Local permits & fees

Jefferson County, KY — Commercial Kitchen Permits

Louisville Metro Department of Public Health & Wellness (LMPHW) - Food Safety Program · department site →
Fees change often — always confirm the current amount with the department before you budget.

Restaurant / food-facility permit

Local Food Permit - Food Service Establishment (required in addition to KY State Food Permit)
Local permit fees (per official LMPHW fee schedule): Food Service Establishment $80; Retail Food Market $50; Temporary Food Service Establishment $80; Limited Food Concessions/Seasonal Concessions $25

Effective 2019-01-01 (Louisville Metro Code Ch. 118), establishments must hold BOTH a Local and a State food permit. Fees above are the LOCAL permit portion; the Kentucky state food permit is separate. Fee-schedule values captured from the official fee-schedule page (page is Cloudflare-protected to automated fetch; values from that page's indexed content).

Plan review — required

Fee not published online.

Turnaround: Plans reviewed by the Plan Review Division; a non-refundable plan review fee is invoiced by email after review (exact amount not published in reviewed sources)

Plan-review details & forms →

Food truck / mobile permit

Mobile Food Unit / mobile food service (Local + State food permit)
Fee not published online — contact the department.

Mobile food units fall under the same Local + State food permit framework; a specific mobile-unit local fee was not isolated on the official fee schedule in reviewed sources - null.

Watch out for

  • Louisville requires a LOCAL food permit on top of the Kentucky state food permit (both required to operate since Jan 1, 2019).
  • Plan review is handled by a dedicated Plan Review Division (400 East Gray St); plan review fee is non-refundable and invoiced after review.

Other food-service permits in this jurisdiction

CategoryAnnual feeNotes
caterer$135/yrState (KY) permit 'catering' option, administered via Louisville Metro Public Health & Wellness
market/grocery with deli$55 (610) / $85 combo (607)Retail Food Market (610) $55; Combination Retail Food Market & Food Service Establishment (607) $85
temporary/seasonal/special-event$30 seasonal / $85 temporary (local); state 1-3 day $60, 4-7 day $90, 8-14 day $125Limited Food Concessions/Seasonal Concessions (603) $30; Temporary Food Service Establishment (604) $85; state per-day temporary tiers also apply; Farmers Market $100
pushcart/limited operation$30Limited Food Concessions (603)
food processing/wholesaleFood manufacturing/wholesale regulated by KY Dept of Agriculture, not Louisville Metro
Sources: louisvilleky.gov · louisvilleky.gov · louisvilleky.gov · codelibrary.amlegal.com · observed 2026-08-06