foodservicenerd
Local permits & fees

Marion County, IN — Commercial Kitchen Permits

Marion County Public Health Department — Department of Food & Consumer Safety (4701 N. Keystone Ave., Suite 500, Indianapolis) · department site →
Fees change often — always confirm the current amount with the department before you budget.

Restaurant / food-facility permit

Retail Food Establishment license
Fee not published online — contact the department.

MCPHD licenses and inspects retail food establishments; fees are set in the Indianapolis-Marion County Code of Ordinances. Exact retail food establishment fee could not be verified from an official .gov source (marionhealth.org pages route fees/payments through the Accela ACA portal and do not publish a plain fee table). NOT VERIFIED, left null. NOTE (2026-08-10): the similarly named marionpublichealth.org is Marion County, OHIO (area code 740), not Indianapolis - do not use it for Indiana fees. Ordinance reference: https://library.municode.com/in/indianapolis_-_marion_county/codes/code_of_ordinances

Plan review — required

Fee not published online.

Turnaround: ~2 weeks for new-vehicle/plan review; overall permitting ~4-6 weeks

Plan-review details & forms →

Food truck / mobile permit

Mobile Food Establishment License
Fee not published online — contact the department.

Required for all food trucks in Indianapolis/unincorporated Marion County; renews Jan 1 each year. Exact fee NOT VERIFIED from official source (left null). Secondary/industry (non-gov, unverified) estimates: ~$150-$300/yr (streetlegal.io), ~$250 for full-service mobile (getvendorloop.com).

How to apply

Apply / county portal →Forms & applications

Watch out for

  • MCPHD requires the owner or person-in-charge to hold a Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) credential.
  • All mobile units must base from a licensed commissary (which itself must hold an MCPHD food establishment license); mobile license renews every January 1.
  • Marion County, IN (Indianapolis) health dept is marionhealth.org; marionpublichealth.org is Marion County, OHIO - not the same jurisdiction.

Other food-service permits in this jurisdiction

CategoryAnnual feeNotes
commissary/central kitchen—Commissary must hold its own MCPHD food establishment license; required base for all mobile units. Specific fee not published online.
temporary/seasonal/special-event—Temporary Food Establishment license (single event, up to 14 consecutive days); application/fee due at least 48 hours prior. Fee not published online.
caterer—Caterers require MCPHD food establishment licensing; no separate standalone caterer fee published.
Indiana 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: marionhealth.org · marionhealth.org · library.municode.com · observed 2026-08-10