Restaurants and food trucks.
Mariposa County food-facility health permits run about $424–$848 annually, depending on size or sales volume. Plan review runs about $198. Confirm the exact amount with Mariposa County Environmental Health (Community Development / Health & Human Services) 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 Mariposa County Environmental Health (Community Development / Health & Human Services) issues the health permit.
What the local foodservice landscape looks like — useful whether you’re opening here or sizing up the competition.
▼ 12.1% change in establishments since 2022 (33 → 29).
The average foodservice wage here is $1,316 above the California average ($28,902); California has about 88,778 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.
Per Mariposa County Health Fees effective February 1, 2025. Food Prep Incidental $160; Market Small (≤7,500 SF) $212; Market Large $424; Bar Only $318; Bar in Food Facility $160; B&B/Hotels Full Prep $424; Cafeteria (School) $424; Class A Cottage Food (registration) $107; Class B Cottage Food $318
Special events range from No Fee to $577 (annual permit for profit); single multi-day event for profit $193
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 $728–$1,364 for Mariposa 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.
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 UPC, food establishments here must control fats, oils & grease (FOG) with a grease interceptor or trap, and typically register with the local sewer/wastewater authority. A grease interceptor sized to the California Plumbing Code is required, with a municipal sewer-authority FOG discharge permit.
Size the interceptor with our grease-trap sizing calculator, compare units in the grease-trap catalog, and confirm the local FOG permit with Mariposa County Environmental Health (Community Development / Health & Human Services) (contact above).
Hood fire suppression (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. Type I hood fire suppression must meet NFPA 96 and the California Fire Code enforced by the local fire authority. See do I need a hood? and the hood CFM calculator.
Backflow prevention: An approved backflow preventer with a certified annual test is required by the local water purveyor. A certified backflow assembly (often an RPZ) on the water service, tested annually, is standard — confirm with your water utility.
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 Mariposa County with its neighbors.
This is a typical sequence — confirm the exact sequence with your authority having jurisdiction.