Restaurants, commercial kitchens, and food trucks.
Washtenaw County food-facility health permits run about $30–$1,333 annually, depending on size or sales volume. Plan review runs about $277–$1,467. Confirm the exact amount with Washtenaw County Health Department, Environmental Health Division (serves Ann Arbor) 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 Washtenaw County Health Department, Environmental Health Division (serves Ann Arbor) issues the health permit.
What the local foodservice landscape looks like — useful whether you’re opening here or sizing up the competition.
▲ 1.9% change in establishments since 2022 (780 → 795).
The average foodservice wage here is $2,573 above the Michigan average ($22,060); Michigan has about 19,760 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.
Fees from Washtenaw County 2026 EH Fee Schedule (effective Jan 1, 2026); Veterans licensed under 1921 PA 359 exempt from part of state fees
Michigan local health departments inspect under the Michigan Food Law/FDA Food Code (priority/core violations); no letter grade or score. Reports on MDARD's online Food Inspection Postings (MiSafe).
Mobile plan review application, commissary verification form, and Certified Food Safety Manager certificate required
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 $357–$3,354 for Washtenaw 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.
Check the health-inspection history and violation scores for any food establishment in Washtenaw County and Michigan. MDARD's MiSafe portal lets the public search state food inspection reports, with reports available from April 2022 forward.
Michigan inspection lookup →Comparison uses the lowest published annual restaurant-permit figure in each county; confirm your exact tier with the department.
U.S. Census 2023 population; County Business Patterns 2022 (NAICS 722).
Plus building, fire, and business-license fees that vary locally — use the cost calculators and the checklist below to budget the full stack.
Under Michigan Plumbing Code (based on 2021 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 Michigan Plumbing Code, with FOG limits set by the local wastewater utility.
Size the interceptor with our grease-trap sizing calculator, compare units in the grease-trap catalog, and confirm the local FOG permit with Washtenaw County Health Department, Environmental Health Division (serves Ann Arbor) (contact above).
Hood fire suppression (Michigan Fire Code (based on 2021 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 Michigan Fire Code, enforced by the Bureau of Fire Services and local fire departments. 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.
| Category | Annual fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| caterer | application $343 + establishment license | Catering licensed as a food service establishment (license fee by total building sq ft); dedicated catering page; 'Change of use/change of owner/catering application fee' $343 |
| commissary/central kitchen | — | Listed as a food-service category in fee-schedule footnote; licensed as a food service establishment (sq-ft-based fee); no distinct dollar line |
| temporary/special-event | $167/booth | Temporary food service $158 local + $9 state per booth (non-profit $163); $40 late fee if <=3 days before ($207); double local fee if day-of ($325) |
| special transitory food unit (STFU) | $174 | $130 local + $44 state (non-profit $135); STFU inspection $90 |
| seasonal food service establishment | 60% of sq-ft license fee | Seasonal (<9 months/year) establishments charged 60% of the standard building-sq-ft license fee |
| pushcart/limited operation | $50 | Food peddler inspection (ice cream trucks, etc.) $50 |
| bakery | — | No separate bakery line; licensed as food service establishment by sq ft |
| food processing/wholesale | — | State-regulated by MDARD, not the county |
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 Washtenaw 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 →