Restaurants, commercial kitchens, and food trucks.
Macomb County food-facility health permits run about $80–$763 annually, depending on size or sales volume. Plan review runs about $131–$815. Confirm the exact amount with Macomb County Health Department, Environmental Health Services Division before you budget.
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 Macomb County Health Department, Environmental Health Services Division issues the health permit.
What the local foodservice landscape looks like — useful whether you’re opening here or sizing up the competition.
▲ 2.0% change in establishments since 2022 (1,722 → 1,756).
The average foodservice wage here is $797 below the Michigan average ($22,060); Michigan has about 19,760 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.
Fees from Macomb County EH 2026 fee schedule (Jan 1; Dec 31, 2026); At least one full-time Certified Food Manager required before approval to open
Michigan local health departments inspect under the Michigan Food Law/FDA Food Code (priority/core violations); no letter grade or score. Reports on MDARD's online Food Inspection Postings (MiSafe).
Food trucks licensed as either Mobile or STFU based on operation; Mobile plan review $342 also applies
Fees/payment and forms are on the department site; application steps vary by concept — see the checklist below.
The government permit & plan-review fees below total roughly $216–$1,926 for Macomb County:
That’s the paperwork only. Add buildout, equipment, deposits and licenses with the cost-to-open calculator. Fees change — confirm current amounts with the department.
Check the health-inspection history and violation scores for any food establishment in Macomb County and Michigan. MDARD's MiSafe portal lets the public search state food inspection reports, with reports available from April 2022 forward.
Michigan inspection lookup →Comparison uses the lowest published annual restaurant-permit figure in each county; confirm your exact tier with the department.
U.S. Census 2023 population; County Business Patterns 2022 (NAICS 722).
Plus building, fire, and business-license fees that vary locally — use the cost calculators and the checklist below to budget the full stack.
Under Michigan Plumbing Code (based on 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. Grease interceptors are required under the Michigan Plumbing Code, with FOG limits set by the local wastewater utility.
Size the interceptor with our grease-trap sizing calculator, compare units in the grease-trap catalog, and confirm the local FOG permit with Macomb County Health Department, Environmental Health Services Division (contact above).
Hood fire suppression (Michigan Fire Code (based on 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 follows NFPA 96 as adopted in the Michigan Fire Code, enforced by the Bureau of Fire Services and local fire departments. See do I need a hood? and the hood CFM calculator.
Backflow prevention: Restaurants must install a testable backflow preventer (typically an RPZ) that is tested annually and reported to the local water utility. 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/special-event | $158 / $292 | Temporary Food Service license: $158 if applied 5+ days before event, $292 if 4 days or less; Non-profit/veterans $154/$288 |
| special transitory food unit (STFU) | $155 | Statewide transitory food license; non-profit $116, veterans $5. STFU inspection $90 each; (Standard mobile food unit is $348.) |
| caterer | — | Not a separate license in MI; caterers operate under a fixed food service establishment license (fee by seating: $437-$763); No distinct line on Macomb 2026 fee schedule |
| commissary/central kitchen | — | No separate commissary line; licensed as a food service establishment |
| bakery | — | No separate bakery line; retail bakeries licensed by MDARD, food-service bakeries under establishment license |
| market/grocery with deli | — | Retail grocery licensed by MDARD, not on county EH food schedule |
| food processing/wholesale | — | State-regulated by MDARD, not the county |
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 Macomb 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 →