Local permits & fees

Rock County, WI — Commercial Kitchen Permits

Rock County Public Health Department, Environmental Health Division, acting as a licensing AGENT of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) under Wis. Admin. Code ch. ATCP 75. As an agent, Rock County establishes and collects its own license fees; the department instructs applicants not to submit fees until amounts are verified by staff (608-757-5440). · department site →

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

Restaurant / food-facility permit

Retail Food Establishment License - Serving Meals (Simple / Moderate / Complex)

null - Rock County is a DATCP agent and sets its own fee schedule, which is NOT published online; the department directs applicants to verify amounts by phone (608-757-5440) before paying. For reference only, the DATCP statewide (state-licensed) schedule for restaurants serving meals is: Simple license $320, Moderate $470, Complex $770 (new-license pre-inspection $749) - these are the STATE figures, not confirmed as Rock County's agent fees.

Establishments are classified simple/moderate/complex per ATCP 75. Rock County regulates 600+ restaurants and 200+ retail food establishments as a state agent.

Plan review — required

null - Rock County plan-review / pre-inspection fee not published online; verify with the department at (608) 757-5440.

Plan-review details & forms →

Food truck / mobile permit

Mobile Restaurant / Mobile Retail Food Establishment License

null - agent fee not published online; verify with Rock County Public Health at (608) 757-5440.

Mobile food trucks or carts require a license prior to operation, issued by Rock County as a DATCP agent.

How to apply

Forms & applications

Watch out for

Rock County is a DATCP AGENT under Wis. Admin. Code ch. ATCP 75 and sets/collects its own fees.
The department's application page explicitly states: do not submit fees until amounts are verified by staff (608-757-5440).
No Rock County-specific dollar fee schedule was published online as of 2026-08-07.
State DATCP reference schedule (state-licensed, not agent counties): Serving Meals - Simple $320 / Moderate $470 / Complex $770; Prepackaged $130; Not-Serving-Meals categories range roughly $60-$685 depending on TCS/gross-receipt tier.

Other food-service permits in this jurisdiction

Category	Annual fee	Notes
Grocery / market with deli	null - Rock County is a DATCP agent; retail-food (not-serving-meals) fees are set locally and not published online. Verify at (608) 757-5440.	State DATCP reference (state-licensed only): not-serving-meals categories range roughly $60-$685 by TCS status and gross-receipts tier.
Bakery / food processing	null - food processing plants are licensed separately by DATCP (state), not by the Rock County agent program.	See DATCP Food Processing Plant fee schedule for state-licensed processors.
Temporary / seasonal event	null - temporary food stand fee set by Rock County agent program; not published online. Verify at (608) 757-5440.	Temporary food stands require a license prior to operation.
Pushcart / mobile vending	null - mobile food truck/cart license fee set by Rock County agent program; not published online. Verify at (608) 757-5440.	Mobile restaurants/carts licensed by Rock County as a DATCP agent under ATCP 75.

Wisconsin 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: www.co.rock.wi.us · datcp.wi.gov · legacy.co.rock.wi.us · observed 2026-08-07