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 Alabama Department of Public Health - Lee County Health Department (Environmental) issues the health permit.
What the local foodservice landscape looks like — useful whether you’re opening here or sizing up the competition.
▲ 4.7% change in establishments since 2022 (379 → 397).
The average foodservice wage here is $1,244 below the Alabama average ($20,425); Alabama has about 8,980 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 ADPH permit to operate is required for any establishment selling food; the state sanitation rules set permit requirements but do not establish a dollar fee; No county fee schedule is posted publicly
Alabama Dept. of Public Health 0–100 inspection score; posted at the establishment and in the ADPH food scores database.
Mobile and pushcart operations require an ADPH permit; no county dollar fee is published online
Fees/payment and forms are on the department site; application steps vary by concept — see the checklist below.
Check the health-inspection history and violation scores for any food establishment in Lee County and Alabama. The Alabama Department of Public Health posts numeric food establishment scores statewide (85-100 satisfactory; below 60 closes the establishment) through its Food Scores site.
Alabama inspection lookup →U.S. Census 2023 population; County Business Patterns 2022 (NAICS 722).
Under Alabama Plumbing Code (2021 IPC), food establishments here must control fats, oils & grease (FOG) with a grease interceptor or trap, and typically register with the local sewer/wastewater authority. Restaurants must install an approved grease interceptor under the state plumbing code, with discharge governed by the local sewer authority's FOG program.
Size the interceptor with our grease-trap sizing calculator, compare units in the grease-trap catalog, and confirm the local FOG permit with Alabama Department of Public Health - Lee County Health Department (Environmental) (contact above).
Hood fire suppression (Alabama Fire Code (2021 IFC)): 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 must meet NFPA 96 and the state-adopted fire code, enforced by the State Fire Marshal and local fire officials. See do I need a hood? and the hood CFM calculator.
Backflow prevention: Backflow prevention assemblies (typically an RPZ) require annual testing by a certified tester through the local water utility's cross-connection control program. A certified backflow assembly (often an RPZ) on the water service, tested annually, is standard — confirm with your water utility.
| Category | Annual fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Temporary / seasonal event | a temporary food-booth permit is required for public events under ADPH Rules 420-3-22, but no Lee County fee amount is published online | Alabama delegates permitting to county health departments under ADPH; Lee County posts no fee schedule; Contact Lee County Health Department (334) 745-5765 |
| Pushcart / mobile vending | mobile/pushcart food operations require an ADPH permit; no published Lee County fee amount | Governed by ADPH Rules Chapter 420-3-22; no county fee schedule published online |
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 Lee County with its neighbors.
This is a typical sequence — confirm the exact sequence with your authority having jurisdiction.
Official plan-check requirements: plan-check guide →