Restaurants and food trucks.
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 Nassau County Department of Health, Office of Food Protection issues the health permit.
What the local foodservice landscape looks like — useful whether you’re opening here or sizing up the competition.
▲ 2.7% change in establishments since 2022 (3,730 → 3,832).
The average foodservice wage here is $1,324 below the New York average ($30,677); New York has about 52,317 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.
Fee is set by the number of seats and type of operation; the county does not publish the seat-tiered dollar amounts online; Applied for in person at Office of Food Protection, 200 County Seat Drive, Mineola NY 11501 (516-227-9717); pay by certified check, money order, or credit card (no AMEX); Call for exact fee
State/local health departments inspect to the NYS Sanitary Code; violations listed in the statewide online database, no letter grade (NYSDOH does not support grading).
Temporary-event applications and fees must be received at least 3 full business days before the event; a $100 late fee applies to vendor applications received after the deadline; NY State tax-exempt orgs may have the vendor permit fee waived; Base temp fee amount not published online
Fees/payment and forms are on the department site; application steps vary by concept — see the checklist below.
Check the health-inspection history and violation scores for any food establishment in Nassau County and New York. NYSDOH publishes food service establishment inspection data statewide except New York City, which runs its own restaurant grading system.
New York inspection lookup →U.S. Census 2023 population; County Business Patterns 2022 (NAICS 722).
A code-compliant kitchen in Nassau County needs more than the health permit — these approvals are handled by separate offices. Confirm current requirements with each.
| Building / plans | Town of Hempstead Building Department (principal town; NY building permits are town-level) · 516-538-7100 |
| Fire marshal | Nassau County Office of the Fire Marshal (countywide commercial fire safety) · 516-573-9900 |
| Zoning / planning | Town of Hempstead Dept. of Planning & Economic Development / Board of Zoning Appeals · 516-538-7100 |
| Sewer / grease | Nassau County Dept. of Public Works - Sewer/Storm Water (countywide) |
Under IPC 2018 (Plumbing Code of NYS 2020), 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 where grease-laden waste is produced, sized under the state plumbing code, with the FOG discharge permit issued by the local 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 Nassau County Department of Health, Office of Food Protection (contact above).
Hood fire suppression (IFC 2018 (Fire Code of NYS 2020)): 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 follows NFPA 96 and is permitted and inspected by the local code/fire official under the Fire Code of NYS. See do I need a hood? and the hood CFM calculator.
Backflow prevention: An annual RPZ/backflow assembly test is required under state cross-connection control rules and administered by the public water supplier. 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 | — | Catering (providing food to anyone outside immediate family/friends) requires a food establishment permit; fee determined by number of seats & type of operation |
| bakery | — | Retail bakeries are among establishments requiring a Nassau County food establishment permit |
| bar/tavern | — | Taverns listed among establishments requiring a food establishment permit |
| market/grocery with deli | — | Delicatessens listed among permitted establishments; food vending units also permitted |
| temporary/seasonal/special-event | — | Temporary Food Service Establishments (street fairs, bazaars, carnivals, feasts) require a valid food establishment permit per NYS Sanitary Code Sub-part 14-2; fee based on food sold and event duration; application due >=3 business days before opening |
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 Nassau 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 →