Local permits & fees

Palm Beach County, FL — Commercial Kitchen Permits

State-issued: Florida DBPR, Division of Hotels & Restaurants (restaurants & food trucks are licensed by the STATE, not the county). County-level Florida DOH-Palm Beach handles only certain non-DBPR food operations (schools, institutions, temporary events); a local Business Tax Receipt is also required. · department site →

Fees change often — always confirm the current amount with the department before you budget.

Restaurant / food-facility permit

Public Food Service Establishment License (DBPR, statewide)

Annual license by seating (statewide DBPR fee schedule): Nonseating $242; 1-49 seats $262; 50-149 $273; 150-249 $294; 250-349 $315; 350-499 $336; 500+ $357. Half-year rates roughly half. Plus a one-time $50 application fee for new/change-of-ownership. All fees include a $10 Hospitality Education Program surcharge.

Fees are set by the state and are identical in every Florida county (Palm Beach included). Verified on official DBPR Food Service Fees page 2026-08-06.

Plan review — required

$0 - DBPR provides plan review at no charge (only the $50 application fee applies to a new license).

Turnaround: Plan review recommended before construction; DBPR does not charge for it. No county turnaround published because review is state-run.

Plan-review details & forms →

Food truck / mobile permit

Mobile Food Dispensing Vehicle (MFDV) License (DBPR, statewide)

Mobile Food Vehicles / Hot Dog Carts: $347 annual ($178.50 half-year), including the $10 HEP surcharge, plus $50 application fee for new/change of ownership.

MFDVs are state-licensed by DBPR; under FL law (s. 509.102) local governments cannot require a separate local MFDV license or charge a separate MFDV license fee, though a general Business Tax Receipt may still apply.

How to apply

Apply / county portal →Forms & applications

Watch out for

Florida restaurants and food trucks are licensed by the STATE (DBPR), so fees are uniform statewide - Palm Beach County does not set its own restaurant permit fee.
DBPR plan review is free; the only up-front state charge for a new license is the $50 application fee.

Other food-service permits in this jurisdiction

Category	Annual fee	Notes
caterer	$263/yr	DBPR statewide caterer license; any licensed food service establishment may also cater without a separate license
theme-park/entertainment-complex food cart	$262-$357/yr	Tiered by number of carts: 1-5 $262, 6-10 $273, 11-15 $294, 16-20 $315, 21-25 $336, 26+ $357
vending machine	$21/yr	Per machine dispensing prepared/potentially hazardous food
temporary/special-event food vendor	1-3 day $91; 4-30 day $105; annual $456	DBPR temporary event vendor license

Florida statewide rules

Who licenses you, reciprocity, and the state regime.

What equipment you need

Build a tailored equipment checklist for your concept.

Permits & plan review, explained

The stack of approvals before you open.

Sources: www2.myfloridalicense.com · www2.myfloridalicense.com · www2.myfloridalicense.com · observed 2026-08-06