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 Central Racine County Health Department / Racine County Public Health Division (county); City of Racine Public Health Department (City of Racine); both act as agents for WI DATCP issues the health permit.
What the local foodservice landscape looks like — useful whether you’re opening here or sizing up the competition.
▲ 1.0% change in establishments since 2022 (399 → 403).
The average foodservice wage here is $317 below the Wisconsin average ($20,340); Wisconsin has about 13,939 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.
Central Racine County Health Department (WI DATCP agent) does not publish its retail food fee schedule online; left null; For reference only, the separate City of Racine Public Health Department 2022 schedule lists retail food establishment SERVING MEALS at: Prepackaged TCS $305.00, Simple $320.00, Moderate $570.00, Complex $770.00. In WI a license from any single agent jurisdiction is valid statewide, but plan review, inspection and renewal stay with the issuing authority
Wisconsin DATCP/agent local health departments inspect under the Wisconsin Food Code (priority/core violations); no letter grade or score. Reports online via DATCP's inspection portal.
Central Racine County HD amount not published online; For reference, City of Racine (2022): Mobile Retail Food Establishment Base $210.00; Ice Cream Truck/Cart $120.00. Transient (mobile) food establishments are a distinct license class under WI ATCP 75
Fees/payment and forms are on the department site; application steps vary by concept — see the checklist below.
U.S. Census 2023 population; County Business Patterns 2022 (NAICS 722).
Under Wisconsin Plumbing Code (SPS 382), 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 Wisconsin plumbing code, with FOG limits set by the municipal sewer utility.
Size the interceptor with our grease-trap sizing calculator, compare units in the grease-trap catalog, and confirm the local FOG permit with Central Racine County Health Department / Racine County Public Health Division (county); City of Racine Public Health Department (City of Racine); both act as agents for WI DATCP (contact above).
Hood fire suppression (Wisconsin adopts the IFC via SPS 314): 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 through Wisconsin's fire and building codes, inspected by the local fire authority. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Grocery / market with deli | — | Retail food not serving meals covers groceries/markets |
| Pushcart / mobile vending | — | Mobile retail base fee calculated on assigned risk category |
| Temporary / seasonal event | — | Transient food establishment license class under WI ATCP 75 |
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 Racine County with its neighbors.
This is a typical sequence — confirm the exact sequence with your authority having jurisdiction.