Local permits & fees

Lafayette Parish, LA — Commercial Kitchen Permits

Louisiana Department of Health - Office of Public Health, Bureau of Sanitarian Services (STATE-administered retail food program covering Lafayette Parish) · department site →
Fees change often — always confirm the current amount with the department before you budget.

Restaurant / food-facility permit

Retail Food Establishment permit - Class 7 (Restaurants, Bars, Meat Markets, Seafood Markets)
$100 (1st permit); $75 each (2nd through 5th permit); $50 each (6th or more)

STATE-administered: Louisiana Dept of Health (LDH) runs retail food permitting statewide via a single fee schedule; there is no separate parish schedule for Lafayette Parish. Class 7 covers restaurants, bars, meat/seafood markets - a single operator with multiple locations pays the tapering per-permit fee. Fees are collected at opening unless fee-exempt (state/local government facilities, churches and nonprofits are exempt).

Plan review — required

null - LDH/Office of Public Health reviews plans for new food establishments and new food manufacturers through the Bureau of Sanitarian Services, but no separate plan-review dollar fee appears on the retail food permit fee schedule. Confirm with the parish sanitarian / Bureau of Sanitarian Services.

Plan-review details & forms →

Food truck / mobile permit

Mobile Unit (retail food)
$100 (same as Class 7 first-permit fee)

STATE-administered: a mobile unit permitted in one parish does NOT need another permit or additional fee to operate in another parish (statewide reciprocity). Some parishes/cities may require a separate application/occupational license before the unit operates locally; contact the parish sanitarian to have the vehicle inspected.

Watch out for

  • STATE-administered - the Louisiana Dept of Health (Bureau of Sanitarian Services) permits and inspects retail food statewide; Lafayette Parish uses the same LDH fee schedule.
  • Class 7 (restaurants/bars/meat & seafood markets): $100 first permit, then $75 each for permits 2-5, $50 each for 6+.
  • Grocery stores (>=60% food sales, Class 1-5) are priced by gross revenue: $75 (<$500K), $125 ($500K-$1M), $250 ($1M-$2.5M), $400 ($2.5M-$5M), $500 (>$5M); non-grocery stores <60% food are Class 6 on the same tiers.
  • Mobile units carry statewide reciprocity (no duplicate fee across parishes); seasonal permits are $10/month; special-event/temporary and fair/festival permits are a flat $25 per event.
  • State/local government facilities, churches and nonprofit organizations are exempt from fees.

Other food-service permits in this jurisdiction

CategoryAnnual feeNotes
Bar / limited food service$100 (1st permit); $75 each (2nd-5th); $50 each (6th+)STATE-administered: bars are explicitly part of LDH Class 7 (restaurants, bars, meat/seafood markets) on the same tapering per-permit schedule.
Grocery / market with deliGrocery (>=60% food sales, Class 1-5): $75 (<$500,000), $125 ($500,000-$1,000,000), $250 ($1,000,001-$2,500,000), $400 ($2,500,001-$5,000,000), $500 (over $5,000,000). Non-grocery (<60% food, Class 6): same tiers, charged per operation type.STATE-administered: LDH prices grocery/market by gross revenue; a store with <60% food sales is Class 6 on the same dollar tiers.
Bakery / food processingnull - a retail bakery that prepares food is permitted as a Class 7 restaurant ($100 first permit); commercial food manufacturing/processing is regulated separately under LDH's manufactured-food/new-food-manufacturer program, not the retail fee schedule. Confirm the applicable path with the Bureau of Sanitarian Services.STATE-administered: retail vs. manufacturing determines the licensing path in Louisiana.
Temporary / seasonal eventSpecial Event / Temporary permit: flat $25. Fair or Festival: flat $25 for the event (permit issued to the sponsor; individual approved stands pay no fee). Seasonal permit: $10 per month of operation (minimum $10).STATE-administered LDH schedule; fair/festival is a single sponsor permit.
Pushcart / mobile vending$100 (Mobile Unit - same as Class 7 first-permit fee)STATE-administered: a mobile unit permitted in one parish needs no additional permit/fee to operate in another parish (statewide reciprocity); a local application/occupational license may still be required.
Sources: ldh.la.gov · ldh.la.gov · law.justia.com · observed 2026-08-07