Restaurants, commercial kitchens, and food trucks.
Yellowstone County food-facility health permits run about $85–$115 annually, depending on size or sales volume. Plan review runs about $115. Confirm the exact amount with RiverStone Health - Environmental Health Services (the Yellowstone County local health board; retail food licenses are issued under the statewide Montana DPHHS program and fee set by MCA 50-50-205) 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 RiverStone Health - Environmental Health Services (the Yellowstone County local health board; retail food licenses are issued under the statewide Montana DPHHS program and fee set by MCA 50-50-205) issues the health permit.
What the local foodservice landscape looks like — useful whether you’re opening here or sizing up the competition.
▲ 0.7% change in establishments since 2022 (424 → 427).
The average foodservice wage here is $88 above the Montana average ($22,607); Montana has about 3,067 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.
The license fee is fixed statewide by Montana law (MCA 50-50-205) and cannot be varied locally; RiverStone Health collects it and 90% goes to the local board inspection fund; Licenses run Jan 1-Dec 31 and are issued at the pre-opening inspection; Renewal applications mailed in November; late fee after Dec 31
Turnaround: RiverStone typically processes plan reviews in 2-3 weeks off-season, 3-4 weeks in peak season
No letter grade; RiverStone Health posts restaurant inspection results online.
Same MCA 50-50-205 fee structure as fixed establishments; Mobile units must operate from a licensed commissary unless fully self-contained; Submit a Plan Review Application and fee to RiverStone Health, then schedule a pre-opening inspection
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 $285–$345 for Yellowstone 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.
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 UPC, food establishments here must control fats, oils & grease (FOG) with a grease interceptor or trap, and typically register with the local sewer/wastewater authority. A grease interceptor sized to the state plumbing code is required, with a municipal sewer-authority FOG discharge permit.
Size the interceptor with our grease-trap sizing calculator, compare units in the grease-trap catalog, and confirm the local FOG permit with RiverStone Health - Environmental Health Services (the Yellowstone County local health board; retail food licenses are issued under the statewide Montana DPHHS program and fee set by MCA 50-50-205) (contact above).
Hood fire suppression (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. Type I hood fire suppression must meet NFPA 96 and the state fire code enforced by the local fire authority. See do I need a hood? and the hood CFM calculator.
Backflow prevention: An approved backflow preventer with a certified annual test is required by the local water purveyor. 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 | $85/yr (<=2 employees at any one time) or $115/yr (all others) | Montana prices by employee count, not by establishment category (MCA 50-50-205); a caterer is licensed as a retail food establishment; No separate caterer fee |
| Commissary / central preparation kitchen | $85/yr (<=2 employees) or $115/yr (all others) | Licensed as a retail food establishment; no distinct commissary fee tier |
| Bakery / food processing | $85/yr (<=2 employees) or $115/yr (all others) | Retail bakery licensed as a retail food establishment; wholesale food manufacturing is regulated separately by the Montana Dept of Agriculture, not RiverStone |
| Bar / limited food service | $85/yr (<=2 employees) or $115/yr (all others) | A bar serving food is licensed as a retail food establishment on the same MCA 50-50-205 fee |
| Grocery / market with deli | $85/yr (<=2 employees) or $115/yr (all others) | Grocery/market with a deli licensed as a retail food establishment; single statewide fee by employee count |
| Temporary / seasonal event | Montana temporary food establishment license fees are set under MCA 50-50-205 but the specific temporary amount was not captured in reviewed sources; Confirm with RiverStone Health (406-256-2770) | Temporary/seasonal food establishments require a separate license |
| Pushcart / mobile vending | $85/yr (0-5 employees) or $115/yr (6 or more employees); plus $115 one-time plan review for a new unit | Mobile retail food establishments use the same MCA 50-50-205 employee-count fee as fixed establishments; commissary required unless fully self-contained |
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 Yellowstone 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 →