Restaurants, commercial kitchens, and food trucks.
Monterey County food-facility health permits run about $1,495 annually. Plan review runs about $1,682–$4,140. Confirm the exact amount with Monterey County Health Department - Environmental Health Bureau 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 Monterey County Health Department - Environmental Health Bureau issues the health permit.
What the local foodservice landscape looks like — useful whether you’re opening here or sizing up the competition.
— 0.0% change in establishments since 2022 (905 → 905).
The average foodservice wage here is $594 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.
Restaurants/Deli/Bars by risk tier (effective 7/1/2026, FY26-27): Tier 1 bar only, no food prep $1,205; Tier 2 $1,495; Tier 3 $1,876. Retail markets with food prep and other categories priced separately
No letter-grade or color-placard program identified; Monterey posts restaurant inspection results online.
Mobile Food Preparation Units $1,293; Mobile Food limited food prep (tamales/corn/hot dogs) $611; Mobile Food pre-packaged/bulk/catering truck $518; Compact Mobile Food Operation (limited prep) $611 / push cart $332; ice cream push carts $129-$735. FY26-27 rates
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 $4,470–$6,928 for Monterey 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 Monterey County Health Department - Environmental Health Bureau (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.
| Category | Annual fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| caterer | $759 | Catering Operation (PE 4113), annual; Host Facility (brewery/winery/commercial building) PE 4114 also $759. Effective July 1, 2026 |
| commissary/shared/central kitchen | $1,495 | Commissary Food Preparation; no retail (PE 4026) $1,495; Commissary (non-Food Prep); no retail (PE 4030) $1,084; Commissary verification 2-hr min (PE 4034) $519 |
| bar/tavern | $1,205 | Under 'Restaurants/Deli/Bars': Tier 1 Bar only, no food prep (PE 4120) $1,205; Tier 2 (4122) $1,495; Tier 3 (4123) $1,876 |
| market/grocery with deli | $1,954 | Retail Markets with Food Preparation: Tier 2 (PE 4192) $1,954; Tier 3 (4193) $2,511. Retail Markets no/limited prep: Tier 1 (4127) $1,084; Tier 2 (4128) $1,425. Deli falls under Restaurants/Deli/Bars category |
| temporary/seasonal/special-event | $519 | Temporary Food Facility 1-3 days For-Profit (PE 4146) $519; Community Event Organizer/Sponsor per event (4038) $648; Snack Bar 4-mo seasonal (4139) $476; TFF w/ food prep annual permit (4158) $1,100 |
| pushcart/limited or low-risk operation | $129 | Ice Cream Push Carts 1-4 (PE 4071) $129; 5-10 (4073) $251; Compact Mobile Food Push Cart Operation, prepackaged (4088) $332; Produce Stands, produce & eggs only (4116) $737 |
| food processing/wholesale | — | No distinct retail food processing/wholesale permit published in the Environmental Health Master Fee Resolution (Article I.E) |
| bakery | — | No stationary bakery permit category; only mobile 'Bakery, Produce, Frozen Food or Ice Cream Trucks (Bulk)' (PE 4068) $341 |
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 Monterey 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 →