Local permits & fees

Los Angeles County, CA — Commercial Kitchen Permits

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Environmental Health Division · department site →

Fees change often — always confirm the current amount with the department before you budget.

Restaurant / food-facility permit

Restaurant (Food Facility) Annual Public Health Permit

By seats + risk (FY2025-26): 0-30 seats $319/$719/$1,206 (Low/Mod/High); 31-60 $344/$762/$1,309; 61-150 $370/$838/$1,375; 151+ $400/$932/$1,438. Range $319-$1,438/yr.

Tiered by seat count AND an EH-assigned risk level. Separate owner-initiated inspection fees also exist.

Plan review — required

Restaurant plan check by sq ft (FY2025-26): 0-500 SF $1,044; 501-1,999 $1,530; 2,000-3,999 $1,865; 4,000-9,999 $2,276; 10,000+ $2,723. Expedited is higher.

Plan-review details & forms →

Food truck / mobile permit

Mobile Food Facility (MFF) / Compact Mobile Food Operation (CMFO)

MFF (truck) by risk: $325/$598/$761/yr. CMFO (cart): $126/$299/$592/yr. MFF plan check $544-$741.

Carts = CMFOs, trucks = MFFs (2024 restructuring). Mobile units generally must operate from an approved commissary, which carries its own separate permit + plan-check fee.

How to apply

Apply / county portal →Forms & applications

Watch out for

Mandatory letter-grade placard (A 90-100, B 80-89, C 70-79; below 70 posts the numeric score) under LA County Code 8.04.752.
Mobile operators must tie to an approved commissary/mobile support unit with its own annual permit + plan-check fee - a common budgeting surprise for new truck operators.

Other food-service permits in this jurisdiction

Category	Annual fee	Notes
Caterer	$2,179	Caterer 0-999 sq ft $2,179 (1601); 1,000-1,999 $2,379 (1602); 2,000+ $3,018 (1603). Host Facility with Catering Oper $358 (1608). Motion Picture Catering Operations $1,160 (1350)
Commissary	$274	Commissary Storage Facility $274 (1330); Food Storage & Cleaning $401 (1331); Cleaning & Storage $310 (1332); Food Prep 1-10 mobile food fac $678 (1334); Food Prep 11+ $779 (1335)
Shared kitchen complex	$2,252	Shared Kitchen Complex <9,999 sq ft $2,252 (1826); 10,000+ sq ft $2,775 (1827); SKC tenant wholesale food processor annual $222 (1828)
Bakery	—	No standalone bakery permit; bakeries permitted as food processor or food market
Bar / tavern	—	No standalone bar/tavern permit; permitted as restaurant
Market / grocery	$289	Food Market Retail (1-1,999 sq ft) low risk $289 (1610); (2,000+ sq ft) low risk $388 (1613); MM Food Mkt Retail (25-1,999 sq ft) low risk $289 (1530)
Temporary / special event	$59	TFF Demonstrator $59 (1420); TFF Prepackaged $82 (1421); TFF Prepackaged w/ sampling $116 (1422); TFF Preparation $184 (1423); TFB single-loc annual preparation $507 (1424); Community Event Organizer $358 (1427); Certified Farmers' Market 1-20 vendors $215, 21+ $323 (1401-1402); Swap Meet Prepackaged Food Stand $182 (1410)
Pushcart / low-risk / limited	$126	Compact Mobile Food Operation low risk $126 (1301); Personal Hawker $224 (1440)
Food processing / wholesale	$984	Food Market Wholesale $984 (1801); Wholesale Food Complex $1,438 (1810); Food Processing Wholesale 1-1,999 sq ft $2,300 (1820), 2,000-5,999 $2,707 (1821), 6,000+ $3,018 (1822); Food Processing Low Risk $1,098 (1825); Food Warehouse 1-4,999 sq ft $405, 5,000+ $445 (1660-1661); Food Salvager $2,090 (1450)

California 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.publichealth.lacounty.gov · publichealth.lacounty.gov · www.publichealth.lacounty.gov · observed 2026-08-06