Georgia — statewide
Georgia Department of Public Health, Environmental Health Section
In short
Georgia Department of Public Health, Environmental Health Section issues 2 permits we publish for Georgia — statewide, last verified 2026-09-03. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food Service Permit | Georgia Department of Public Health, Environmental Health Section | $240–$1,050 a year, set by the county board of health — no state fee, floor or ceiling | the permit is valid until suspended or revoked, but counties bill an annual fee | 2026-09-03 |
| Certified Food Safety Manageronly if it applies to you | Georgia Department of Public Health, Environmental Health Section | No fee | set by the certifying organisation, not by Georgia | 2026-09-03 |
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 Service Permit
Georgia sets the sanitation standard, the permit form, the inspection regime and the manager certification rule, and then sets no fee at all — the state's food service rule chapter contains no dollar figure anywhere. Every dollar is the county board of health's, with no statutory cap or floor, and the counties do not even band the same way: Fulton by risk type alone at $450, $600 or $750; Gwinnett, Newton and Rockdale by risk type crossed with seating from $260 to $1,050; DeKalb by cooking category crossed with risk points and floor area from $250 to $800. The range recorded here spans the verified county schedules rather than pretending to a single number. Plan review is required statewide but priced locally, and applications must be filed at least ten business days before opening. One jurisdictional trap: restaurants are not regulated by the Department of Agriculture, which covers food sales rather than food service.
Certified Food Safety Manager
No state fee: under rule 511-6-1-.03 the certificate comes from an accredited programme rather than from the state, and the department links straight out to the accreditation directory. At least one employee with supervisory and management authority must hold it, designated to a single establishment. Three exemptions sit in the rule: a mobile unit that does not process food, an establishment serving only food that needs no temperature control and limited preparation, and a temporary establishment. A sixty-day grace period runs from a new permit, a change of ownership or the loss of your certified manager, and the original certificate must be posted in public view. The food service rules (chapter 511-6-1) set no food handler card requirement for ordinary staff — the words do not appear in them; the model instead is that the person in charge demonstrates knowledge to the inspector.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Georgia — statewide
- Phone
- (404) 657-2700
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.
- Fulton County Board of Health environmental health fee schedule, exhibit A to resolution 26-0451, adopted 5 August 2026Fulton County Board of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- Georgia Comp. R. & Regs. chapter 511-6-1 — food service, including the permit requirement and the certified food safety manager ruleGeorgia Department of Public Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- GNR Public Health — Gwinnett County environmental health fee scheduleGwinnett, Newton and Rockdale County Health Departments · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
Other Georgia statewide offices
- Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division
- Georgia State Licensing Board for Residential and Commercial General Contractors
- Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning
- Georgia Department of Revenue, Taxpayer Services Division
- Georgia State Board of Cosmetology and Barbers
- Georgia State Board of Veterinary Medicine
- Georgia State Construction Industry Licensing Board
Georgia jurisdictions
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.