San Diego
San Diego County Department of Environmental Health and Quality, Food and Housing Division
In short
San Diego County Department of Environmental Health and Quality, Food and Housing Division issues 2 permits we publish for San Diego, last verified 2026-09-05. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local Food Handler Card | San Diego County Department of Environmental Health and Quality, Food and Housing Division | $2 for the county's in-person training packet; DEHQ-approved online providers typically charge around $13, which bundles in the county's portion | 3 years | 2026-09-05 |
| Food Establishment Permit | San Diego County Department of Environmental Health and Quality, Food and Housing Division | Banded by employee count, effective July 10, 2026: 1 to 10 employees — $842.00; 11 to 25 — $987.00; 26 to 100 — $1,170.00; 101 or more — $2,087.00. Each additional food-preparation area beyond three at the same restaurant adds a further $649.00. | annual, continuing to renew and accrue fees until the owner formally requests it be inactivated | 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
Local Food Handler Card
San Diego County runs its own local food handler card program and is carved out of California's statewide food handler card law entirely — a card issued anywhere else in California is explicitly not accepted here, only a San Diego County-specific card satisfies this requirement.
Food Establishment Permit
San Diego County, not the City, runs the entire restaurant inspection program across all eighteen incorporated cities plus unincorporated areas. The employee-count tier mapping above follows the county's current official fee schedule (revised July 29, 2026); fee quotes based on older readings of the schedule may place a business in a different band, so check the band against the current schedule.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- San Diego
- Phone
- (858) 505-6666
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.
- San Diego County DEHQ — food facility permit FAQ, confirming annual renewal until inactivatedSan Diego County Department of Environmental Health and Quality · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
- San Diego County DEHQ — food facility permit fee schedule, revised July 29, 2026, effective July 10, 2026; content supplied directly by the requester after this PDF timed out on every automated attemptSan Diego County Department of Environmental Health and Quality · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
- San Diego County DEHQ — local food handler card program, exempt from the statewide card lawSan Diego County Department of Environmental Health and Quality · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
Other offices serving San Diego
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.