Maricopa County and Mesa

Maricopa County Environmental Services Department

In short

Maricopa County Environmental Services Department issues 16 permits we publish for Maricopa County and Mesa, last verified 2026-09-25. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.

Issued in Maricopa County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Permit	Issuing agency	Fee	Renews	Last checked
Swimming Pool / Spa Operating Permit — Semi-Publiconly if it applies to you	Maricopa County Environmental Services Department	$275–$299 annual, by pool type (semi-public)	annual	2026-09-25
Food Establishment Operating Permit — Retail Food Establishmentonly if it applies to you	Maricopa County Environmental Services Department	$378–$411 annual, by Class	one calendar year	2026-09-25
Annual Event Food Establishment Permitonly if it applies to you	Maricopa County Environmental Services Department	$228 per permit term	per the permit term for the specific annual event	2026-09-25
Swimming Pool / Spa Operating Permit — Public (primary-business pool operators)only if it applies to you	Maricopa County Environmental Services Department	$192–$534 annual, by pool type (public)	annual	2026-09-25
Food Establishment Operating Permit — Eating & Drinking (restaurants, cafés, coffee shops, bars)	Maricopa County Environmental Services Department	$363–$1,015 annual, by subtype, seating capacity and risk Class (2 to 5)	one calendar year from initial issue (Reg. 4.g); nonrefundable, and non-transferable to a new owner or location (Reg. 4.j)	2026-09-25
Daycare Foodservice Operating Permitonly if it applies to you	Maricopa County Environmental Services Department	$524 annual	one calendar year	2026-09-25
Temporary Food Establishment Permitonly if it applies to you	Maricopa County Environmental Services Department	Temporary Food Establishment (permit good for 14 days): $249.00. A Temporary Food Establishment Late Fee of $112.00 applies where the application is received fewer than 7 days before the event.	up to 14 days	2026-09-25
Seasonal Food Establishment Permitonly if it applies to you	Maricopa County Environmental Services Department	$193–$312 per permit term, by Class	The Code's own operative definition (Chapter VIII Section 1 Regulation 1; Section 3 Regulation 1.a(5)) sets the term at fifteen (15) to one hundred twenty (120) consecutive days within any permit year. The Chapter I Fee Schedule's own row heading for this same permit reads "Permit good for up to 180 days" — an internal inconsistency in the Code, disclosed here rather than one figure being silently chosen; the 15-120 day definition is the operative legal term.	2026-09-25
Environmental Health Plan Review Fee	Maricopa County Environmental Services Department	$141–$919 one-time, per plan review, by establishment type	plan approval lapses one year after approval unless substantial work has begun (Reg. 4.e); a one-year extension costs $169.00 (Reg. 4.f)	2026-09-25
Onsite Wastewater (Septic) System Plan Review and Approvalonly if it applies to you	Maricopa County Environmental Services Department	$757–$1,344 one-time plan review, for an ordinary system under 3,000 gallons/day	one-time, per system	2026-09-25
Child Care Facility License — Issued by the Arizona Department of Health Services (Maricopa County)only if it applies to you	Maricopa County Environmental Services Department	No fee	not applicable	2026-09-25
Mobile Food Establishment Permit — Type II	Maricopa County Environmental Services Department	$341 annual	one year	2026-09-25
Mobile Food Establishment Permit — Type I	Maricopa County Environmental Services Department	Mobile Food Type I (Class 2), "dispenses commercially processed, individually packaged foods and/or non-time/temperature control for safety (non-TCS) beverages": $290.00 for a permit good for one year. A six-month permit costs half of the one-year fee ($145.00) under Chapter VIII Section 3 Regulation 2.b — a fee-summary rulemaking document marks this six-month line for removal, but the Code's own text still states it, so it is kept here and sourced to Reg. 2.b.	one year, or six months at half the annual fee	2026-09-25
Mobile Food Establishment Permit — Type III	Maricopa County Environmental Services Department	$610 annual	one year	2026-09-25

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

Issued in Mesa

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Permit	Issuing agency	Fee	Renews	Last checked
Limited Use Food Employee Certificate	Maricopa County Environmental Services Department	$5 original certificate, valid 3 years	3 years	2026-09-05
Food Establishment Permit	Maricopa County Environmental Services Department	Annual permit, priced by seating and a five-tier risk classification (Class 1 lowest risk to Class 5 highest) at once: an eating/drinking establishment with 0–9 seats runs $373 (Class 2) to $539 (Class 4); with 10 or more seats, $400 (Class 2) to $1,015 (Class 4). A retail food establishment is $378–$411 (Class 2–3); a bakery, $382 (Class 2). A temporary establishment (up to 14 days) is $249; a seasonal one (up to 180 days) is $193–$312. Plan review for a new or remodeled facility is separate: $728 (0–9 seats), $885 (10+ seats), or $919 for other food establishments, billed at $169/hour beyond the base.	annual, 1 calendar year from issuance; nonrefundable	2026-09-05

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

Swimming Pool / Spa Operating Permit — Semi-PublicMaricopa County

A fitness studio, gym, country club or similar business with a pool, spa or hydrotherapy pool where operating the pool is not itself the primary business needs this permit as a SEMI-PUBLIC pool, priced at $299.00 (Bathing/pool), $275.00 (Hydrotherapy/spa), $284.00 (Special Use) or $278.00 (Wading). The Code defines a semipublic pool as one 'at a country club, camp or similar establishment where the primary business of the establishment is not the operation of a swimming pool and where the use of the swimming pool is included in the fee for the primary use of the establishment' — that is the ordinary case for a fitness studio's pool, distinct from the PUBLIC rows recorded separately for Maricopa County, which apply only where operating the pool is itself the business (a standalone swim school or water park). Hydrotherapy Semi-public ($275.00) costing more than Hydrotherapy Public ($200.00) is the Code's own printed figure, not an error. The Code states: 'No public or semipublic bathing place shall be maintained or operated in Maricopa County without a valid operating permit issued by the Department.' Plan review adds a separate one-time fee scaled by square footage. Applies in unincorporated Maricopa County and in any incorporated city or town that has requested MCESD's services; the pool requirement itself, unlike the P&D zoning products, is stated to apply 'in Maricopa County' generally. Every figure is from the Chapter I Fee Schedule adopted August 19, 2026.

Food Establishment Operating Permit — Retail Food EstablishmentMaricopa County

A retail store needs this permit only if it sells produce, pre-packaged time/temperature-controlled food, or bulk food, as the Code's own definition sets out: Class 2 'sells only pre-packaged food that requires time/temperature control for safety and/or bulk food that does not require time/temperature control for safety,' priced at $378.00 per year; Class 3 additionally sells 'produce that is washed, portioned, and/or packaged for retail sale,' priced at $411.00 per year. A store selling no food, or only shelf-stable packaged food outside these categories, has no MCESD operating permit; its obligations are limited to zoning and building. Applies in unincorporated Maricopa County and in any incorporated city or town that has requested MCESD's services; confirm with a specific city whether it has its own health department instead. Every figure is from the Chapter I Fee Schedule adopted August 19, 2026. Ask Environmental Services (602-506-6824) which class fits a specific product mix.

Annual Event Food Establishment PermitMaricopa County

Covers a food establishment operating as part of a recurring annual event. The Chapter I Fee Schedule adopted August 19, 2026 prices this permit at $228.00, and that figure is used here as the stated fee. The Code itself conflicts on this point: Chapter VIII Section 3 Regulation 6.l says the Annual Event Food Establishment fee 'is the same as the Seasonal Food Establishment permit fee,' but neither Seasonal Class figure ($193.00 or $312.00) equals $228.00. Both the fee-table figure and the Code-text cross-reference are disclosed here rather than one being silently reconciled; ask MCESD which figure it actually charges for a specific annual event before budgeting. Applies in unincorporated Maricopa County and in any incorporated city or town that has requested MCESD's services.

Swimming Pool / Spa Operating Permit — Public (primary-business pool operators)Maricopa County

Scoped narrowly to a business whose primary business IS operating a swimming pool or spa — a standalone swim school, water park or similar commercial pool operator — under the Code's definition of a public pool as belonging to 'a commercial establishment whose primary business is the operation of a pool.' An ordinary fitness studio or gym with an incidental pool is SEMI-PUBLIC and pays the lower figures recorded in the separate semi-public pool record ($275.00-$299.00), not these public rows ($192.00-$534.00). Hydrotherapy Public ($200.00) costing less than Hydrotherapy Semi-public ($275.00) is the Code's own printed figure, not an error. Every figure is from the Chapter I Fee Schedule adopted August 19, 2026; applies in unincorporated Maricopa County and in any incorporated city or town that has requested MCESD's services.

Food Establishment Operating Permit — Eating & Drinking (restaurants, cafés, coffee shops, bars)Maricopa County

Required for any restaurant, café, coffee shop or bar operating where this Code applies: the unincorporated area, the incorporated areas of the county generally, and any incorporated city or town that has specifically requested MCESD's services — no county page names which cities those are, so confirm with a specific city whether it runs its own health department instead. The Code states: 'No person shall operate a food establishment without a valid permit to operate from the Department unless... the food establishment is exempt from permitting based on the provisions in A.R.S. § 36-136(I)(4).' The Department assigns the risk Class at application; the Code defines Class 2 only as 'quick service operations with only limited preparation of menu items or as approved by the Department,' so no fixed rule (such as treating a beverage-only coffee shop as automatically Class 2) is asserted here — ask MCESD which class a specific menu falls into. A buyer of an existing establishment pays a one-time New Owner/Additional Permit fee because permits are non-transferable under Reg. 4.j — $373.00 for a Food Establishment, $385.00 for a Mobile permit and $540.00 for a Non Food permit — and a late renewal costs the greater of $50.00 or 5% of the amount due starting the day after expiration. Every dollar figure is from the Chapter I Fee Schedule as adopted August 19, 2026; no page states a separate effective date for these figures. Plan review for a new or remodeled establishment is a separate fee, recorded in the Environmental Health Plan Review record.

Daycare Foodservice Operating PermitMaricopa County

A child care facility that prepares food on site needs this permit: the Code defines 'Daycare Foodservice' as 'a food establishment which prepares food for immediate service on-site, or directly to a consumer where the consumers are facility staff and daycare children,' priced at $524.00 per year (Class 3) in the Chapter I Fee Schedule adopted August 19, 2026 — up from $390.00 in the superseded 2019 schedule. This is the only county permit aimed specifically at a child care operation; the child care facility license itself is issued by the Arizona Department of Health Services and is recorded separately for Maricopa County as a state-preempted item. Applies in unincorporated Maricopa County and in any incorporated city or town that has requested MCESD's services; confirm with a specific city whether it has its own health department instead. Ask Environmental Services at 602-506-6824 whether a centre serving only food delivered from an outside kitchen falls under this permit or a different classification.

Temporary Food Establishment PermitMaricopa County

The permit for a single short-run event — a food truck, restaurant or coffee shop selling food at a one-off event rather than from a fixed or mobile permanent location. The Chapter I Fee Schedule adopted August 19, 2026 prices it at $249.00 for a permit good for 14 days, with a $112.00 late fee added when the application arrives fewer than 7 days before the event. It is distinct from the Seasonal and Annual Event permits recorded for Maricopa County, which cover a recurring or longer-running operation rather than a single event. Applies in unincorporated Maricopa County and in any incorporated city or town that has requested MCESD's services; confirm with a specific city whether it has its own health department instead.

Seasonal Food Establishment PermitMaricopa County

Covers a food operation running for a defined season rather than year-round or as a single event. The fee is $193.00 (Class 1, seasonally themed operations in a major shopping mall) or $312.00 (Class 2, seasonal operations such as spring training or a state fair), with a $117.00 late fee, all from the Chapter I Fee Schedule adopted August 19, 2026. The Code contains an internal inconsistency about how long this permit runs: the fee table's own row heading calls it 'good for up to 180 days,' while the Code's actual defined term, at Chapter VIII Section 1 Regulation 1 and Section 3 Regulation 1.a(5), is 'fifteen (15) to one hundred twenty (120) consecutive days within any permit year.' Both figures are stated here rather than picking one silently; a reader planning a seasonal operation should use the 15-120 day definition as the legally operative term and ask MCESD to confirm how the 180-day fee-table label is applied in practice. Applies in unincorporated Maricopa County and in any incorporated city or town that has requested MCESD's services.

Environmental Health Plan Review FeeMaricopa County

Charged before construction or major alteration of any food establishment: 'No food establishment shall be constructed, nor shall any major alteration or addition be made thereto, until detailed plans and specifications for the premises have been submitted to and approved by the Department.' The $300.00 'Mobile Food Establishments' row in the Chapter I Fee Schedule is, per the Department's own fee-summary rulemaking table, specifically the Mobile Food Type III plan review fee — Type II has its own separate $306.00 row — so it is not presented here as a generic mobile-food plan review charge. Work begun without a permit is billed at the Department's $169.00 hourly rate, and an expedited review costs two times the applicable flat fee or hourly rate under Regulation 5.c(2). Plan approval lapses one year after issuance unless substantial work has begun, and a one-year renewal of that approval costs $169.00 under Regulation 4.f. Every figure is from the Chapter I Fee Schedule adopted August 19, 2026. Applies in unincorporated Maricopa County and in any incorporated city or town that has requested MCESD's services; confirm with a specific city whether it has its own health department instead.

Onsite Wastewater (Septic) System Plan Review and ApprovalMaricopa County

Applies only where a site is not connected to a public sewer. The ordinary business case is a conventional septic system under 3,000 gallons per day, at a flat $757.00, or a system with one alternative treatment element, at $1,344.00; the Code's $2,056.00 figure is for a much larger facility (3,000 to under 24,000 gallons per day, non-aerobic) and is not the realistic range for a typical restaurant, salon or shop. A tenant improvement or remodel that touches an existing system pays a smaller fee — Alteration Permit and Two Inspections $496.00, or Reconnect/Remodel Minor Review $327.00 ($480.00 with one inspection), or a Plan Revision at $258.00. The Code's '$200 grease interceptor' line is actually titled 'Onsite System Design Requiring Interceptor (Per interceptor) Flat $200.00' — it is an add-on charged alongside a septic plan review, not a separate standalone grease-trap or interceptor permit. All figures are from the Chapter I Fee Schedule adopted August 19, 2026. Ask Environmental Services (602-506-6824) which fee applies to a specific site's flow and system type.

Child Care Facility License — Issued by the Arizona Department of Health Services (Maricopa County)Maricopa County

Under A.R.S. § 36-882(A), the Arizona Department of Health Services licenses child care facilities and the County charges no fee for a child care facility license: § 36-882(A) states 'A child care facility shall not receive any child for care, supervision or training unless the facility is licensed by the department of health services,' and § 36-881(3) defines 'child care facility' as one providing care 'for five or more children not related to the proprietor' — the threshold is five or more unrelated children, and the Arizona Department of Health Services, not the county, is the licensing authority. The county's own home-daycare zoning limit under Zoning Ordinance Art. 602.4, capping compensated child care at four children at any one time, keeps a home-based operator under that state five-child threshold rather than duplicating it. A child care facility's Maricopa County obligations are the Daycare Foodservice permit recorded separately for Maricopa County where food is prepared on site ($524.00 per year), plus the Zoning Clearance and Commercial Building Permit in the unincorporated area.

Mobile Food Establishment Permit — Type IIMaricopa County

Mobile Food Type II (Class 3) 'dispenses food that requires limited handling and preparation,' priced at $341.00 for a permit good for one year in the Chapter I Fee Schedule adopted August 19, 2026. A Type II unit needs plan approval before operating, at a separate Mobile Food Type II Plan Review fee of $306.00, recorded in the Environmental Health Plan Review record. The unit must operate from an approved commissary and keep a commissary visit log. A vendor already approved under a state license may apply with a menu, commissary agreement, toilet-use agreement, unit photos and a route sheet without a further plan review fee or facility inspection. Applies in unincorporated Maricopa County and in any incorporated city or town that has requested MCESD's services; confirm with a specific city whether it has its own health department instead.

Mobile Food Establishment Permit — Type IMaricopa County

The lightest-duty mobile food permit, for a unit that only dispenses pre-packaged food or non-TCS beverages. The Code requires that 'No person shall operate a mobile food establishment without a valid permit issued by this Department,' that 'A separate permit is required for each establishment,' and that permits are 'nontransferable from person-to-person, event-to-event or vehicle-to-vehicle.' The annual fee is $290.00; a six-month permit costs half that ($145.00) under Chapter VIII Section 3 Regulation 2.b, which still states this fee even though a 2026 fee-summary rulemaking table marks the line 'Remove' — the Code's own operative text controls, so the half-year option is kept here. A vendor already approved under a state license may apply with a menu, commissary agreement, toilet-use agreement, unit photos and a route sheet and pay only the permit fee, without plan review or facility inspection, per the county's own Mobile Food Establishments page. Every figure is from the Chapter I Fee Schedule adopted August 19, 2026. Applies in unincorporated Maricopa County and in any incorporated city or town that has requested MCESD's services; the county's own pages tell vendors to 'check with local/city authorities' as well.

Mobile Food Establishment Permit — Type IIIMaricopa County

The permit for a fully enclosed food truck: 'Mobile Food Type III' is 'an enclosed vehicle-mounted food establishment that prepares, cooks, holds and serves food,' priced at $610.00 for a permit good for one year, unchanged from the 2019 schedule. A Type III unit needs plan approval before operating; the Chapter I Fee Schedule's own row for that review reads 'Mobile Food Establishments $300.00,' and the county's own fee-summary rulemaking table names this identical $300 line 'Mobile Food Type III - Plan Review' — it is the Type III plan review fee specifically, not a generic mobile fee, and is recorded that way in the Environmental Health Plan Review record. Initial permitting is done in the county where the unit's commissary is located, per the county's own Mobile Food Establishments page, and a vendor already approved under a state license may apply for reciprocity without a further plan review fee or facility inspection. Applies in unincorporated Maricopa County and in any incorporated city or town that has requested MCESD's services; confirm with a specific city whether it has its own health department instead.

Limited Use Food Employee CertificateMesa

The $5 fee and 3-year term appear in the county's own published fee schedule, under the line item "Limited Use Food Employee Certificate – Original." Which employees need this certificate rather than a Certified Food Protection Manager credential is set out in a separate chapter of the Maricopa County Environmental Health Code; confirm the requirement for a specific employee category with Maricopa County ESD before relying on it.

Food Establishment PermitMesa

Under the county's own environmental health code, Maricopa County Environmental Services Department is the sole permitting and inspecting authority for every food facility in the county, Mesa included. A mobile food unit is priced on a separate three-tier schedule instead: Type I (no real prep) $290, Type II (limited prep) $341, Type III (full prep) $610, plus its own separate plan review fee.

Contact

Jurisdiction: Maricopa County and Mesa
Phone: 602-506-6616
Website: www.maricopa.gov/631/Environmental-Services

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.

A.R.S. § 36-881 — Definitions (child care facility: five or more children not related to the proprietor)Arizona Legislature · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-27
Arizona Revised Statutes section 36-882 — annual child care licensure fees and the validity of a licenseArizona State Legislature · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
ES-2025-004 Fee Summary — the Department's own rulemaking table of Current Fee vs. New Fee for every MCEHC permit, footer-stamped DRAFT; used only to corroborate the figures in the adopted Code, not as the fee source itselfMaricopa County Environmental Services Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-27
ESD Adopted Regulations index, listing "P-14 | 8/19/2026 | Maricopa County Environmental Health Code" as the current adopted edition, with the ES-2025-004 fee-change rulemaking shown as recently adoptedMaricopa County Environmental Services Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-27
Food Establishment Permit Types, Class, and Inspection Frequency — the Department's own definitions of Class 2 through 5 by menu and seating profileMaricopa County Environmental Services Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-27
Maricopa County Environmental Health Code — the Department's own current page stating the Code's territorial applicability (unincorporated areas, incorporated areas, and any city or town that has requested MCESD's services) and its statutory authorityMaricopa County Environmental Services Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-27
Maricopa County Environmental Health Code (MCEHC), "Revised on August 19, 2026" — Chapter I Regulations 4-5 and Fee Schedule (food, mobile food, plan review, pool and septic fees), Chapter II Section 8 (onsite wastewater), Chapter VI (swimming pools), Chapter VII (food employee certification), Chapter VIII (food establishments). Confirmed byte-identical to the researcher's copy on re-check, PDF metadata created 2026-09-09; no later edition existsMaricopa County Environmental Services Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-27
Maricopa County Environmental Health Code chapter I — environmental health operating permit fee schedule, revised 19 August 2026Maricopa County Environmental Services Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
Maricopa County Environmental Services Department — food environmental health operating permit fee scheduleMaricopa County Environmental Services Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-05
Mobile Food Establishments — the Department's own page on Type I/II/III scope, commissary requirements and state-licensure reciprocity for units already approved elsewhere in ArizonaMaricopa County Environmental Services Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-27

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