Food facility plan check process

You need to check in with local departments about your project. There may be other requirements you have to meet, too.

If the facility will be on septic or well,  please contact our office to discuss. 

• Business licenses
• Building department
• Alcohol and beverage control (ABC)
• Planning and zoning
• Sanitary District
• Environmental Health Land Use (if on septic or well) 

Hiring an architect or designer can save you time, money, and hassle.  While it is not required, we highly recommend it.  Understanding all the codes, regulations, requirements is hard.

Look up licensed architects and mechanical engineers at the Department of Consumer Affairs.

Follow the plan check guide for food facilities for creating your plans.

How many sets of plans do I need to submit? You will only need to submit one set of plans. We will ask for additional sets once plans are approved.

Would you like to have a food facility pre-submittal plan review? This is an optional meeting, but could benefit your project. During a pre-submittal plan review, an Environmental Health Services reviewer will do a high-level review of your plans and paperwork. We can help make sure that your application has everything you need to submit.

What to submit

• One (1) complete set of plans, size 24” x 36” only, drawn to scale of ¼” per 1’
• Completed food plan check application and checklist. A checklist is required for all submissions. Please include the appropriate checklist for your type of project. The checklist   needs to be completely filled out.  Include all required forms, sample materials, and payment.

See types of food plan reviews and what is required to find out more about creating plans and submission requirements.

Timing: We will send a response within 20 business days of when you submit the application packet.

If your plans are approved we will send you an email telling you we approved the plans and that you can move on to the next step.

If your plans need changes we will send you an email telling you why your plans weren't accepted and what you need to do.

• Revise your plans and resubmit them.
• We will review your revised plans within 20 business days of when you submit them.
• If your revised plans are accepted, you can move on to the next step.
• If your revised plans need more changes, you repeat these steps.

 Once your plans have been approved by Environmental Health Services:

• Submit two (2) additional sets of plans to be stamped approved by our office.
• One (1) copy of the plans must be kept at the job site at all times.  One (1) copy needs to be approved by the local Building Department.

Check with the Building Department to see if they require digital plans or if they want hard copies (if so, how many).

Schedule a time with the inspector who approved your plan to have your sets of plans stamped approved.

If you're submitting physical plans, bring the stamped plans to the Building Department for their review.

If they require digital plans, scan the stamped plans and upload them to the Building Department’s website. 

When the Building Department finishes their review, they will give you a building permit card. You can only begin construction once you have a building permit.

On the job site, you always need to have:

• Final approved plans that have been stamped by Environmental Health Services and the Building Department.
• Building permit card 

During construction, it’s your responsibility to request inspections. You will need at least 2 — the preliminary inspection and the final inspection. 

You need to request a preliminary inspection when the work is about 90% complete, with most equipment installed. 

We highly recommend hiring a licensed contractor to complete construction work. Look up licensed contractors at the Department of Consumer Affairs Contractor State License Board.

Before the final inspection

Before you can request a final inspection, you must have a licensed mechanical engineer or contractor fill out the Environmental Health Services hood performance data sheet if you installed a hood in your facility. 

The expert will perform tests to see how well the hood is working and fill out the form. You must submit this, along with the expert’s hood balancing report for review at least 2 business days before the final inspection.

Look up a licensed mechanical engineer or contractor at the Department of Consumer Affairs.

At the final inspection

We will check that all work is completed and matches the approved plans.

Have your Building Department job card on site during the final inspection so we can sign off during their visit.

You’ll need a health permit to operate your food facility. All new operators must complete the health permit license application after passing the final inspection. Existing operators will still need to complete the permit application to ensure that our records are up to date.

Keep in mind that if you operate your business without a health permit, you can be fined for up to 3 times the permit fee (for example, a fine of over $4,500 for a mid-sized restaurant).

This is different from the fee you paid earlier for the plan check process. The amount you pay depends on your business. 

The health permit needs to be renewed each year.

See the fee schedule for food operating permits.

Once you have passed your final inspection and completed the steps above, we will mail you a “Permit to Operate.” You must print and display the Permit to Operate in your facility where the public can see it.

You will then need to get other required signatures on your job card and present them to the Building Department. The Building Department will grant you occupancy.

Only open your business when you have the Permit to Operate and are cleared by the Building Department! Only bring in food or beverages when you are approved to open.

If you order or buy food or beverages for your facility before you have approval, you will have to throw them all out and buy them again — even if you just bought them for training purposes.