Restaurants and food trucks.
Montgomery County food-facility health permits run about $210–$360 annually, depending on size or sales volume. Confirm the exact amount with Tennessee Department of Health, Division of General Environmental Health (state-administered). Montgomery County is NOT one of TN's contract/metro counties, so permitting and fees follow the statewide TDH schedule. 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 Tennessee Department of Health, Division of General Environmental Health (state-administered). Montgomery County is NOT one of TN's contract/metro counties, so permitting and fees follow the statewide TDH schedule. issues the health permit.
What the local foodservice landscape looks like — useful whether you’re opening here or sizing up the competition.
▲ 0.2% change in establishments since 2022 (410 → 411).
The average foodservice wage here is $3,721 below the Tennessee average ($23,218); Tennessee has about 13,712 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.
Statewide TDH fee schedule (Rule Ch; 1200-23-01); In the six local-contract counties (Davidson, Hamilton, Knox, Madison, Shelby, and Nashville) a local add-on applies, but Montgomery County uses the state fee only
Tennessee 0–100 inspection score; report posted prominently and searchable in the state inspection portal.
Commissary/base of operation required; Local ordinances (City of Clarksville) may also apply
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 $420–$570 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 Tennessee. The Tennessee Department of Health operates a statewide portal where food service establishment inspection scores can be searched by name, county, or date.
Tennessee 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 International Plumbing Code (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-adopted 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 Tennessee Department of Health, Division of General Environmental Health (state-administered). Montgomery County is NOT one of TN's contract/metro counties, so permitting and fees follow the statewide TDH schedule. (contact above).
Hood fire suppression (International Fire Code (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 International Fire Code, enforced by the State Fire Marshal's Office 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Bar / limited food service | $210 | Bars/limited food service permitted as a Food Service Establishment; 0-50 seats $210, 51+ seats $360 (statewide TDH schedule) |
| Pushcart / mobile vending | TDH mobile food unit permit; Confirm with Montgomery County Health Dept | Commissary/base required; City of Clarksville rules may also apply |
| Temporary / seasonal event | TDH temporary food service permit; Confirm with Montgomery County Health Dept | Distinct permit type under TDH Rule Ch; 1200-23-01 |
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 →