Jefferson County
Jefferson County Department of Health, Food Protection and Environmental Health programs
In short
Jefferson County Department of Health, Food Protection and Environmental Health programs issues 5 permits we publish for Jefferson County, last verified 2026-09-28. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.
What this agency issues
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JCDH Daycare Center Health Permitonly if it applies to you | Jefferson County Department of Health, Food Protection and Environmental Health programs | $150–$350 a year, by enrollment — under 20 children $150, 21 to 40 children $200, 41 or more children $350 (JCDH Food & Lodging Fee Codes); plan review is separate, $150 under 40 children or $350 for 41 or more | annual | 2026-09-28 |
| JCDH Mobile Food Service Permit | Jefferson County Department of Health, Food Protection and Environmental Health programs | $250–$550 a year per mobile unit — Levels 1 & 2 $250, Levels 3 & 4 $550 (JCDH Food & Lodging Fee Codes) | annual | 2026-09-28 |
| JCDH Food Processor Permitonly if it applies to you | Jefferson County Department of Health, Food Protection and Environmental Health programs | $300–$1,000 a year, by annual sales — $300 for $0 to $250,000, $500 for $250,001 to $999,999, $1,000 for over $1,000,000 (JCDH Food & Lodging Fee Codes); plan review is a separate $250 | annual | 2026-09-28 |
| JCDH Food Service Establishment Permit | Jefferson County Department of Health, Food Protection and Environmental Health programs | $250–$650 a year, by risk level — Level 1 $250, Level 2 $350, Level 3 $550, Level 4 $650 (JCDH Food & Lodging Fee Codes); plan review is separate, $250 under 75 seats or $500 over 75 seats | annual | 2026-09-28 |
| JCDH Public Swimming Pool / Spa Regulationsonly if it applies to you | Jefferson County Department of Health, Food Protection and Environmental Health programs | No fee | not stated in the regulations — permits are issued in letter form, with monthly inspection required, but no renewal cycle is specified in the text | 2026-09-28 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
About each permit
JCDH Daycare Center Health Permit
A Jefferson County childcare center that prepares or serves food on-site needs this JCDH daycare center health permit, in addition to its state Department of Human Resources childcare license — the state's own minimum standards for day care centers require a copy of a current health department food permit whenever food is prepared on-site, or written health-department approval of the food-service plan when food is served but prepared elsewhere. JCDH's own fee schedule prices this by enrollment: $150 a year for under 20 children, $200 for 21 to 40, and $350 for 41 or more, with a separate plan review fee of $150 or $350 by the same size break. A childcare center that neither prepares nor serves any food on-site would not trigger this particular JCDH permit, though it would still need its state DHR license.
JCDH Mobile Food Service Permit
A food truck, cart, trailer or kiosk needs its own JCDH mobile food service permit for each unit, valid anywhere in Jefferson County, including inside every incorporated city, since JCDH is the county-wide food regulator. The fee is $250 a year for a Levels 1 & 2 unit (lower-risk menus such as espresso or hot-dog carts) and $550 a year for a Levels 3 & 4 unit (full cooking with hot holding). Plan review is charged separately — $150 for Levels 1 & 2, $350 for Levels 3 & 4 — and is required before the unit begins operating. A mobile coffee cart falls under this same permit rather than the fixed food-establishment permit above. Where a truck may physically park is a separate question set by the relevant city, or by Jefferson County Development Services in the unincorporated area, and is not part of this food permit.
JCDH Food Processor Permit
This permit reaches a retail business that manufactures, processes or packages food products for sale — for example a bakery or specialty-foods producer selling wholesale or pre-packaged goods — rather than a full-service restaurant or coffee shop preparing food to order, which instead needs the food establishment permit above. JCDH's Food & Lodging Fee Codes price it by the business's annual sales volume: $300 a year at $0 to $250,000 in sales, $500 at $250,001 to $999,999, and $1,000 above $1,000,000, with a separate $250 plan review fee before construction or a change in operation. A retail store that only resells sealed, already-packaged food made elsewhere would not need this particular permit.
JCDH Food Service Establishment Permit
Every restaurant and coffee shop in Jefferson County needs an annual food permit from JCDH, the Jefferson County Department of Health — one of only two independently run, county-funded health departments in Alabama (with Mobile County), rather than an Alabama Department of Public Health district office. JCDH's reach is county-wide, including inside Birmingham and every other incorporated city: its own published food-inspection scores cover restaurants located inside Birmingham city limits, and no separate city food-inspection authority exists anywhere in the county. The 2026-applicable fee runs from $250 for the lowest-risk Level 1 establishment (cold holding, prepackaged food, espresso) up to $650 for Level 4 (full cooking with cooling, reheating or hot holding), with plan review charged separately before construction, remodeling or a change of ownership. The Food & Lodging Fee Codes document carries no printed effective date; its own file metadata is dated April 24, 2017, the best available vintage marker for the schedule — call JCDH Food Protection, 205-930-1260, to confirm the fee currently in effect.
JCDH Public Swimming Pool / Spa Regulations
A fitness studio, gym or health club that operates a swimming pool, spa or hot tub falls under JCDH's public swimming pool regulations, in force since a July 13, 1988 revision of rules originally adopted April 15, 1970; the regulations explicitly name 'health club spas and pools' among the facility types covered, alongside treatment and therapeutic spas and pools. Plans for a new pool must go to JCDH's Public Health Engineer for review before construction, and an operating permit is then issued in letter form, with monthly inspection required afterward. Reading the regulations' full text end to end finds no dollar fee anywhere in the document — there is no fee figure published anywhere in this regulation for the plan review, the permit, or the inspections it describes. A studio without a pool, spa or hot tub has no obligation under this program at all.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Jefferson County
- Phone
- 205-930-1260
Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.
Sources
Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Food Protection programJefferson County Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
- History of JCDH — one of only two independently run, county-funded health departments in AlabamaJefferson County Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
- Jefferson County Board of Health Rules and Regulations Governing the Design, Construction, and Operation of Public Swimming Pools and Spas (adopted April 15, 1970, revised July 13, 1988)Jefferson County Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
- Jefferson County Department of Health — Food and Lodging Fee CodesJefferson County Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-08
Other offices serving Jefferson County
The full permit list for this jurisdiction
Industry permit lists that include this agency
Alabama jurisdictions
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