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Ventura County

Ventura County RMA Environmental Health Division

In short

Ventura County RMA Environmental Health Division issues 4 permits we publish for Ventura County, last verified 2026-10-02. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.

What this agency issues

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Food Facility / Community Services Program PermitVentura County RMA Environmental Health Division$271–$2,912 Annual, Community Services Program Fees 2026-2027 (effective July 1, 2026). Restaurant, by seating: 1-49 seats $802, 50-149 seats $1,183, 150+ seats $1,446. Mobile Food Facility: Type 1 (prepackaged/produce, no refrigeration) $271, Type 2 (ice cream/packaged-food catering/fish/grocery) $384, Type 3 (hot dog cart, coffee or cappuccino cart or trailer, churro/pretzel, shaved ice) $511, Type 4 (catering truck/mobile kitchen trailer) $654; Mobile Support Unit $654. Market, by square footage: $566 (1-499 sq ft) up to $2,912 (40,000+ sq ft) across eleven size tiers. Bakery $649 (under 2,000 sq ft) or $677 (2,000 sq ft or more). Cottage Food Operation: Class A $259 initial / $130 annual renewal; Class B $375/year. A short-term permit of 180 days or fewer is 50% of the regular fee or the hourly rate, whichever is greater. Replacement or transfer fee $38; late payment adds 10% (31-60 days) or 30% (over 60 days) of the renewal fee.Annual; a short-term permit (180 days or fewer) is 50% of the regular fee or the hourly rate, whichever is greater2026-10-02
Onsite Wastewater Treatment System (OWTS/Septic) Permitonly if it applies to youVentura County RMA Environmental Health Division$154–$2,424 Per service, Schedule of Fees for Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems (OWTS), 2026-27. New conventional OWTS application $1,273; new alternate OWTS application $2,424; conventional permit-to-construct $573; alternate permit-to-construct $677; full certification of an existing OWTS $1,171; setback certification $415; mini setback certification $154; repair or replacement of a dispersal area $367; alternate methods/materials evaluation $560; non-hazardous liquid waste holding tank $1,344; septic pumping vehicle annual registration $292.Per service; the septic-pumping-vehicle registration is annual2026-10-02
Body Art Program Permitonly if it applies to youVentura County RMA Environmental Health Division$45–$1,796.49 RMA Environmental Health Division Body Art Program fees, effective July 1, 2026: Practitioner $199.61; Practitioner-Owner $99.81; Facility $598.83; Vehicle $299.42; Temporary Event Organizer (3 or more booths) $1,796.49 or (1-2 booths) $798.44; Temporary Event Booth $99.81; Facility Plan Check $1,197.66; Vehicle Plan Check $598.83; one-time mechanical ear-piercing notification $45.00.Annual for a practitioner, facility or vehicle permit; per-event for a temporary event permit; the ear-piercing notification is a one-time fee2026-10-02
Medical Waste Program Fee — Veterinaryonly if it applies to youVentura County RMA Environmental Health Division$473 Annual, per facility — 'Veterinary Hospital (LQG)' and 'Veterinary (LQG)' categories (LQG: Large Quantity Generator tier), effective July 1, 2026Annual2026-10-02

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

Food Facility / Community Services Program Permit

A restaurant, coffee shop, food truck or any retail store that sells food in Ventura County, in both the incorporated cities and the unincorporated area, needs a Permit to Operate from the RMA Environmental Health Division under the California Retail Food Code. A brick-and-mortar coffee shop is priced on the Restaurant seating tiers ($802-$1,446 by seat count), while a cart or trailer version falls under Mobile Food Facility Type 3 ($511) alongside hot dog carts and churro or shaved-ice carts. A food truck is priced under whichever Mobile Food Facility type matches its equipment and menu ($271-$654) and commonly also needs a separate commissary arrangement for support functions. A retail store selling food falls under the Market category, priced by square footage from $566 to $2,912. A licensed child day care facility's kitchen is not among the industries this permit applies to: California Health and Safety Code §113789(c)(8) excludes 'a child day care facility, as defined in Section 1596.750' from the statutory definition of 'food facility' that this entire permitting scheme implements.

Onsite Wastewater Treatment System (OWTS/Septic) Permit

Any of the 10 tracked industries operating from a location in unincorporated Ventura County that is not connected to a public sewer system needs an Onsite Wastewater Treatment System (OWTS, commonly called septic) permit from the RMA Environmental Health Division, whether for a new system, certification of an existing one, a repair, or a modification. The FY 2026-27 fee schedule prices each service separately rather than as a single permit fee: a new conventional system costs $1,273 to apply for and an alternate system $2,424, while certifying an existing system costs $1,171 and a narrower setback certification costs $154 to $415. A business connected to a public sewer system, which includes most commercial space inside the incorporated cities, does not need this permit.

Body Art Program Permit

A salon in Ventura County that performs body art — tattooing, body piercing or branding — needs a Body Art Program permit from the RMA Environmental Health Division, countywide, in both the incorporated cities and the unincorporated area. The annual fee runs from $99.81 for a practitioner-owner up to $1,796.49 for a temporary event with three or more booths, plus a one-time $45 notification fee for a business that performs only mechanical ear piercing. Ordinary hair and nail services are licensed by the California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology, a state board, rather than this county program, so a salon limited to hair and nail services does not need this permit.

Medical Waste Program Fee — Veterinary

A veterinary practice in Ventura County that generates medical or biohazardous waste must register annually in the county's Medical Waste Program, administered by the RMA Environmental Health Division in its role as the state-designated Certified Unified Program Agency (CUPA). The program's fee schedule, effective July 1, 2026, lists two veterinary categories at the Large Quantity Generator (LQG) tier — 'Veterinary Hospital (LQG)' and 'Veterinary (LQG)' — each priced at $473 per year; the schedule's other tiers, covering hospitals and clinics generating other waste types, do not apply to the 10 tracked industries. This fee is separate from, and in addition to, any California Veterinary Medical Board practice-licensing requirement.

Contact

Jurisdiction
Ventura County
Phone
805-654-2813

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.

  1. Body Art Program Fees, effective July 1, 2026Ventura County RMA Environmental Health Division · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
  2. Community Services Program Fees, 2026-2027 (effective July 1, 2026)Ventura County RMA Environmental Health Division · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
  3. Medical Waste Program Fees, effective July 1, 2026Ventura County RMA Environmental Health Division (CUPA) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
  4. Schedule of Fees for Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems (OWTS), 2026-27Ventura County RMA Environmental Health Division · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02

Other offices serving Ventura County

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.