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 Boston Inspectional Services Department (ISD) - Health Division (with Boston Public Health Commission) issues the health permit.
Cities with their own health department: Boston, Chelsea, Revere, Winthrop. Food businesses inside these cities apply to the city health department (with its own fees and rules), not Suffolk County. Confirm which authority covers your exact address.
What the local foodservice landscape looks like — useful whether you’re opening here or sizing up the competition.
▲ 2.8% change in establishments since 2022 (2,595 → 2,668).
The average foodservice wage here is $5,341 above the Massachusetts average ($30,709); Massachusetts has about 17,049 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.
ISD issues the annual food service permit; base health permit component is $100/yr, but the full restaurant permit fee is set by seating capacity/type and is not published as a single figure online (verify with ISD, 617-635-5326); A separate Common Victualler license from the Licensing Board is also required for sit-down service
Local boards of health inspect under 105 CMR 590 / FDA Food Code; no letter grade; inspection reports are public records posted online by the municipality.
~$500/yr annual food-truck permit; plus $100 annual health permit and $150 fire-permit inspection (dual health + fire required); Mobile permit add-ons: $30 each if selling milk/ice cream; $100 manufacturing fee for soft-serve; Boston runs a citywide food-truck program with designated public vending locations/seasons
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).
A code-compliant kitchen in Suffolk County needs more than the health permit — these approvals are handled by separate offices. Confirm current requirements with each.
Under 248 CMR 10.00 (MA Uniform State Plumbing Code), 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 for grease-producing fixtures under 248 CMR 10.09, sized by the state plumbing code, with the FOG discharge permit issued by the local sewer authority.
Size the interceptor with our grease-trap sizing calculator, compare units in the grease-trap catalog, and confirm the local FOG permit with Boston Inspectional Services Department (ISD) - Health Division (with Boston Public Health Commission) (contact above).
Hood fire suppression (NFPA 1 (2021) / 527 CMR 1.00): 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 and is permitted and inspected by the local fire department under 527 CMR 1.00. See do I need a hood? and the hood CFM calculator.
Backflow prevention: An annual RPZ/backflow assembly test is required under state cross-connection control rules and administered by the public water supplier. A certified backflow assembly (often an RPZ) on the water service, tested annually, is standard — confirm with your water utility.
| Category | Annual fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| caterer | — | Caterers overseen by Boston Inspectional Services Health Division; caterer-specific fee not published on the food-service permit page |
| market/grocery with deli | $100 min (<2,500 sq ft); $100 + $50 per additional 1,000 sq ft (>2,500 sq ft) | "Retail Food" permit covers grocery/market/retail food stores |
| temporary/seasonal/special-event | $30 first day + $5 per additional consecutive day (max 14 days) | "Temporary Food Service Permit," issued to an organization for a period not exceeding 14 days |
| bar/tavern | $100 + $1/seat (Common Victualler); $210 take-out only | A Common Victualler License (issued by the Licensing Board) is required in addition to the ISD food-service health permit for establishments serving food/drink |
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 Suffolk County with its neighbors.
This is a typical sequence — confirm the exact sequence with your authority having jurisdiction.
Official plan-check requirements: plan-check guide →