foodservicenerd
Local permits & fees

Lancaster County, PA — Commercial Kitchen Permits

Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Food Safety & Laboratory Services (state-administered; Lancaster County has no county health department) · department site →
Fees change often — always confirm the current amount with the department before you budget.

Restaurant / food-facility permit

Retail Food Facility License
$241 (new facility); $103 (new, owner-operated, under 50 seats); $82 (change of ownership); $82 (annual renewal)

PDA licenses retail food facilities statewide except in the 6 county + 4 municipal health-department jurisdictions (Allegheny, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Erie, Montgomery, Philadelphia and a few cities). Lancaster County is PDA-administered.

Plan review — required

null - PA Act 106 of 2010 requires plan submission/approval, but a plan-review fee is not published on the PDA retail-food fee page; confirm with PDA Bureau of Food Safety (717) 787-4315

Food truck / mobile permit

Retail Food Facility License (mobile unit)
null - a distinct mobile/food-truck fee is not listed on the PDA retail-food fee page; PDA licenses mobile units as retail food facilities (likely the $241 new-facility fee) - confirm with PDA (717) 787-4315

PDA regulates mobile units under the same retail food facility licensing framework.

How to apply

Forms & applications

Watch out for

  • STATE-administered (PA Dept of Agriculture) - no county or municipal health department in Lancaster County
  • Courtesy inspection $150; 2nd follow-up inspection $150; 3rd follow-up inspection $300
  • Duplicate license fee $14
  • Limited Food Establishment (e.g., baked goods) is a separate PDA category
  • Counties with their own health depts (NOT Lancaster): Allegheny, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Erie, Montgomery, Philadelphia

Other food-service permits in this jurisdiction

CategoryAnnual feeNotes
Bakery / food processingnull - PA Dept of Agriculture treats low-risk baked/non-TCS goods as a 'Limited Food Establishment', a distinct category from a Retail Food Facility; the specific fee is not published on the PDA retail-food fee page - confirm with PDA Bureau of Food Safety (717) 787-4315Lancaster is state (PDA) administered; PDA breaks out Limited Food Establishment separately from full Retail Food Facility licensing.
Pennsylvania statewide rules
Who licenses you, reciprocity, and the state regime.
What equipment you need
Build a tailored equipment checklist for your concept.
Permits & plan review, explained
The stack of approvals before you open.
Sources: www.pa.gov · www.stateregstoday.com · observed 2026-08-07