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 Oakland County Health Division - Environmental Health (Food Safety) issues the health permit.
What the local foodservice landscape looks like — useful whether you’re opening here or sizing up the competition.
▲ 0.8% change in establishments since 2022 (2,921 → 2,945).
The average foodservice wage here is $1,936 above the Michigan average ($22,060); Michigan has about 19,760 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.
Michigan food service establishments are licensed through the local health department, which sets its own fees; Oakland County's specific fixed-establishment license fee is not published on the public page (site blocks automated access); Card payments add a 3.5% transaction fee and e-checks a $2.50 charge (effective 1/1/2025); review fees updated effective 10/1/2025. Contact 248-424-7191
Michigan local health departments inspect under the Michigan Food Law/FDA Food Code (priority/core violations); no letter grade or score. Reports on MDARD's online Food Inspection Postings (MiSafe).
Mobile units and STFUs licensed under Michigan Food Law; STFU licensing is coordinated statewide (MDARD/local); Oakland-specific mobile fee not published on public page
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 Oakland County and Michigan. MDARD's MiSafe portal lets the public search state food inspection reports, with reports available from April 2022 forward.
Michigan inspection lookup →U.S. Census 2023 population; County Business Patterns 2022 (NAICS 722).
A code-compliant kitchen in Oakland County needs more than the health permit — these approvals are handled by separate offices. Confirm current requirements with each.
| Building / plans | City of Pontiac – Building Safety Division (county seat) · 248-758-2800 |
| Fire marshal | City of Pontiac Fire Marshal (fire services via Waterford Regional Fire Dept) |
| Zoning / planning | City of Pontiac – Planning & Zoning Division · 248-758-2824 |
| Sewer / grease | Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner (sewer; grease/pretreatment via local system) |
| Business license | Michigan has no general state/local business license; register with City of Pontiac and State of Michigan (LARA) |
Under Michigan Plumbing Code (based on 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. Grease interceptors are required under the Michigan Plumbing Code, with FOG limits set by the local wastewater utility.
Size the interceptor with our grease-trap sizing calculator, compare units in the grease-trap catalog, and confirm the local FOG permit with Oakland County Health Division - Environmental Health (Food Safety) (contact above).
Hood fire suppression (Michigan Fire Code (based on 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 follows NFPA 96 as adopted in the Michigan Fire Code, enforced by the Bureau of Fire Services and local fire departments. See do I need a hood? and the hood CFM calculator.
Backflow prevention: Restaurants must install a testable backflow preventer (typically an RPZ) that is tested annually and reported to the local water utility. A certified backflow assembly (often an RPZ) on the water service, tested annually, is standard — confirm with your water utility.
| Category | Annual fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| temporary/seasonal/special-event | — | Temporary Food Establishment license issued by Oakland County Health Division |
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 Oakland 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 →