operate any retail food establishment; risk-categorized; Fee amounts not published online; Mt; Vernon, IL department
Temporary food vendor application fee is $50; a separate mobile-unit fee is not published
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 $50 for Jefferson 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.
U.S. Census 2023 population; County Business Patterns 2022 (NAICS 722).
Under Illinois Plumbing Code (77 Ill. Adm. Code 890, IDPH), 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 Illinois Plumbing Code, with FOG limits enforced by the local sewer district.
Size the interceptor with our grease-trap sizing calculator, compare units in the grease-trap catalog, and confirm the local FOG permit with Jefferson County Health Department (contact above).
Hood fire suppression (NFPA 101 Life Safety Code (2015 ed.)): 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, with the Illinois State Fire Marshal enforcing the Life Safety Code statewide and local fire departments inspecting. 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.
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 Jefferson County with its neighbors.
This is a typical sequence — confirm the exact sequence with your authority having jurisdiction.