A compiled reference of 45 verified figures on restaurant health permit fees and fines in ten U.S. jurisdictions: New York City, Los Angeles County, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, Maricopa County (Phoenix), San Diego County, King County (Seattle), Florida (which licenses Miami-Dade's restaurants at the state level), and Denver. For each one the page records the annual permit fee and the basis it is tiered on, the plan review fee, the reinspection charge, the late-renewal penalty, the per-violation fine where the authority publishes one, and the grade-card rule. Every number comes from the health authority's own fee schedule, ordinance, rulemaking record, or program page, and was checked against that document before publishing. Four of the ten post a mandatory grade or rating card. Where a jurisdiction does not publish a figure, the table says so rather than borrowing one from a permit-expediter blog; several widely repeated numbers, including a Los Angeles County seat ladder that does not exist in the county's schedule, are listed at the end as unverified.
Key statistics
7 highlights from this report
Key statistics
Key takeaways
There is no national price for a restaurant health permit because there is no national unit. The ten jurisdictions here tier the same permit on six different bases: seats, seats plus risk category, square footage, employee count, risk alone, the number of food processes performed, and in New York City nothing at all. The annual permit itself clusters in a narrow band. The real divergence is in what happens after a failed inspection and in plan review, where the spread runs from zero to several thousand dollars.
A 100-seat restaurant pays $273 a year for its health license in Florida and $1,375 in Los Angeles County.
New York City charges a flat $280 a year for any size restaurant; San Diego County's top tier is $2,087.
Chicago raised its fines on January 1, 2026: $525 per priority violation, $275 per priority foundation violation.
New York City fines run $200 to $600 per scored violation.
A repeat reinspection costs half the annual permit fee in King County and $196 an hour in San Diego County.
Plan review costs $0 in Florida, which dropped its $150 fee in 2017, and up to $3,407 in San Diego County.
New York City inspected only 69.7% of its restaurants in fiscal 2025 against a 100% target.
How we built this report
Every figure was compiled in September 2026 from each authority's own published documents and verified against the current schedule, ordinance, or rule before publishing.
- Ten jurisdictions, fixed in advance
The largest restaurant markets with a published schedule we could read in full: New York City, Los Angeles County, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, Maricopa County, San Diego County, King County, Florida (the state licenses Miami-Dade's restaurants; the county issues no separate health permit), and Denver.
- Same six fields for every one
Annual permit fee and its tier basis, plan review fee, reinspection fee, late-renewal penalty, per-violation fine range, and grade-card rule. Where the authority publishes nothing for a field, the table says "not published" rather than borrowing a number.
- One reference restaurant
To compare tiered fees, each schedule is read for a roughly 100-seat, 3,000-square-foot full-service restaurant that cooks raw animal product, which lands in the highest general risk class wherever risk is a factor.
- Current documents only
Los Angeles County's schedule is the FY2026-27 run of August 18, 2026; Maricopa County's is revised August 19, 2026; King County's is the 2026 schedule; Chicago's 2018 license ladder was confirmed unchanged against the city's January 2026 fee-update notice; Houston's risk-based fees took effect September 1, 2025.
- Expediter numbers excluded
A Los Angeles County seat ladder repeated across ghost-kitchen and permit-expediter sites does not appear in the county's schedule and uses seat brackets the county does not have. It and similar figures are listed at the end as unverified.
- Independent review
Written by one co-founder, reviewed by the other before publishing.
Scope caveat: fees are the published schedule amounts for the reference restaurant described above and exclude state sales-tax permits, business licenses, liquor licenses, and building permits. Health authorities revise schedules annually, usually at the fiscal year; the effective dates are given per jurisdiction in the statistics below. Fine ranges describe scheduled civil penalties, not hearing outcomes.
The ten-jurisdiction fee table
Reference restaurant: about 100 seats, 3,000 sq ft, highest general risk class| Jurisdiction | Annual permit | Tiered on | Plan review | Reinspection | Late renewal | Fine per violation | Grade card |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York City | $280 (+$25 frozen desserts) | Nothing, flat | Not published | None; penalties waived under 14 points | Not published | $200 to $600 scored | Mandatory A, B, C |
| Los Angeles County | $1,375 (61 to 150 seats, high risk) | Seats and risk | $1,865 (2,000 to 3,999 sq ft) | $145 ($217.50 weekend) | Not in schedule | Not published | Letter grade, A at 90 to 100 |
| Chicago | $1,110 per 2 years (2,501 to 4,500 sq ft) | Square feet | Not published | Not published | Not published | $525 priority, $275 priority foundation | None |
| Houston | $773 (high risk) | Risk class | Not published | $200 required reinspection | $100 | Not published | None |
| Philadelphia | $415 (30+ seats) + $20 application | Seats, one break at 30 | Not published; $380 expediting fee | Not published | 1.5% of fee per month | Not published | None |
| Maricopa County | $1,015 (10+ seats, Class 4) | Seats and permit class | $885 (10+ seats) | Not published | Greater of $50 or 5%; void after 30 days | Not published | Voluntary A to D |
| San Diego County | $1,170 (26 to 100 employees) | Employees | $1,931 (2,000 to 5,999 sq ft) | $196 per hour, 1-hour minimum | Not published | Not published | Mandatory A, B, C |
| King County | $1,134 (51 to 150 seats, risk 3) | Seats and risk | $1,008 + $252 per hour after 4 | Half the annual fee (repeat) | 10%, 20%, 30% by lateness | Not published | Mandatory rating sign |
| Florida (Miami-Dade) | $273 (50 to 149 seats) + $50 application | Seats | $0 since 2017 | Not published | $50 delinquency | Not published | None |
| Denver | $25 per food process + $150 application | Process count | Not published as health fee | Not published | Charged, amount not published | Not published | None |
Chicago's retail food license is a two-year term; its per-year equivalent is $555. Philadelphia's late penalty applies after 60 days. Maricopa County's Class 4 is the highest-complexity general restaurant class. All figures from each authority's own schedule; see the statistics below for effective dates and document references.
Annual permit for the reference restaurant, cheapest to priciest
Nine jurisdictions with an annual figure; Denver excluded because its fee is a per-process sum plus an application feeBars are scaled to Los Angeles County's $1,375. The Chicago bar (lighter) is RapidEye arithmetic: the $1,110 two-year license divided by two. Florida's figure excludes the $50 initial application fee; Philadelphia's excludes the $20 application fee credited toward the license.
Restaurant health permit fees and fines, by the numbers
All 45 figures, grouped by jurisdiction and then by theme, each from the authority's own published document and independently verified, or computed by RapidEye from those documents with the method stated, followed by the widely repeated figures that could not be verified.
New York City: a flat fee, a fine schedule, and a grade card
According to the NYC Business Portal (nyc.gov), the Health Department's food service establishment permit costs $280 a year for most establishments plus $25 for those making frozen desserts, with no tiering by seats, square footage, employees, or risk; the department also sells a $400 pre-inspection consultation visit. The Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (nyc.gov) explains the mechanism that replaces a reinspection fee: a restaurant scoring under 14 points on its first inspection of the year receives an A immediately and has all penalties from that inspection waived, while 14 or more points triggers a reinspection. The Health Department's penalty schedule, 24 RCNY Appendix 23-C (rules.cityofnewyork.us), prices every scored food violation between $200 and $600 depending on the violation and its condition level.
Statistic 1
New York City's food service establishment permit costs $280 a year, plus $25 if the establishment makes frozen desserts, with no tiering by size, seats, or risk.
NYC Business Portal, food service establishment permit page (2026)
Statistic 2
The Health Department charges $400 for a voluntary pre-inspection consultation visit.
NYC Business Portal, operating requirements (2026)
Statistic 3
A restaurant that scores under 14 points on its first inspection of the year receives a final A immediately and all penalties from that inspection are waived; 14 or more points triggers a reinspection.
NYC Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings, guidance for restaurant owners
Statistic 4
Civil penalties for scored food service establishment violations run from $200 to $600 per violation; $200 is by far the most common scheduled amount.
NYC Health Department penalty schedule, 24 RCNY Appendix 23-C (2021)
Statistic 5
The grading scale is 0 to 13 points for an A, 14 to 27 for a B, and 28 or more for a C.
NYC Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings; NYC Health Department inspection cycle guide
Statistic 6
The letter grade card must be posted within five feet of the entrance and four to six feet off the ground; not posting it can cost up to $1,000 and posting it incorrectly $200.
NYC Health Department grade-card posting guidance
Statistic 7
In fiscal 2025 the Health Department conducted initial inspections at 69.7% of the city's restaurants against a 100% target, after 66.4% in fiscal 2024 and 83.4% in fiscal 2023.
City of New York, Mayor's Management Report, Fiscal 2025
Statistic 8
89.2% of restaurants held an A grade in fiscal 2025, up from 86.9% in fiscal 2024 but below the 90% or better the city recorded every year through fiscal 2022.
City of New York, Mayor's Management Report, Fiscal 2025
What this means: New York City has the cheapest and simplest permit in the set and one of only two published fine schedules. The cost of a bad inspection is not a reinspection invoice; it is the sum of $200-to-$600 line items on the notice of violation, and the city itself reports it reached fewer than seven in ten restaurants last year. The department does not publish a plan review fee, a reinspection fee, or a late-renewal penalty for food service establishments.
Los Angeles County: seats times risk
According to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health's FY2026-27 Environmental Health fee schedule (publichealth.lacounty.gov), generated August 18, 2026, a restaurant's annual permit is set on two axes at once: a seat band (0 to 30, 31 to 60, 61 to 150, 151 or more) and a risk category (low, moderate, high). The 61-to-150-seat band runs $370 at low risk, $838 at moderate, and $1,375 at high, and the full ladder spans $319 to $1,438. Plan check for a new restaurant is priced by square footage, from $1,044 up to 500 square feet to $2,723 at 10,000 square feet or more, and a billable reinspection of a food facility is $145. The county's grading page (publichealth.lacounty.gov) sets an A at 90 to 100 points, a B at 80 to 89, and a C at 70 to 79, as recorded on our restaurant health inspection statistics page.
Statistic 9
A 61-to-150-seat restaurant pays $370 a year at low risk, $838 at moderate risk, and $1,375 at high risk; the spread inside a single seat band is 3.7 to 1.
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, FY2026-27 fee schedule, consumer food section
Statistic 10
The full restaurant ladder runs from $319 (0 to 30 seats, low risk) to $1,438 (151 or more seats, high risk); the 0-to-30 band is $319, $719, and $1,206 by risk, and the 151-plus band $400, $932, and $1,438.
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, FY2026-27 fee schedule
Statistic 11
Plan check for a new restaurant is $1,044 up to 500 square feet, $1,530 at 501 to 1,999, $1,865 at 2,000 to 3,999, $2,276 at 4,000 to 9,999, and $2,723 at 10,000 or more.
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, FY2026-27 fee schedule, plan check section
Statistic 12
A billable reinspection of a food facility costs $145; a chargeable reinspection on a weekend costs $217.50.
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, FY2026-27 fee schedule
Statistic 13
Los Angeles County posts letter grades: an A is 90 to 100 points, a B 80 to 89, and a C 70 to 79.
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, grading and posting requirements page
What this means: In Los Angeles County the risk category matters more than the size of the room. Serving raw or undercooked animal product moves a mid-sized restaurant from $370 to $1,375 a year. The county publishes no per-violation fine and no late-renewal penalty in its fee schedule; enforcement runs through the grade, the reinspection, and closure.
Chicago: a two-year license and the only 2026 fine increase
According to the Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection's retail food license notice (chicago.gov), the license is charged every two years by square footage: $660 up to 1,000 square feet, $940 at 1,001 to 2,500, $1,110 at 2,501 to 4,500, $1,320 at 4,501 to 10,000, and $1,650 above 10,000, a ladder set in 2018 and not among the categories changed in the department's January 2026 fee update. The Chicago Department of Public Health (chicago.gov) announced that, under an amended Section 7-42-090 of the Municipal Code, priority violations cost $525 and priority foundation violations $275 from January 1, 2026, up from $500 and $250, with a $15 processing fee per prepaid count or a $40 court cost. The city's compiled food codes (chicago.gov) also carry the licensing chapter's general penalty, $200 to $1,000 per offense with each day a separate offense, and the department reports roughly 16,000 licensed food establishments.
Statistic 14
A Chicago retail food establishment license costs $660 to $1,650 for a two-year term depending on square footage; a 2,501-to-4,500-square-foot restaurant pays $1,110.
Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, retail food license fee notice
Statistic 15
Chicago's $1,110 two-year license for the reference restaurant is equivalent to $555 a year, the only two-year cycle among the ten jurisdictions.
RapidEye Research arithmetic on the Chicago license schedule
Statistic 16
Effective January 1, 2026, priority violations cost $525 and priority foundation violations $275, up from $500 and $250, plus a $15 processing fee per prepaid count or a $40 court cost.
Chicago Department of Public Health, notice of increased food safety violation fines (January 2026)
Statistic 17
Under Municipal Code Section 4-8-068, violating or resisting enforcement of the food licensing chapter carries a fine of $200 to $1,000 per offense, with each day a separate offense.
City of Chicago, compiled food codes, Municipal Code 4-8-068
Statistic 18
Chicago licenses approximately 16,000 food establishments, including restaurants, grocery and convenience stores, bakeries, hospitals, schools, and temporary events.
Chicago Department of Public Health, food protection program page (2026)
What this means: Chicago's license has not moved since 2018, but its fines moved eight months ago. The $500 and $250 figures still printed in the sanitation chapter of many code compilations are superseded. Chicago publishes no plan review fee, no reinspection fee, and no late-renewal fee for retail food, and requires no window placard; results post as Pass, Pass with Conditions, or Fail on the city's open-data portal, which our inspection statistics page tabulates.
Houston: a cheaper permit and a costlier failure
According to the Houston Health Department's fee restructure notice (houstonhealth.org), the food dealer permit moved from a five-tier employee-count fee ($291.36 for one to nine employees up to $1,059.51 for 101 or more) to a three-tier risk fee of $258 for low risk, $515 for medium, and $773 for high, while the required reinspection fee rose from $145.67 to $200 and the late renewal fee from $66.21 to $100; a $150 general inspection fee and a $125 permit amendment fee were added, and the frozen dessert permit was eliminated. The department's food permits page (houstonhealth.org) dates the change to September 1, 2025, when, under Texas Senate Bill 1008, all local food permit fees had to align with the state health department's fee-based structure and employee-based calculations were no longer allowed.
Statistic 19
Houston's food dealer permit is now $258 (low risk), $515 (medium risk), or $773 (high risk) a year, replacing an employee-count ladder that ran from $291.36 to $1,059.51.
Houston Health Department, retail food safety inspections fee structure changes
Statistic 20
A required reinspection costs $200, up from $145.67, and a late renewal application $100, up from $66.21.
Houston Health Department, fee structure changes
Statistic 21
Two fees were added, a $150 general inspection fee and a $125 fee to amend an existing permit, while the $145.68 frozen dessert permit was eliminated.
Houston Health Department, fee structure changes
Statistic 22
The restructure took effect September 1, 2025, when Houston aligned its food permit fees with the Texas Department of State Health Services' risk-based structure under Senate Bill 1008; employee-based fee calculations are no longer allowed.
Houston Health Department, food permits page (2026)
What this means: Houston is the cleanest example in the set of a fee structure moving in two directions at once. The base permit fell for large restaurants (a 101-employee operation went from $1,059.51 to at most $773) while the price of failing an inspection rose 37% and the price of renewing late rose 51%. Houston publishes no plan review fee, no per-violation fine, and requires no placard.
Philadelphia: one seat break and an unpublished plan review fee
According to the City of Philadelphia's food license page (phila.gov), a food preparation and serving license costs $415 a year for an establishment with 30 or more seats, $299 for all other food businesses, and $275 for a catering company, with a non-refundable $20 application fee credited toward the license; a renewal more than 60 days late accrues 1.5% of the license fee for each month expired. The city's plan review page (phila.gov) states a $380 expediting fee on top of a square-footage-based plan review fee whose base amount the city does not publish; the Office of Food Protection tells the applicant what to pay after reviewing the application.
Statistic 23
A Philadelphia food preparation and serving license is $415 a year for 30 or more seats and $299 for smaller food businesses; a 100-seat and a 400-seat restaurant pay the same amount.
City of Philadelphia, food preparation and serving license page (2026)
Statistic 24
A license renewed late accrues 1.5% of the license fee for each month since it expired, about $6.23 a month on a $415 license.
City of Philadelphia, food license page; monthly figure is RapidEye arithmetic
Statistic 25
Philadelphia charges a $380 expediting fee in addition to a square-footage-based plan review fee whose base amount is not published; it is the only jurisdiction of the ten that does not publish the plan review fee at all.
City of Philadelphia, stationary food business plan review page (2026)
What this means: Philadelphia's single break point at 30 seats makes it the flattest tiered schedule in the set, and its percentage-per-month late fee is the gentlest. The figures that circulate online for its plan review and sanitation inspection fees could not be traced to the city's own pages and are listed below as unverified.
Maricopa County: a permit that voids itself, and an optional grade
According to the Maricopa County Environmental Health Code's general provisions and fee schedule (maricopa.gov), revised August 19, 2026, an eating and drinking establishment with ten or more seats pays $400 in Class 2, $556 in Class 3, $1,015 in Class 4, and $808 in Class 5, with a 0-to-9-seat ladder of $373 to $539; plan review is $728 for a 0-to-9-seat establishment, $885 for ten or more seats, and $919 for other food establishments, with major and minor remodel reviews at $401 and $264. A permit unpaid on its due date is extended 30 days on condition that the fee and a reinstatement fee, the greater of $50 or 5% of the amount due, are paid; otherwise it is void. The department's grade card guidance (maricopa.gov) makes the A-through-D grade voluntary, decided by the person in charge before each inspection, with non-participants marked NP on the report.
Statistic 26
An eating and drinking establishment with ten or more seats pays $400, $556, $1,015, or $808 a year by permit class (2 through 5); the 0-to-9-seat ladder is $373, $393, $539, and $514.
Maricopa County Environmental Services Department, Environmental Health Code chapter I fee schedule (rev. August 2026)
Statistic 27
Plan review is $885 for an eating and drinking establishment with ten or more seats ($728 for 0 to 9 seats, $919 for other food establishments); a major remodel review is $401, a minor one $264, and a lapsed plan approval can be renewed for one year for $169.
Maricopa County Environmental Health Code chapter I fee schedule
Statistic 28
A permit unpaid on its due date is extended 30 days only if the annual fee plus a reinstatement fee of the greater of $50 or 5% of the amount due is paid in that window; otherwise the permit is deemed expired and void.
Maricopa County Environmental Health Code, chapter I regulation 4 and fee schedule
Statistic 29
Maricopa County's restaurant grade card (A, B, C, or D) is voluntary: the person in charge is asked before each inspection whether to participate, and a non-participating establishment shows NP on its inspection report.
Maricopa County Environmental Services Department, grade card guidance document
What this means: Maricopa County has the most explicit late-payment consequence in the set: the permit does not accrue a penalty, it stops existing after 30 days. And it is the only jurisdiction here where a restaurant can decline to be graded in public. The county publishes no reinspection fee for food and no per-violation fine.
San Diego County: priced by headcount, reinspected by the hour
According to the County of San Diego Department of Environmental Health and Quality's approved fee schedule (sandiegocounty.gov), a restaurant's annual permit is set by employee count under County Code Section 65.107: $842 for one to ten employees, $987 for 11 to 25, $1,170 for 26 to 100, and $2,087 for 101 or more, with the county's proposed FY2026-27 schedule holding all four tiers flat. Food facility plan review runs $1,534 up to 1,999 square feet, $1,931 at 2,000 to 5,999, $3,153 at 6,000 to 9,999, and $3,407 at 10,000 or more, plus $679 for each preparation area beyond three. Reopening, regrading, or reinspecting a facility is billed at the Environmental Health Specialist hourly rate of $196 with a one-hour minimum, and operating a retail food facility without a permit carries a penalty of 300% of the permit fee. The county's grading ordinance and food program FAQ (sandiegocounty.gov) require every restaurant to post an A, B, or C card whenever open: A for 90% or higher, B for 80 to 89%, C below 80%.
Statistic 30
A San Diego County restaurant pays $842 (1 to 10 employees), $987 (11 to 25), $1,170 (26 to 100), or $2,087 (101 or more) a year; the $2,087 tier is the highest single annual restaurant permit in the ten-jurisdiction set.
County of San Diego DEHQ approved fee schedule, FY2025-26
Statistic 31
Food facility plan review costs $1,534 up to 1,999 square feet, $1,931 at 2,000 to 5,999, $3,153 at 6,000 to 9,999, and $3,407 at 10,000 or more, plus $679 per preparation area beyond three.
County of San Diego DEHQ approved fee schedule, plan check fees
Statistic 32
Reopening, regrading, or reinspecting a facility is billed at the Environmental Health Specialist rate of $196 an hour, one-hour minimum, rising to $197 in the FY2026-27 proposed schedule; it is the only hourly reinspection charge among the ten.
County of San Diego DEHQ approved and proposed fee schedules
Statistic 33
Operating a retail food facility without the required health permit carries a penalty fee of 300% of the permit fee, which is $3,510 on a $1,170 permit.
County of San Diego DEHQ approved fee schedule, enforcement fees; dollar figure is RapidEye arithmetic
Statistic 34
A food facility that prepares ready-to-eat food must post its grade card whenever open for business: A represents a score of 90% or higher, B 80 to 89%, and C less than 80%.
County of San Diego, food facility grading ordinance (County Code 61.107) and food program FAQ
What this means: San Diego County is the most expensive jurisdiction in the set at the top end and the only one that meters reinspection by the hour. A restaurant that needs a regrade visit and a follow-up pays for inspector time, not a flat fee, which makes the cost of a follow-up open-ended rather than capped.
King County: the reinspection fee that scales with the permit
According to Public Health Seattle & King County's 2026 food and facilities program fee schedule (kingcounty.gov), general food service permits are priced by seat band and risk category: a 51-to-150-seat restaurant pays $441 at risk 1, $756 at risk 2, and $1,134 at risk 3, and the full ladder runs from $441 to $1,386 for more than 250 seats at risk 3. New-construction plan review is a four-hour base fee of $1,008 plus $252 an hour after four hours (remodels $756 plus $252 an hour after three). A repeat return inspection costs half the annual permit fee, and a late annual permit adds 10% at 10 to 30 days, 20% at 31 to 60 days, and 30% beyond 60 days. The county's rating system page (kingcounty.gov) requires businesses to post a food safety rating sign of Excellent, Good, Okay, or Needs to Improve, the last defined as closed within 90 days or needing multiple return inspections.
Statistic 35
A 51-to-150-seat restaurant pays $441 (risk 1), $756 (risk 2), or $1,134 (risk 3) a year; the full general food service ladder runs $441 to $1,386.
Public Health Seattle & King County, food and facilities program fees, 2026
Statistic 36
New-construction food plan review is a $1,008 four-hour base fee plus $252 an hour beyond four hours; a remodel is $756 plus $252 an hour beyond three.
Public Health Seattle & King County, 2026 fee schedule
Statistic 37
A repeat return inspection costs half the annual permit fee, which is $567 on a $1,134 risk-3 permit, the highest effective reinspection charge among the ten and the only one that scales with restaurant size.
Public Health Seattle & King County, 2026 fee schedule; dollar figure is RapidEye arithmetic
Statistic 38
A late annual permit adds 10% of the fee at 10 to 30 days late, 20% at 31 to 60 days, and 30% beyond 60 days, which is $340.20 on a $1,134 permit renewed more than two months late.
Public Health Seattle & King County, 2026 fee schedule; dollar figure is RapidEye arithmetic
Statistic 39
King County restaurants must post a food safety rating sign of Excellent, Good, Okay, or Needs to Improve; the lowest rating means the business was closed within the last 90 days or needed multiple return inspections to correct unsafe food handling.
Public Health Seattle & King County, food safety rating system page
What this means: King County ties the cost of failing directly to the size of the operation, and its public rating is explicitly a function of return inspections. A large restaurant that needs two follow-ups pays more than half its permit again and wears the result on the door. The county publishes no per-violation fine.
Florida and Miami-Dade: a state license with no plan review fee
Florida licenses restaurants at the state level through the Department of Business and Professional Regulation's Division of Hotels and Restaurants; Miami-Dade County issues no separate restaurant health permit. According to Florida Administrative Code Rule 61C-1.008 (flrules.org), effective August 24, 2023, a seated restaurant's annual license is the sum of a $185 basic fee, a capacity fee, an epidemiological fee, and a $10 hospitality education fee: $262 for 1 to 49 seats, $273 for 50 to 149, $294 for 150 to 249, $315 for 250 to 349, $336 for 350 to 499, and $357 for 500 or more. An initial application or change of ownership adds $50, and a renewal filed after expiration adds a $50 delinquency fee. The rule's own history (flrules.org) records the 2017 rulemaking that removed the $150 plan review fee, effective May 16, 2017.
Statistic 40
Florida's annual state license for a seated restaurant runs $262 for 1 to 49 seats to $357 for 500 or more, built from a $185 basic fee, a $55-to-$145 capacity fee, a $12-to-$17 epidemiological fee, and a $10 hospitality education fee; a 100-seat restaurant pays $273.
Florida Administrative Code Rule 61C-1.008, Division of Hotels and Restaurants (effective August 2023)
Statistic 41
An initial application or change of ownership adds a $50 fee, and a renewal filed after the expiration date adds a $50 delinquency fee.
Florida Administrative Code Rule 61C-1.008
Statistic 42
Florida eliminated its $150 restaurant plan review fee effective May 16, 2017; the rule now sets the fee at $0, the only zero in the ten-jurisdiction set.
Florida Administrative Code, rulemaking history for Rule 61C-1.008 (2017)
What this means: Florida is the cheapest place in the set to open and license a restaurant on paper: $273 a year for a 100-seat room, $50 to apply, and nothing to have plans reviewed. Florida's disciplinary rule sets fine ranges but its text was not verified for this page, so no Florida fine figure appears here, and Florida requires no posted grade.
Denver and Colorado: priced by what you do to food
According to the City and County of Denver's retail food license application page (denvergov.org), a new license requires a $150 application fee plus a license fee of $25 for each food-processing activity performed, from a list of nine (selling prepackaged cold food, scooping ice, heating or cold-holding, cooking raw animal products, cooling cooked food, reheating, serving raw or undercooked animal products, specialized processes such as fermentation or sous vide, and infusing products with hemp); nonprofits and state agencies are exempt from the license fee but still pay application and late fees, whose amounts are not published. Denver licenses independently of the state. According to the Las Animas-Huerfano Counties District Health Department (la-h-health.colorado.gov), Colorado's statewide retail food license for restaurants outside such home-rule programs rises under Senate Bill 25-285 from $481 in 2026 to $567 in 2027 and $682 in 2028 for 0 to 100 seats, with a $155 plan review application.
Statistic 43
Denver charges a $150 application fee plus $25 for each of up to nine food-processing activities a restaurant performs; a full-service restaurant doing six of them pays $150 in activity fees, so the fee is tied to process count rather than seats, area, or headcount.
City and County of Denver, new retail food license application page (2026); six-activity total is RapidEye arithmetic
Statistic 44
Nonprofit organizations and state agencies must hold the Denver license but are exempt from the license fee; application fees and late fees are still charged, and the late-fee amount is not published.
City and County of Denver, retail food license application page
Statistic 45
Colorado's statewide retail food license for a restaurant with 0 to 100 seats rises from $481 in 2026 to $567 in 2027 and $682 in 2028 under Senate Bill 25-285, a 42% increase over three years, with plan review at $155; the 2026 fees applied to new licenses from September 1, 2025. This schedule does not apply to Denver.
Las Animas-Huerfano Counties District Health Department, notice to retail food establishments (July 2025); percentage is RapidEye arithmetic
What this means: Denver's process-count model is unique in the set and rewards simplicity: a restaurant that does not cool, reheat, or serve undercooked product pays less. Colorado is the only jurisdiction here that has legislated its fee increases three years in advance.
The numbers we could not verify
These figures circulate on permit-expediter, ghost-kitchen, and food-truck sites and none could be traced to the health authority's own document. They are listed so readers do not have to re-chase them.
Unverified claim 1
"Los Angeles County restaurant permits cost $772 (under 25 seats), $1,070 (26 to 50), or $1,472 (51 or more)." None of these amounts or seat brackets appears in the county's FY2026-27 schedule, whose bands are 0 to 30, 31 to 60, 61 to 150, and 151 or more seats and whose fees run $319 to $1,438.
Repeated across ghost-kitchen and expediter sites
Unverified claim 2
"Philadelphia's plan review fee is $150 and its sanitation inspection fee $190." The city's own plan review page declines to publish the base amount and describes it as square-footage-based, which a flat $150 is not.
Food truck association and expediter pages
Unverified claim 3
"Denver's license starts at a $100 base plus $25 per food process." The city's application page states only the $150 application fee and the $25-per-activity rule; no $100 base appears.
Expediter blog
Unverified claim 4
"Health permit fees recover 100% of program cost." Several California counties say so on their own sites, but none of the ten jurisdictions here publishes a cost-recovery statement for its food program, so no such claim is made on this page.
County websites outside the ten compared
Cite this study
Academic or press use: copy a ready-made reference. RapidEye is the publisher.
Quick FAQ
How much does a restaurant health permit cost?
It depends almost entirely on the jurisdiction, because each one prices the permit on a different basis. Across ten large U.S. jurisdictions, a roughly 100-seat full-service restaurant pays from $273 a year (Florida's state license, priced by seats) and $280 (New York City's flat fee) up to $1,134 in King County, $1,170 in San Diego County, and $1,375 in Los Angeles County, where the fee rises with both seat count and risk category. Chicago charges $1,110 for a two-year license at 2,501 to 4,500 square feet.
What are the fines for restaurant health code violations?
Only a minority of jurisdictions publish a per-violation dollar amount. New York City's penalty schedule runs $200 to $600 per scored food violation. Chicago raised its fines on January 1, 2026 to $525 per priority violation and $275 per priority foundation violation, with a $15 processing fee or $40 court cost per count, and its licensing chapter sets $200 to $1,000 per offense per day. Houston, Philadelphia, Los Angeles County, San Diego County, King County, Maricopa County, Florida, and Denver publish fee schedules but no public fine schedule; they enforce through reinspection charges, permit suspension, and hearings.
Is there a fee for a health department reinspection?
Often, and it is where costs diverge most. Houston charges $200 for a required reinspection, Los Angeles County $145 ($217.50 on a weekend), San Diego County bills $196 an hour with a one-hour minimum, and King County charges half the annual permit fee for a repeat return inspection, which is $567 on a $1,134 permit. New York City charges no reinspection fee; a restaurant scoring under 14 points on its first inspection of the year receives an A and has all penalties from that inspection waived.
Which cities require restaurants to post a letter grade?
Of the ten jurisdictions compared, four post a mandatory rating: New York City (A, B, or C card within five feet of the entrance, with fines up to $1,000 for not posting), Los Angeles County (A at 90 to 100 points, B at 80 to 89, C at 70 to 79), San Diego County (A for 90 percent or higher, B for 80 to 89, C below 80, posted whenever the facility is open), and King County (a required Excellent, Good, Okay, or Needs to Improve sign near the main entrance). Maricopa County's A-to-D grade card is voluntary. Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, Florida, and Denver require no placard.
How much is a restaurant plan review fee?
From nothing to more than $3,000. Florida eliminated its $150 plan review fee in May 2017. Maricopa County charges $885 for a restaurant with ten or more seats, King County $1,008 for the first four hours plus $252 an hour after, Los Angeles County $1,865 for a 2,000 to 3,999 square foot restaurant, and San Diego County $1,534 up to 1,999 square feet rising to $3,407 at 10,000 square feet or more. Philadelphia does not publish its base plan review fee at all, only a $380 expediting surcharge.
Data sources
Every figure on this page traces to one of these health authorities' own published documents, each checked against the current schedule, ordinance, or rule before publishing.
City of New YorkBusiness Portal permit page; OATH restaurant guidance; Health Department grade-card and inspection-cycle guides; Mayor's Management Report FY2025nyc.gov
Los Angeles County Department of Public HealthEnvironmental Health FY2026-27 fee schedule; grading and posting requirements pagepublichealth.lacounty.gov
City of ChicagoBACP retail food license fee notices (2018, 2026); CDPH fine increase notice (2026); compiled food codes; food protection program pagechicago.gov
Houston Health DepartmentRetail food safety inspections fee structure changes; food permits page (2025-2026)houstonhealth.org
City of PhiladelphiaFood preparation and serving license page; stationary food business plan review page (2026)phila.gov
County of San DiegoDEHQ approved and proposed fee schedules (FY2025-26, FY2026-27); food facility grading ordinance; food program FAQsandiegocounty.gov
Florida Administrative Code (Division of Hotels and Restaurants)Rule 61C-1.008 license fees, certified rule text and rulemaking history (2017, 2023)flrules.org
City and County of DenverRetail food license application page (2026)denvergov.org