Local permits & fees

Lake County, IL — Commercial Kitchen Permits

Lake County Health Department & Community Health Center (Population/Environmental Health Services) · department site →
Fees change often — always confirm the current amount with the department before you budget.

Restaurant / food-facility permit

Food Service Establishment License (annual, Jan 1-Dec 31; categorized high/medium/low risk)
Fee not published online — contact the department.

Fees are risk-based (high/medium/low) and adjusted annually by the Lake County CPI. Exact dollar amounts are only published in the LCHD Fee Schedule PDF, which is a scanned/image document that could not be machine-read; call 847-377-8020 or email [email protected] for current figures.

Plan review — required

Fee not published online.

Plan-review details & forms →

Food truck / mobile permit

Mobile Food Unit permit / Self-contained mobile trailer (also temporary event food service permits)
Fee not published online — contact the department.

Mobile food unit requires plan review before licensing. Specific mobile-unit fee not published in machine-readable form; temporary-event permit categories run roughly $22-$140 per event per an older LCHD temporary-event fee sheet (not current, not authoritative).

Watch out for

  • Program permits/inspects 3,000+ food facilities; facilities ranked high/medium/low risk which drives inspection frequency.
  • Central Permit Facility at 500 W. Winchester Rd, Suite 102, Libertyville; operates under the 2019 Illinois Food Code.

Other food-service permits in this jurisdiction

CategoryAnnual feeNotes
temporary/seasonal/special-event1-14 day: Category I $22, Category II $45 (certified mgr) / $84 (no cert mgr), Category III $67 (certified mgr) / $140 (no cert mgr). Seasonal/6-month: Category I $84, Category II $140. Farmers market: Category I $84, Category II $140. Not-for-profit with certified manager: $0. Late fee (application under 7 days before event): $33.Temporary Food Service Event permit. A single permit covers up to 14 consecutive days at one location; a Farmers Market or Seasonal permit is valid six months. Menu risk drives Category: I = low risk (prepackaged, baked goods, popcorn, etc.), II = medium (hamburgers, cut fruit, etc.), III = high (BBQ, poultry, seafood/sushi, etc.). Fees are from the LCHD Temporary Food Service Event fee schedule (schedule shown is dated 2016; the county publishes food fees only through its permit forms, not a consolidated online schedule).
commissary/central kitchenNo standalone commissary permit fee published. A signed Commissary Agreement (valid for the calendar year) is required when a temporary-event or mobile operator prepares/stores food at a licensed commissary; the commissary itself must be a licensed food establishment.
pushcart/limited operation$0 (no separate permit) for farmers-market sampling with a valid IL Farmers Market Food Product Sampling Handler Certificate; certificate application fee $10 (with FSSMC) or $40 (without FSSMC)Sampling-only vendors at farmers markets need no LHD permit if they hold the state Food Product Sampling Handler Certificate; selling (not just sampling) requires a temporary permit.
Sources: www.lakecountyil.gov · www.lakecountyil.gov · www.lakecountyil.gov · www.lakecountyil.gov · observed 2026-08-07