Restaurants and food trucks.
Mesa County food-facility health permits run about $481–$826 annually, depending on size or sales volume. Plan review runs about $155. Confirm the exact amount with Mesa County Public Health 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 Mesa County Public Health issues the health permit.
What the local foodservice landscape looks like — useful whether you’re opening here or sizing up the competition.
▲ 0.3% change in establishments since 2022 (319 → 320).
The average foodservice wage here is $4,081 below the Colorado average ($28,457); Colorado has about 13,675 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 are STATE-SET statewide under Colorado SB25-285, phased in over 2026-2028 (25% increase in 2026); New 2026 fees effective September 1, 2025; apply to new licenses and 2026 renewals; 2028 rates continue for 2029+ unless updated
Colorado law bars local letter grades; inspection reports posted online.
State SB25-285 mobile categories: full-service food and limited food service (prepackaged)
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 $974–$1,663 for Mesa 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.
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 adopted 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 Mesa County Public Health (contact above).
Hood fire suppression: 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 fire code adopted 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.
| Category | Annual fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bar / limited food service | Limited Food Service: $338 (2026), $394 (2027), $475 (2028) | State-set fee under Colorado SB25-285 |
| Grocery / market with deli | Grocery 0-15,000 sq ft $244 / >15,000 sq ft $441; Grocery w/Deli 0-15,000 sq ft $469 / >15,000 sq ft $894 (all 2026) | 2027/2028 escalate: grocery w/deli >15,000 sq ft rises to $1,062 (2027) and $1,276 (2028); State-set under SB25-285 |
| Temporary / seasonal event | Temporary Event Vendor License: limited $115, full $255; Temporary Event Vendor Application $60 (2026) | Oil & Gas Temporary Establishment $1,063 (2026); State-set fees under SB25-285 |
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 Mesa 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 →