Restaurants and food trucks.
Montgomery County food-facility health permits run about $85–$265 annually, depending on size or sales volume. Plan review runs about $80–$115. Confirm the exact amount with Montgomery County Health Department - Environmental Health Division (Alabama Dept of Public Health delegates food establishment sanitation to the county) 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 Montgomery County Health Department - Environmental Health Division (Alabama Dept of Public Health delegates food establishment sanitation to the county) issues the health permit.
What the local foodservice landscape looks like — useful whether you’re opening here or sizing up the competition.
▲ 2.9% change in establishments since 2022 (456 → 469).
The average foodservice wage here is $705 above the Alabama average ($20,425); Alabama has about 8,980 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 delegates to county: ADPH regulates food establishment sanitation statewide (Rules 420-3-22) but delegates permitting/inspection to the Montgomery County Health Department; Amounts are from the county Environmental Health Division Fee Schedule with an effective date of July 1, 2004; this is the schedule the county still publishes; confirm current amounts with the Health Department (334-293-6452) as the figures are dated
Alabama Dept. of Public Health 0–100 inspection score; posted at the establishment and in the ADPH food scores database.
Alabama ADPH publishes statewide mobile/concession guidance; a base of operations/commissary is required; No dedicated mobile fee appears on the county schedule
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 $165–$380 for Montgomery 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 Montgomery County and Alabama. The Alabama Department of Public Health posts numeric food establishment scores statewide (85-100 satisfactory; below 60 closes the establishment) through its Food Scores site.
Alabama 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.
Under Alabama Plumbing Code (2021 IPC), food establishments here must control fats, oils & grease (FOG) with a grease interceptor or trap, and typically register with the local sewer/wastewater authority. Restaurants must install an approved grease interceptor under the state plumbing code, with discharge governed by the local sewer authority's FOG program.
Size the interceptor with our grease-trap sizing calculator, compare units in the grease-trap catalog, and confirm the local FOG permit with Montgomery County Health Department - Environmental Health Division (Alabama Dept of Public Health delegates food establishment sanitation to the county) (contact above).
Hood fire suppression (Alabama Fire Code (2021 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. Commercial kitchen hood suppression must meet NFPA 96 and the state-adopted fire code, enforced by the State Fire Marshal and local fire officials. See do I need a hood? and the hood CFM calculator.
Backflow prevention: Backflow prevention assemblies (typically an RPZ) require annual testing by a certified tester through the local water 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Bakery / food processing | $175 (Food Processor $0-$999,999); $350 ($1M-$4,999,999); $525 ($5M-$9,999,999); $875 (over $10,000,000) | County 'Food Processor' category, priced by gross sales, on the Montgomery County Environmental Health fee schedule (eff; July 1, 2004; confirm current amounts, 334-293-6452) |
| Grocery / market with deli | $85 (Retail Food Service under 2,500 sq ft); $175 (Retail Food Service over 2,500 sq ft) | County 'Retail Food Service' category, priced by square footage (eff; July 1, 2004; confirm current amounts) |
| Temporary / seasonal event | $10 per day (Temporary Food), $30 minimum | County 'Temporary Food' line on the 2004 fee schedule; confirm current amount with the Health Department (334-293-6452) |
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 Montgomery 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 →