Restaurants and food trucks.
Osceola County food-facility health permits run about $242–$357 annually, depending on size or sales volume. Confirm the exact amount with Florida Dept of Business & Professional Regulation (DBPR), Division of Hotels and Restaurants (restaurants); Florida Dept of Agriculture & Consumer Services (FDACS), Division of Food Safety (groceries/retail food) 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 Florida Dept of Business & Professional Regulation (DBPR), Division of Hotels and Restaurants (restaurants); Florida Dept of Agriculture & Consumer Services (FDACS), Division of Food Safety (groceries/retail food) issues the health permit.
What the local foodservice landscape looks like — useful whether you’re opening here or sizing up the competition.
▲ 4.6% change in establishments since 2022 (736 → 770).
The average foodservice wage here is $1,713 below the Florida average ($25,544); Florida has about 44,608 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.
AUTHORITY: Restaurants in Florida are licensed STATEWIDE by DBPR Division of Hotels and Restaurants, not by the county; Same fee schedule applies statewide; the county only determines the licensing district and renewal date; Osceola County is in DBPR District 4 (renewal date 4/1)
State DBPR Division of Hotels & Restaurants inspects; outcome is met-standards / warning / emergency closure with violations listed, no letter grade; searchable statewide online database.
MFDVs that cook/prepare food are DBPR-licensed statewide ($347); Mobile units selling only prepackaged or non-potentially-hazardous foods are FDACS-permitted
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 $20–$704 for Osceola 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 Osceola County and Florida. Florida DBPR Division of Hotels and Restaurants runs a statewide restaurant inspection report search.
Florida 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 Florida Building Code, Plumbing, 8th Edition (2023), 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 Florida Building Code Plumbing, with FOG permits from the local utility/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 Florida Dept of Business & Professional Regulation (DBPR), Division of Hotels and Restaurants (restaurants); Florida Dept of Agriculture & Consumer Services (FDACS), Division of Food Safety (groceries/retail food) (contact above).
Hood fire suppression (Florida Fire Prevention Code, 8th Edition (NFPA 1 & NFPA 101, 2021)): commercial cooking under a Type I hood needs a wet-chemical suppression system to NFPA 96, permitted and inspected by the local fire marshal. Kitchen hood suppression follows NFPA 96 under the Florida Fire Prevention Code, enforced by the local fire marshal. See do I need a hood? and the hood CFM calculator.
Backflow prevention: Annual RPZ backflow testing is required by the local 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Caterer | $263 per year (DBPR Caterer license) plus $10 HEP fee; source https://www2.myfloridalicense.com/hotels-restaurants/licensing/food-fees/ | Caterers are DBPR-licensed statewide |
| Bakery / food processing | FDACS: Retail Bakery with Food Service $490 / Wholesale Bakery $530 per year; source https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/florida/Fla-Admin-Code-Ann-R-5K-4-020 | Retail/wholesale bakeries and food processors are permitted by FDACS under Rule 5K-4.020, F.A.C; A bakery with on-premises seated dining is instead DBPR-licensed by seats |
| Bar / limited food service | DBPR Public Food Service Establishment license by seating (Nonseating $242 / 1-49 seats $262, etc.) plus $10 HEP; source https://www2.myfloridalicense.com/hotels-restaurants/licensing/food-fees/ | A bar/lounge that serves food is licensed by DBPR as a public food service establishment by seat count; alcohol beverage licensing is separate through DBPR ABT |
| Grocery / market with deli | FDACS: Supermarket $650 / Grocery Store $540 per year; Convenience Store $330 (basic) / $430 (limited food service) / $475 (significant food service); Meat Market $455; Seafood Market $410; source https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/florida/Fla-Admin-Code-Ann-R-5K-4-020 | Groceries, supermarkets, convenience stores and markets are permitted by FDACS Division of Food Safety, not DBPR |
| Temporary / seasonal event | DBPR Temporary Food Service Events $91-$456 depending on event duration; source https://www2.myfloridalicense.com/hotels-restaurants/licensing/food-fees/; FDACS Semi-permanent Vendor $195; source https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/florida/Fla-Admin-Code-Ann-R-5K-4-020 | DBPR handles temporary food service events tied to restaurants; FDACS covers semi-permanent retail vendors |
| Pushcart / mobile vending | DBPR Mobile Food Dispensing Vehicle / Hot Dog Cart $347 per year plus $10 HEP; source https://www2.myfloridalicense.com/hotels-restaurants/licensing/food-fees/; FDACS Mobile Vendor $300 (prepackaged/non-hazardous); source https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/florida/Fla-Admin-Code-Ann-R-5K-4-020 | Cooking/prep mobile units are DBPR-licensed ($347); prepackaged/non-PHF mobile units are FDACS-permitted ($300) |
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 Osceola 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 →