San Luis Obispo County
County of San Luis Obispo Health Agency, Environmental Health Services
In short
County of San Luis Obispo Health Agency, Environmental Health Services issues 5 permits we publish for San Luis Obispo County, last verified 2026-10-24. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Food Facility Health Permit | County of San Luis Obispo Health Agency, Environmental Health Services | Annual, per facility: Bars (no food preparation) $545. Restaurants, seating 10 and under: full food preparation $727, moderate $683, minimal $663; seating 11-50: full $876, moderate $792, minimal $769; seating over 50: full $926, moderate $889, minimal $881. Retail Food Production/Retail Markets, less than 150 sq ft: full $496, moderate $479, minimal $463; 150-5,000 sq ft: full $645, moderate $628, minimal $560; 5,001-10,000 sq ft: full $893, moderate $833, minimal $825; greater than 10,000 sq ft: full $975, moderate $947, minimal $937. Plan review, new construction: under 500 sq ft $1,275; 501-5,000 sq ft $1,500; 5,001-10,000 sq ft $1,910; over 10,000 sq ft $2,056 (per new facility); minor remodel $1,035; major remodel $1,293 (per remodel). | annual | 2026-10-24 |
| Mobile Food Facility Health Permit | County of San Luis Obispo Health Agency, Environmental Health Services | Annual, per facility: Mobile Food Facility (Push Cart) $539; Mobile Food Facility (Preparation Unit) $716; Mobile Support Unit $487. Plan review, new facility: Push Cart $908; Preparation Unit $1,195. Remodel: Push Cart $626; Preparation Unit $645. | annual | 2026-10-24 |
| Temporary Food Facility Permit (community events)only if it applies to you | County of San Luis Obispo Health Agency, Environmental Health Services | Temporary Food Facility - Single Event $281; Temporary Food Facility - Single Event - Pre packaged $181; Temporary Food Facility - Multiple Events $372 (the schedule prints the unit 'facility/yr' on these three lines); Temporary Food Event Organizer Fee $372 per event. | per event, or multiple events as listed | 2026-10-24 |
| Body Art Facility Permit and Practitioner Registrationonly if it applies to you | County of San Luis Obispo Health Agency, Environmental Health Services | Body Art Facility Permit $812 (facility/yr); Mobile Body Art Facility Permit $349 (facility/yr); Temporary Body Art Facility Permit $165; Body Art Practitioner Annual Registration $190 (practitioner/yr); Temporary Body Art Event Sponsor $248 per event. New construction: Body Art Facility $512; Mobile Body Art Facility $330 (per new facility). | annual | 2026-10-24 |
| Public Swimming Pool / Spa Health Permitonly if it applies to you | County of San Luis Obispo Health Agency, Environmental Health Services | Annual, per facility: Single Pool & Spa $934; Two Pools/Spas at same site $1,058; Three $1,113; Four or more $1,538; Twenty or more $2,200. Seasonal: Single Pool & Spa $760; two $885; three $942; four or more $1,053. New construction: spa $1,346 per new spa; swimming pool $1,556 per new pool. | annual | 2026-10-24 |
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
Retail Food Facility Health Permit
A restaurant, coffee shop, bar or market that sells food needs an annual health permit from Environmental Health Services, whose page offers 'a permit to operate a food facility located within San Luis Obispo County' and states: 'It is unlawful to begin operation of a new Permanent Food Facility without first receiving approval from an inspector in addition to a valid Health Permit to Operate.' Health permits are non-transferable. The annual fee depends on seating capacity for restaurants or floor area for retail markets, and on the level of food preparation; new facilities and remodels also pay plan review. All amounts are from Schedule B fund center 160-02, adopted in Ordinance No. 3596 on May 5, 2026 and in effect July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027; the Environmental Health Services 2026/2027 fee sheet shows the same amounts. Schedule B footnote 12 states that for a new business 'annual fees shall be prorated on a Quarterly basis for the remaining part of the year, however no fee shall be prorated to an amount less than the BOS approved hourly rate.'
Mobile Food Facility Health Permit
A food truck or cart operating in San Luis Obispo County needs a mobile food facility health permit from Environmental Health Services. Its page says 'all Mobile Food Facilities must undergo an initial consultation or construction plan check' before a permit is issued, that 'it is unlawful to build a Mobile Food Facility without prior written approval from this office', and that 'it is unlawful to operate a Mobile Food Facility without the health permit sticker affixed to the exterior.' An operation that depends on a Mobile Support Unit for daily servicing needs a separate health permit for that unit. Fees are listed under the Schedule B names Push Cart, Preparation Unit and Mobile Support Unit, per Schedule B fund center 160-02, adopted in Ordinance No. 3596 on May 5, 2026 and in effect July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027. Schedule B footnote 12 states that for a new business 'annual fees shall be prorated on a Quarterly basis for the remaining part of the year, however no fee shall be prorated to an amount less than the BOS approved hourly rate.'
Temporary Food Facility Permit (community events)
Selling food from a booth at a community event needs a temporary food facility permit from Environmental Health Services. The single-event application says 'Prior to an event, temporary food facilities must obtain a permit to operate' under the California Health and Safety Code, that the application is due to the health department two weeks before the event, and: 'THIS IS NOT A PERMIT TO OPERATE. YOU MUST OBTAIN WRITTEN APPROVAL FROM ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SERVICES BEFORE OPERATING. APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED WITHOUT PAYMENT WILL BE REJECTED.' The fee is $281 for a single event, $181 for a single event selling only pre-packaged food and $372 for multiple events, and an event organizer pays $372 per event, per Schedule B fund center 160-02, adopted in Ordinance No. 3596 on May 5, 2026 and in effect July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027.
Body Art Facility Permit and Practitioner Registration
A salon or studio offering tattooing, body piercing or permanent cosmetics needs a body art facility health permit from Environmental Health Services, and each person doing the work holds an annual practitioner registration. The county's page says 'Body Art Facility operations include application of tattoos, body piercing, and permanent cosmetics performed by registered body art practitioners', and that practitioners 'submit their registration documents required annually'. A salon offering only hair, nail or skin services without body art has no body art permit. The facility permit is $812 a year and practitioner registration $190 a year, per Schedule B fund center 160-02, adopted in Ordinance No. 3596 on May 5, 2026 and in effect July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027. Schedule B footnote 12 states that for a new business 'annual fees shall be prorated on a Quarterly basis for the remaining part of the year, however no fee shall be prorated to an amount less than the BOS approved hourly rate.'
Public Swimming Pool / Spa Health Permit
A gym or fitness studio that operates a public pool or spa needs a health permit from Environmental Health Services; the county's page covers 'all businesses wishing to obtain an initial permit or renew a permit to operate a public swimming pool and/or spa pool facility within San Luis Obispo County' and states: 'It is unlawful to begin operation of a new Public Pool and/or Spa Facility without first receiving approval from an inspector in addition to a valid Health Permit to Operate.' Health permits are non-transferable. A studio without a pool or spa has no pool permit. The annual fee is $934 for a single pool and spa, rising with the number of pools or spas at the site, with lower seasonal rates, per Schedule B fund center 160-02, adopted in Ordinance No. 3596 on May 5, 2026 and in effect July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027. Schedule B footnote 12 states that for a new business 'annual fees shall be prorated on a Quarterly basis for the remaining part of the year, however no fee shall be prorated to an amount less than the BOS approved hourly rate.'
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- San Luis Obispo County
- Phone
- (805) 781-5544
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.
- Body Art Permitting and InspectionsCounty of San Luis Obispo Health Agency, Environmental Health Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-24
- Community Event and Food Booths Permit ApplicationCounty of San Luis Obispo Health Agency, Environmental Health Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-24
- Environmental Health Services FeesCounty of San Luis Obispo Health Agency, Environmental Health Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-24
- Food Facility Health PermittingCounty of San Luis Obispo Health Agency, Environmental Health Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-24
- Mobile Food Facility Health PermittingCounty of San Luis Obispo Health Agency, Environmental Health Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-24
- Ordinance No. 3596 — Ordinance Amending County Fee Schedule BCounty of San Luis Obispo Board of Supervisors · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-24
- Public Swimming Pool/Spa Pool Health PermittingCounty of San Luis Obispo Health Agency, Environmental Health Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-24
- Schedule B FY 2026-27 Fee Schedule — Fund Center 160-02, Public Health - Environmental HealthCounty of San Luis Obispo · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-24
- Temporary Food Facility — Single Event ApplicationCounty of San Luis Obispo Health Agency, Environmental Health Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-24
Other offices serving San Luis Obispo County
The full permit list for this jurisdiction
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