Restaurants and food trucks.
Miami-Dade County food-facility health permits run about $242–$357 annually, depending on size or sales volume. Confirm the exact amount with FL DBPR Division of Hotels & Restaurants (state, restaurants + MFDV); Miami-Dade County Regulatory & Economic Resources / municipality (Certificate of Use); Miami-Dade Tax Collector (Local Business Tax) 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 FL DBPR Division of Hotels & Restaurants (state, restaurants + MFDV); Miami-Dade County Regulatory & Economic Resources / municipality (Certificate of Use); Miami-Dade Tax Collector (Local Business Tax) issues the health permit.
What the local foodservice landscape looks like — useful whether you’re opening here or sizing up the competition.
▲ 4.3% change in establishments since 2022 (5,839 → 6,089).
The average foodservice wage here is $5,296 above the Florida average ($25,544); Florida has about 44,608 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.
State-issued, not county; Half-year rates apply after Dec 1. Locally also need Miami-Dade Certificate of Use ($75) and Local Business Tax Receipt; municipal receipt also required if inside a city
Turnaround: DBPR reviews plans prior to construction/opening; no published fixed turnaround
State DBPR Division of Hotels & Restaurants inspects; outcome is met-standards / warning / emergency closure with violations listed, no letter grade; searchable statewide online database.
License tied to a specific vehicle (second truck = second license); License year June 1-May 31. Fire Department approval required (786-331-4800) before Miami-Dade license issuance
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 $60–$704 for Miami-Dade 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 Miami-Dade County and Florida. Florida DBPR Division of Hotels and Restaurants runs a statewide restaurant inspection report search.
Florida 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.
A code-compliant kitchen in Miami-Dade County needs more than the health permit — these approvals are handled by separate offices. Confirm current requirements with each.
| Building / plans | Miami-Dade County Dept. of Regulatory & Economic Resources (RER) - Building Division · 786-315-2000 |
| Fire marshal | Miami-Dade Fire Rescue - Fire Prevention Division |
| Zoning / planning | Miami-Dade RER - Zoning & Development Services (Certificate of Use) · 786-315-2660 |
| Sewer / grease | Miami-Dade RER - Division of Environmental Resources Management (DERM), FOG/GDO Program · 305-372-6789 |
| Business license | Miami-Dade County Tax Collector - Local Business Tax Receipt · 305-375-5448 |
Under Florida Building Code, Plumbing, 8th Edition (2023), 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 Florida Building Code Plumbing, with FOG permits from the local utility/sewer authority.
Size the interceptor with our grease-trap sizing calculator, compare units in the grease-trap catalog, and confirm the local FOG permit with FL DBPR Division of Hotels & Restaurants (state, restaurants + MFDV); Miami-Dade County Regulatory & Economic Resources / municipality (Certificate of Use); Miami-Dade Tax Collector (Local Business Tax) (contact above).
Hood fire suppression (Florida Fire Prevention Code, 8th Edition (NFPA 1 & NFPA 101, 2021)): commercial cooking under a Type I hood needs a wet-chemical suppression system to NFPA 96, permitted and inspected by the local fire marshal. Kitchen hood suppression follows NFPA 96 under the Florida Fire Prevention Code, enforced by the local fire marshal. See do I need a hood? and the hood CFM calculator.
Backflow prevention: Annual RPZ backflow testing is required by the local utility's cross-connection control program. A certified backflow assembly (often an RPZ) on the water service, tested annually, is standard — confirm with your water utility.
| Category | Annual fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| caterer | $263/yr | DBPR statewide caterer license; any licensed food service establishment may also cater without a separate license |
| theme-park/entertainment-complex food cart | $262-$357/yr | Tiered by number of carts: 1-5 $262, 6-10 $273, 11-15 $294, 16-20 $315, 21-25 $336, 26+ $357 |
| vending machine | $21/yr | Per machine dispensing prepared/potentially hazardous food |
| temporary/special-event food vendor | 1-3 day $91; 4-30 day $105; annual $456 | DBPR temporary event vendor license |
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 Miami-Dade 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 →