Local permits & fees

Marin County, CA — Commercial Kitchen Permits

Marin County Environmental Health Services (Community Development Agency) · department site →

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

Restaurant / food-facility permit

Food Operating Permit - Restaurant (by seating)

$578 (0-15 seats), $1,154 (16-49), $1,302 (50-99), $1,568 (100-149), $1,728 (150+); +$15 technology fee each

Annual operating permit under CalCode. Fee schedule effective July 1, 2019, modified Sept 2025. A $15 technology-fee surcharge is added to each permit. Institutions (jail/hospital) $2,042. Source: https://assets.marincounty.gov/marincounty-prod/public/2025-09/2019%20Food%20Program%20Operating%20Permit%20Fees%202019%20modified%20%20Sept%202025.pdf

Plan review — required

null - Marin runs a permanent food facility plan check program but plan-check charges are billed on a deposit/time-and-materials basis and are not published as flat dollar figures in the operating-permit fee schedule

Plan-review details & forms →

Food truck / mobile permit

Mobile Food Facility (MFF) permit

null - published schedule sets Mobile Food Facility - Full Service at 50% of the equivalent annual permit fee (+$15 tech fee); prepackaged MFF/carts listed but exact dollar lines are ambiguous in the source table, so no single figure is confirmed

MFF - Full Service = 50% of annual permit; Limited Food Prep and Prepackaged/Produce carts have separate lower fees (one permit covers up to 3 prepackaged carts, same owner). Verify exact dollar with EHS. Source PDF as above.

How to apply

Forms & applications

Watch out for

Administered under the California Retail Food Code (CalCode); permits issued by Marin County EHS (CDA).
$15 technology-fee surcharge applied per permit on top of listed fees.
Restaurant fees tiered strictly by seat count; market and bakery fees tiered by square footage.
Fee schedule is the 2019 schedule 'modified Sept 2025' and approved by the Board of Supervisors.

Other food-service permits in this jurisdiction

Category	Annual fee	Notes
Caterer	$942 (+$15 tech fee = $957)	Separate 'Catering Facility' permit $628 (+$15 = $643).
Commissary / central preparation kitchen	$411 (+$15 tech fee = $426)	Annual commissary operating permit.
Bakery / food processing	$658 (2,000-5,999 sq ft) / $959 (6,000+ sq ft); +$15 tech fee	Bakery <2,000 sq ft base fee not clearly listed in source table.
Bar / limited food service	$1,154 (+$15 tech fee = $1,169)	Bar/Tavern without food OR with limited food prep.
Grocery / market with deli	$1,302 (<2,000 sq ft) / $1,572 (2,000-5,999) / $1,965 (6,000+); +$15 tech fee	'Market' permit tiered by square footage; deli/prep areas fall within the market permit.
Temporary / seasonal event	Community Event TFF $369 (2-3 days) / $412 (4-30 days); Temp Food Facility same site $610 (1 yr) / $488 (6 mo); Community Event Organizer permit $350 (+$15)	Limited-prep and prepackaged temporary/cart tiers are lower ($253-$392). Late (<2 weeks before event) adds $104.
Pushcart / mobile vending	null - MFF/carts - prepackaged food/produce category exists (one permit covers up to 3 carts, same owner) but the exact dollar line is ambiguous in the source fee table	Confirm cart fee with Marin EHS; full-service MFF is charged at 50% of the annual permit fee.

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.marincounty.gov · www.marincounty.gov · assets.marincounty.gov · observed 2026-08-07