Restaurants and food trucks.
Multnomah County food-facility health permits run about $970–$1,545 annually, depending on size or sales volume. Plan review runs about $580. Confirm the exact amount with Multnomah County Health Department - Environmental Health / Health Inspections Program 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 Multnomah County Health Department - Environmental Health / Health Inspections Program issues the health permit.
What the local foodservice landscape looks like — useful whether you’re opening here or sizing up the competition.
▲ 1.4% change in establishments since 2022 (3,001 → 3,044).
The average foodservice wage here is $2,914 above the Oregon average ($26,591); Oregon has about 11,223 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.
First health license fee increase in 5 years took effect 2026-01-01. County is required by Oregon state law to license and inspect restaurants
Oregon 100-point sanitation score (pass at 70); Multnomah posts current restaurant scores online.
New rules/fees for licensing and inspecting food cart pods were adopted; each pod must submit a plan review
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 $1,955–$2,705 for Multnomah 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.
A code-compliant kitchen in Multnomah County needs more than the health permit — these approvals are handled by separate offices. Confirm current requirements with each.
| Building / plans | Portland Permitting & Development (PP&D) – Building Permits · 503-823-7300 |
| Fire marshal | Portland Fire & Rescue – Fire Marshal (fire permits coordinated through PP&D) · 503-823-7300 |
| Zoning / planning | Portland Permitting & Development / Bureau of Planning & Sustainability – Zoning & Land Use · 503-823-7300 |
| Sewer / grease | City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services – FOG / Industrial Source Control |
| Business license | City of Portland Revenue Division – Business License Tax (Portland/Multnomah combined) · 503-823-5157 |
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 Oregon plumbing specialty 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 Multnomah County Health Department - Environmental Health / Health Inspections Program (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. Commercial hood suppression must meet NFPA 96 and the Oregon 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 |
|---|---|---|
| pushcart/limited operation | $890 | Limited Service license (pre-packaged items only) |
| caterer | — | Catering licensed under Oregon food service rules; fee not separately shown on page (Bed & Breakfast listed at $420 as related lodging-food category) |
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 Multnomah 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 →