Restaurants and food trucks.
Robertson County food-facility health permits run about $125–$340 annually, depending on size or sales volume. Plan review runs about $25–$100. Confirm the exact amount with Kentucky Cabinet for Health & Family Services (state fee schedule, 902 KAR 45:110); local/district health departments administer 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 Kentucky Cabinet for Health & Family Services (state fee schedule, 902 KAR 45:110); local/district health departments administer issues the health permit. Kentucky sets food-establishment fees at the state level through Kentucky Cabinet for Health & Family Services (state fee schedule, 902 KAR 45:110); local/district health departments administer, EXCEPT in counties/cities that run their own health department (which set their own fees). Confirm which applies to your exact address.
Population about 2,313. (U.S. Census 2023 estimate; County Business Patterns 2022, NAICS 722)
Set at the state level by Kentucky Cabinet for Health & Family Services (state fee schedule, 902 KAR 45:110); local/district health departments administer; a single statewide fee schedule for counties without their own health department; Effective per 902 KAR 45:110
State-set mobile-food fee; confirm commissary and local requirements
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 $350–$640 for Robertson 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.
Comparison uses the lowest published annual restaurant-permit figure in each county; confirm your exact tier with the department.
Plus building, fire, and business-license fees that vary locally — use the cost calculators and the checklist below to budget the full stack.
Under 2020 Kentucky State Plumbing Code (815 KAR Chapter 20), food establishments here must control fats, oils & grease (FOG) with a grease interceptor or trap, and typically register with the local sewer/wastewater authority. Restaurants must install an approved grease trap or interceptor under the state plumbing code, with discharge governed by the local sewer authority's FOG program.
Size the interceptor with our grease-trap sizing calculator, compare units in the grease-trap catalog, and confirm the local FOG permit with Kentucky Cabinet for Health & Family Services (state fee schedule, 902 KAR 45:110); local/district health departments administer (contact above).
Hood fire suppression (NFPA 101 (2018 Life Safety Code) / Kentucky Building Code): 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 must meet NFPA 96 and the state-adopted fire/life-safety code, enforced by the State Fire Marshal and local fire officials. See do I need a hood? and the hood CFM calculator.
Backflow prevention: Backflow prevention assemblies (typically an RPZ) require annual testing by a certified tester through the local water 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.
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 Robertson County with its neighbors.
This is a typical sequence — confirm the exact sequence with your authority having jurisdiction.