Tippecanoe County, IN Food Facility Permits & Fees
Restaurants, commercial kitchens, and food trucks.
Tippecanoe County Health Department (Foods & Environmental Division) · department site →
Fees change often — always confirm the current amount with the department before you budget.
Tippecanoe County food-facility health permits run about $100–$525 annually, depending on size or sales volume. Confirm the exact amount with Tippecanoe County Health Department (Foods & Environmental Division) 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 Tippecanoe County Health Department (Foods & Environmental Division) issues the health permit.
The restaurant market in Tippecanoe County
What the local foodservice landscape looks like — useful whether you’re opening here or sizing up the competition.
421
food & drink establishments
9,352
industry jobs
$180M
annual payroll
$19,246
avg wage / worker
138 full-service restaurants
165 limited-service & fast food
29 bars & drinking places
49 snack & coffee bars
6 mobile food & trucks
— 0.0% change in establishments since 2022 (421 → 421).
The average foodservice wage here is $902 below the Indiana average ($20,148); Indiana has about 13,400 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.
Last verified: 2026-08-17 — we re-confirmed the serving authority, its contact, and that the fees below match the current published schedule. Fee schedules may carry an earlier effective date (shown per fee); local ordinances & amendments aren’t individually reviewed, so confirm current rules with the authority having jurisdiction.See something out of date? Report an update →
Restaurant / food-facility permit
Food Service Establishment annual permit
Annual fee by employee count:
1-5 employees $225.00
6-9 employees $275.00
10-40 employees $400.00
41+ employees $525.00
Bed and Breakfast $100.00
Non-profit exempt (Rev
1/2025)
Two part-time employees = one full-time; New establishment or change-of-ownership adds a $75.00 processing fee; Late fee = 125% of renewal fee
Plan review — required
Plan review is required for new establishments (a plan review fee is referenced on the New Food Establishments page) but the dollar amount is not published online
Fees/payment and forms are on the department site; application steps vary by concept — see the checklist below.
What it costs in permit fees to open here
The government permit & plan-review fees below total roughly $125–$675 for Tippecanoe County:
$100–$525 — food-facility permit
$25–$150 — food-truck permit
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.
Look up a restaurant’s inspection score
Check the health-inspection history and violation scores for any food establishment in Tippecanoe County and Indiana. Indiana's state Food Protection portal offers a public inspection search, though many of the 95 local health departments also maintain their own report databases.
At about $100/year, Tippecanoe County’s restaurant health permit is about the Indiana median ($100) and below the U.S. median ($125) — higher than about 45% of U.S. counties.
Ranked 30th-lowest of 63 Indiana counties by permit cost.
Comparison uses the lowest published annual restaurant-permit figure in each county; confirm your exact tier with the department.
Local food-service market
About 421 food & drinking establishments serve ~188,792 residents in Tippecanoe County — one per ~448 residents, denser than the Indiana average (one per ~577).
U.S. Census 2023 population; County Business Patterns 2022 (NAICS 722).
Budget the permit stack
Start with ~$100 annual health permit.
Plus building, fire, and business-license fees that vary locally — use the cost calculators and the checklist below to budget the full stack.
Grease trap & FOG requirements
Under Indiana Plumbing Code (675 IAC 16, based on IPC), 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 Indiana Plumbing Code, with FOG limits set by the local 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 Tippecanoe County Health Department (Foods & Environmental Division) (contact above).
Fire suppression & backflow
Hood fire suppression (Indiana Fire Code (675 IAC 22, based on IFC)): 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 in the Indiana Fire Code and is 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.
Watch out for
Rare employee-count fee tier structure rather than risk-based or square-footage
Non-profit food establishments are fully exempt from the annual fee
Governed by Tippecanoe County Ordinance 2007-19-CM; state food code 410 IAC 7-26
Other food-service permits in this jurisdiction
Category
Annual fee
Notes
Temporary / seasonal event
Temporary Food Establishment permit fee is not published online (permit term not to exceed 14 consecutive days per Ordinance 2007-19-CM)
Separate application/permit required for each stand, booth, or cart; apply/pay >=72 hours before the event
Commissary / central preparation kitchen
a Commissary/Shared Kitchen Agreement is required for mobile operators but no separate commissary fee is published; the operator's own establishment fee follows the employee-count schedule
Commissary/Shared Kitchen Agreement form exists in the applications library
Equipment your Tippecanoe County plan review will check
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.
Annual fee by employee count: 1-5 employees $225.00; 6-9 employees $275.00; 10-40 employees $400.00; 41+ employees $525.00; Bed and Breakfast $100.00; Non-profit exempt (Rev; 1/2025) These are annual health-permit fees, usually tiered by seating or size; confirm your exact category with the department.
Is plan review required in Tippecanoe County?
Yes — plan review is required before you build or remodel a food facility. Typical fees: Plan review is required for new establishments (a plan review fee is referenced on the New Food Establishments page) but the dollar amount is not published online; contact the Tippecanoe County Health Department
Do I need a commissary for a food truck in Tippecanoe County?
In most cases, yes — most mobile units must operate from an approved commissary; confirm exemptions with the department. Separate Mobile Food Service Establishment application
Who issues food permits in Tippecanoe County?
Food permits here are issued by Tippecanoe County Health Department (Foods & Environmental Division). See the department site for current details.
Are city building and fire approvals separate?
Yes — building, plumbing, mechanical and fire approvals are always separate from the health permit and are often handled by different offices.