Alameda County
Alameda County Department of Environmental Health, Food Protection Program
In short
Alameda County Department of Environmental Health, Food Protection Program issues 4 permits we publish for Alameda 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile Food Facility (Food Truck) Permit | Alameda County Department of Environmental Health, Food Protection Program | $370–$1,325 a year per unit, by category (ACDEH's current schedule): Espresso cart $657, Hot Dog Cart $500, Ice Cream Truck (prepackaged) $444, Catering Truck & In-Coach Trailer $1,058, Produce Truck $370; commissary fee ranges from $671 (2-8 carts/trucks) to $1,325 (20 or more carts/trucks) | annual; renewal is arranged with the assigned inspector about two weeks before expiration | 2026-09-28 |
| Temporary Food Facility (TFF) Permitonly if it applies to you | Alameda County Department of Environmental Health, Food Protection Program | $143–$433 per event, by duration and food type (ACDEH's current schedule): open food, 4 days or less $211; 5-25 days $333; prepackaged-only equivalents $143 and $186; event-sponsor fees $218-$433 depending on booth count | per event | 2026-09-28 |
| Retail Food Facility Permit | Alameda County Department of Environmental Health, Food Protection Program | $671–$1,325 a year, by facility type and, for restaurants, seat count (ACDEH's current schedule): Restaurant under 26 seats $998, 26-50 seats $1,129, 51-75 seats $1,194, over 75 seats $1,325; Coffee House $671; Tavern $671; Cocktail Lounge $736; Take-out restaurant (2 or fewer food handlers) $998, (3 or more food handlers) $1,031; Snack Bar $834; Bakery under 2,000 sq ft $802, 2,000-6,000 sq ft $933, over 6,000 sq ft $1,063 — plus a one-time $207 Food Facility Application Fee | annual | 2026-09-28 |
| Food Facility / Mobile Food Facility Plan Check | Alameda County Department of Environmental Health, Food Protection Program | $891–$218,850 one-time per project, by scenario (ACDEH's current schedule): Restaurant plan check under 26 seats $909, 26-50 seats $1,296, 51-75 seats $1,662, over 75 seats $2,188.50; Coffee House plan check $891; Mobile Food Facility commissary plan check (2-8 units) $907; expedited plan-check service $1,104 | one-time per project | 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
Mobile Food Facility (Food Truck) Permit
Any Mobile Food Facility (MFF) or Compact Mobile Food Operation (CMFO) — a food truck, cart, trailer or ice-cream truck — must hold an ACDEH permit before operating anywhere in the county except Berkeley, which permits mobile food vendors within its own city limits through its own Environmental Health Division. A compliant commissary agreement is required alongside the unit permit, and the commissary itself is charged a separate annual fee that scales with how many carts or trucks it services. ACDEH's Mobile Food Facilities Program runs monthly free information sessions, the first Wednesday of the month, 10-11 a.m., at 1131 Harbor Bay Pkwy, Alameda; new-operator questions can also go to dehmobilefood@acgov.org.
Temporary Food Facility (TFF) Permit
A vendor selling food at a fair, festival or other temporary event anywhere in the county except Berkeley needs an ACDEH Temporary Food Facility permit, submitted at least 30 working days before the event to dehwebbilling@acgov.org. An event's sponsoring organization pays its own, separate sponsor fee on top of each individual vendor's fee, scaled to the number of food booths at the event. Berkeley permits temporary food vendors at events inside Berkeley through its own Environmental Health Division rather than ACDEH.
Retail Food Facility Permit
Any facility storing, preparing, packaging or selling food to the public must hold a valid ACDEH permit before opening — but only outside the City of Berkeley. ACDEH is the retail-food regulator for every city in Alameda County and the unincorporated area EXCEPT Berkeley, which runs its own independent local health jurisdiction and its own Environmental Health Division under Berkeley Municipal Code Title 11; a facility physically in Berkeley gets its food permit from the City of Berkeley instead of ACDEH. The fee schedule above is ACDEH's current 'Exhibit A' fee table and varies substantially by category and, for a restaurant, by seat count; the one-time $207 application fee is additional to the annual permit fee. A restaurant, coffee shop or retail store selling food in any of the other 13 incorporated cities, or in the unincorporated area, holds this permit through ACDEH regardless of which city it sits in.
Food Facility / Mobile Food Facility Plan Check
ACDEH plan check is required before construction or remodel of a food facility, and before a mobile food unit enters service, to confirm compliance with the California Retail Food Code — the same countywide-except-Berkeley scope as the Retail Food Facility Permit applies here, since Berkeley reviews its own plans under its own Environmental Health Division. The fee scales with seat count for a restaurant and is a flat figure for a coffee house or mobile-facility commissary; expedited service carries its own flat fee on top of the standard review. This plan check is separate from, and additional to, the annual Retail Food Facility Permit or Mobile Food Facility Permit fee itself.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Alameda County
- Phone
- Not verified — use the website
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.
- ACDEH General Fee Schedule (food facility, plan check, mobile/temporary food, HMBP/CUPA, hazardous-waste generator, UST/APSA, and medical-waste generator fee tables)Alameda County Department of Environmental Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
- Food Permit online application portalAlameda County · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
- Food Safety and Inspection Program — Berkeley's own independent local health jurisdictionCity of Berkeley · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
- Food Safety Program — ACDEH's retail food jurisdictionAlameda County Department of Environmental Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
- Mobile Food Facilities ProgramAlameda County Department of Environmental Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
- Requirements for Food Facility Plans (plan check)Alameda County Department of Environmental Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
- Temporary Food Facility Permit or Catered Event Permit ApplicationAlameda County Department of Environmental Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
Other offices serving Alameda County
- Alameda County Community Development Agency, Planning Department
- Alameda County Department of Environmental Health, Hazardous Materials Division (Certified Unified Program Agency)
- Alameda County Sheriff's Office, Animal Services
- Alameda County Public Works Agency, Building Inspection Department (Permit Center)
- Alameda County Treasurer-Tax Collector, Business License Tax Unit
- Alameda County Clerk-Recorder
- Alameda County Fire Department, Fire Prevention Division
The full permit list for this jurisdiction
Industry permit lists that include this agency
California jurisdictions
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.