Local permits & fees

St. Louis County, MO — Commercial Kitchen Permits

St. Louis County Department of Public Health - Food & Environmental Program · department site →
Fees change often — always confirm the current amount with the department before you budget.

Restaurant / food-facility permit

Retail Food Establishment Health Permit (annual)
$130 original permit fee (new business or new owner); Seasonal food establishment (15-120 days/yr): $75

Health permits are not transferable. Fee figures obtained via WebSearch of the county's official permit application pages; the county .gov fee pages returned HTTP 403 to direct fetch and were not read line-by-line - confirm current amounts with the Department (314-615-8900).

Plan review — required

$210 (reported via WebSearch of St. Louis County Food Code / plan review application; NOT directly verified on the .gov page - confirm with the Department)

Turnaround: Initial submittal reviewed within the timeframe set by the Department (specific business-day figure not published on the page reviewed)

Plan-review details & forms →

Food truck / mobile permit

Mobile Retail Food Establishment Health Permit
Fee not published online — contact the department.

Mobile food units require a retail food establishment health permit and plan review; a distinct mobile/food-truck fee amount was not found on an official .gov page (county fee pages 403-blocked to direct fetch). Temporary food establishment permit (valid 1-14 consecutive days) is $35.

Watch out for

  • Health permits are not transferable - a new owner must obtain their own permit.
  • Food establishment operations governed by St. Louis County Code Chapter 807 (The Food Code).

Other food-service permits in this jurisdiction

CategoryAnnual feeNotes
Seasonal Food Establishment$75Annual permit for seasonal operations (per Food Code 8-304.50).
Temporary Food Establishment$35Per event.
Commissary (mobile-unit commissary agreement)Commissary agreement required for mobile units/pushcarts; no separate stand-alone fee published.
Sources: stlouiscountymo.gov · stlouiscountymo.gov · stlouiscountymo.gov · library.municode.com · observed 2026-08-06