Local permits & fees

Pierce County, WA — Commercial Kitchen Permits

Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department (TPCHD), Food & Community Safety · department site →

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

Restaurant / food-facility permit

Food Establishment Annual Permit (by seating)

0-25 seats $817; 26-74 seats $1,051; 75+ seats $1,329 (2025 adopted rates)

Permits expire Jan 31 each year; renewal invoices due Feb 1. Late fees escalate 25% (1-30 days) then +25% (31-60); 61+ days subject to closure. Other categories: Bakery $504, Low Risk (tavern/tasting room) $621, Buffet 125+ seats $1,799. UPDATE 2026-08-10: A 2026 Fee Schedule was adopted by the Board of Health on 12/3/2025 (effective Jan 1, 2026); the 2026 PDF is behind a bot/CAPTCHA wall and could not be extracted, so figures shown are the last cleanly-published 2025 ADOPTED rates. Confirm current amounts on the 2026 schedule.

Plan review — required

New establishment $1,139; Menu/Process change or Remodel $639 (flat, per permit, incl. water adequacy office review); 2025 adopted rates

Turnaround: Usually respond within ~10 days with approval or questions; longer during high-volume periods

Plan-review details & forms →

Food truck / mobile permit

Mobile Food Unit Permit (Low Risk / High Risk)

Mobile Food Unit-High Risk $504/yr (2025). Low-risk annual fee also listed but not cleanly legible in the extracted 2025 fee schedule.

Same plan review process required. Must comply with WA Dept. of Labor & Industries requirements; limited-menu operation possible under variance. 2026 fee schedule adopted (eff. 1/1/2026) but not machine-readable (CAPTCHA-protected); 2025 rates shown pending confirmation.

How to apply

Apply / county portal →Forms & applications

Watch out for

One plan review application covers new businesses, menu/equipment changes, and remodels; fee is non-refundable.
Fees benchmarked to a 2025 hourly rate of ~$230/hr for after-hours/weekend or AEE (added enforcement) services.

Other food-service permits in this jurisdiction

Category	Annual fee	Notes
commissary/central kitchen	—	Commissary Kitchens permit category referenced; fee via Accela portal (not published on page)
temporary/seasonal/special-event	—	Temporary Events permit category referenced; fee not published
market/grocery with deli	—	Farmers Markets and Farm Stands permit categories referenced; fee not published

Washington 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: tpchd.org · tpchd.org · www.tpchd.org · tpchd.org · observed 2026-08-10