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Local permits & fees

Placer County, CA Food Facility Permits & Fees

Restaurants, commercial kitchens, and food trucks.

Placer County Health and Human Services Department, Environmental Health Division · department site →
Fees change often — always confirm the current amount with the department before you budget.

Placer County food-facility health permits run about $600–$1,718 annually, depending on size or sales volume. Plan review runs about $714–$3,582. Confirm the exact amount with Placer County Health and Human Services Department, Environmental Health Division 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 Placer County Health and Human Services Department, Environmental Health Division issues the health permit.

The restaurant market in Placer County

What the local foodservice landscape looks like — useful whether you’re opening here or sizing up the competition.

1,000
food & drink establishments
18,911
industry jobs
$515M
annual payroll
$27,253
avg wage / worker
  • 364 full-service restaurants
  • 395 limited-service & fast food
  • 32 bars & drinking places
  • 158 snack & coffee bars
  • 15 mobile food & trucks

▲ 3.4% change in establishments since 2022 (967 → 1,000).

The average foodservice wage here is $1,649 below the California average ($28,902); California has about 88,778 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.

Last verified: 2026-08-17 — we re-confirmed the serving authority, its contact, and that the fees below match the current published schedule. Fee schedules may carry an earlier effective date (shown per fee); local ordinances & amendments aren’t individually reviewed, so confirm current rules with the authority having jurisdiction.See something out of date? Report an update →

Restaurant / food-facility permit

Restaurant (annual health permit, by seating)
  • $1,192 (0-49 seats)
  • $1,493 (50-99 seats)
  • $1,718 (100+ seats)
  • Seasonal (<
  • 6 mo/yr): $600 / $729 / $826

Annual food facility permit; Fee Schedule effective July 1, 2025 (revised 3/3/2026); Double-fee penalty for operating without a permit

Plan review — required

  • New facility with hood $3,582
  • new without hood $2,444
  • new prepackaged only $1,159
  • equipment only $714
  • remodel with hood $2,203
  • remodel without hood $1,410

Plan-review details & forms →

Reach the department

Office3091 County Center Drive, Auburn, CA 95603

Inspection grading

Placard (Pass/Conditional/Closed or color)

Placer posts green/yellow/red placards (Pass/Conditional Pass/Closed); inspection reports online.

Food truck / mobile permit

Mobile Food Facility
  • $639 full prep
  • $439 limited prep
  • $363 no food prep

Annual permit; classification depends on level of food preparation

How to apply

Fees/payment and forms are on the department site; application steps vary by concept — see the checklist below.

What it costs in permit fees to open here

The government permit & plan-review fees below total roughly $1,677–$5,939 for Placer County:

  • $600–$1,718 — food-facility permit
  • $714–$3,582 — plan review
  • $363–$639 — food-truck permit

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.

How Placer County’s permit cost compares

At about $600/year, Placer County’s restaurant health permit is above the California median ($491) and above the U.S. median ($125) — higher than about 99% of U.S. counties.
Ranked 27th-lowest of 40 California counties by permit cost.

Comparison uses the lowest published annual restaurant-permit figure in each county; confirm your exact tier with the department.

Local food-service market

About 967 food & drinking establishments serve ~423,561 residents in Placer County — one per ~438 residents, denser than the California average (one per ~491).

U.S. Census 2023 population; County Business Patterns 2022 (NAICS 722).

Budget the permit stack

Start with ~$600 annual health permit + $714 plan review.

Plus building, fire, and business-license fees that vary locally — use the cost calculators and the checklist below to budget the full stack.

Grease trap & FOG requirements

Under UPC, food establishments here must control fats, oils & grease (FOG) with a grease interceptor or trap, and typically register with the local sewer/wastewater authority. A grease interceptor sized to the California Plumbing Code is required, with a municipal sewer-authority FOG discharge permit.

Size the interceptor with our grease-trap sizing calculator, compare units in the grease-trap catalog, and confirm the local FOG permit with Placer County Health and Human Services Department, Environmental Health Division (contact above).

Fire suppression & backflow

Hood fire suppression (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. Type I hood fire suppression must meet NFPA 96 and the California Fire Code enforced by the local fire authority. See do I need a hood? and the hood CFM calculator.

Backflow prevention: An approved backflow preventer with a certified annual test is required by the local water purveyor. A certified backflow assembly (often an RPZ) on the water service, tested annually, is standard — confirm with your water utility.

Watch out for

  • A 3.21% CPI fee increase was proposed effective July 1, 2026 for FY2026-27, plus a new 'Food Plan Check; Remodel Without Hood' category
  • Applications and payments handled through the My Health Department online portal (myhealthdepartment.com/pchd)

Other food-service permits in this jurisdiction

CategoryAnnual feeNotes
caterer$225Caterer; $0 if same owner from a permitted food facility; $125 caterer; out of county commissary
commissary/shared/central kitchen$652Commissary; Host Facility $463; Satellite Food Facility $426
market/grocery with deli$1,380Market; WITH food prep < 5,000 sq ft $1,380; >= 5,000 sq ft $1,756. No-prep markets $626-$1,129 by size
bar/tavern$501Bar or Lounge; No Food Prep (seasonal $268)
temporary/seasonal/special-event$497Temporary Food Facility; Annual $497 (prepackaged non-PHF $211); Single Event $243 (prepackaged $117); Temp Event Coordinator App $497
pushcart/limited or low-risk operation$350No pushcart category; nearest low-risk: Produce Stand $350; Market pre-pkg w/sampling, limited non-PHF prep $1,129

Equipment your Placer County plan review will check

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.

Nearby counties

Permit costs and rules change at the county line — compare Placer County with its neighbors.

How to open: typical permitting sequence

This is a typical sequence — confirm the exact sequence with your authority having jurisdiction.

  1. Confirm whether Placer County or another local jurisdiction (city/district) handles your exact address.
  2. Confirm zoning and permitted use.
  3. Prepare your menu and scaled plans.
  4. Include an equipment schedule with ANSI/NSF spec sheets.
  5. Submit water-heater and hood documentation.
  6. Pay plan-review fees.
  7. Respond to plan-check corrections.
  8. Obtain Environmental Health plan approval.
  9. Obtain building, plumbing, mechanical and fire approvals.
  10. Schedule rough-plumbing, pre-final and final health inspections.
  11. Pay the operating-permit / application fees.
  12. Receive approval before storing or preparing food.

Official plan-check requirements: plan-check guide →

Frequently asked questions

How much is a food permit in Placer County?

$1,192 (0-49 seats); $1,493 (50-99 seats); $1,718 (100+ seats); Seasonal (<6 mo/yr): $600 / $729 / $826 These are annual health-permit fees, usually tiered by seating or size; confirm your exact category with the department.

Is plan review required in Placer County?

Yes — plan review is required before you build or remodel a food facility. Typical fees: New facility with hood $3,582; new without hood $2,444; new prepackaged only $1,159; equipment only $714; remodel with hood $2,203; remodel without hood $1,410

Do I need a commissary for a food truck in Placer County?

In most cases, yes — most mobile units must operate from an approved commissary; confirm exemptions with the department. Annual permit; classification depends on level of food preparation

Who issues food permits in Placer County?

Food permits here are issued by Placer County Health and Human Services Department, Environmental Health Division. See the department site for current details.

Are city building and fire approvals separate?

Yes — building, plumbing, mechanical and fire approvals are always separate from the health permit and are often handled by different offices.
Sources: www.placer.ca.gov · www.placer.ca.gov · www.placer.ca.gov · observed 2026-08-07