Winnebago County

Winnebago County Health Department, Center for Environmental Health Improvement

In short

Winnebago County Health Department, Center for Environmental Health Improvement issues 5 permits we publish for Winnebago County, last verified 2026-10-23. 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
Permit	Issuing agency	Fee	Renews	Last checked
Food Establishment Permit (Annual)	Winnebago County Health Department, Center for Environmental Health Improvement	$287.72–$863.16 per year by category: Category I $863.16; Category II $575.44; Category III $287.72	calendar year	2026-10-23
Mobile Food Unit (Vehicle-Mounted) Permit	Winnebago County Health Department, Center for Environmental Health Improvement	$575.44 per year (Category II annual permit for "all vehicle mounted food service facilities")	annual	2026-10-23
Temporary Food Establishment Permitonly if it applies to you	Winnebago County Health Department, Center for Environmental Health Improvement	Per six-month period (May 1–October 31 or November 1–April 30), Category I / II / III: A (1 event) $143.86 / $95.91 / $47.95; B (2–4 events) $172.63 / $115.09 / $57.54; C (5–8 events) $201.40 / $134.27 / $67.13; D (9–12 events) $230.18 / $153.45 / $76.73; E (13–20 events) $258.95 / $172.63 / $86.32; F (21–26 events) $287.72 / $191.81 / $95.91; commissary permit $287.72 where required; Organizing Entity registration $50.00	six-month period (May 1–October 31 or November 1–April 30)	2026-10-23
Food Establishment Plan Reviewonly if it applies to you	Winnebago County Health Department, Center for Environmental Health Improvement	$287.72–$863.16 per review, paid at submission: Category I $863.16; Category II $575.44; Category III $287.72	one-time, per project	2026-10-23
Food Establishment Change of Owner / Request for Inspectiononly if it applies to you	Winnebago County Health Department, Center for Environmental Health Improvement	$143.86–$575.44 per inspection: Category I $575.44; Category II $287.72; Category III $143.86	one-time, per change of owner or requested inspection	2026-10-23

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 Establishment Permit (Annual)

Sec. 50-76(a) of the Winnebago County Food Code requires a Health Department permit to operate a food establishment, and Sec. 50-76(b) requires the application at least 30 days before opening. The Health Department's permit page states that its Environmental Health inspectors "inspect and permit all food establishments in Winnebago County", so the permit applies inside Rockford, Loves Park and the other municipalities as well as in unincorporated areas. Sec. 50-65(d) applies the article to "food establishments and retail stores". The annual fee is $863.16 for Category I, $575.44 for Category II and $287.72 for Category III, with categories defined in Sec. 50-66. The same table sets re-inspection fees of $287.72, $215.79 and $143.86 by category, and Sec. 50-77(b) sets a $75.00 variance fee. Figures are per Winnebago County Code of Ordinances Chapter 50, Article III (Food Code), as posted by the Health Department ("Article III – Food Establishments 2025 Revisions"); the ordinance amending Article III was approved by the County Board on March 26, 2026 (minutes item 28.A), and the fees increase by CPI each December 1 beginning in 2027. The permit page states that renewals are mailed in October and are due by December 15.

Mobile Food Unit (Vehicle-Mounted) Permit

Sec. 50-77(a)(1)(b) of the Winnebago County Food Code places "all vehicle mounted food service facilities" in Category II for an annual permit, at $575.44 per year. Sec. 50-77(a)(1)(c) places "vehicle mounted door-to-door sales facilities" in Category III, at $287.72 per year. Sec. 50-217 requires a mobile food unit to operate from a commissary. The Health Department's permit page lists the Mobile Food Vendor Permit. For work at fairs, festivals and other events, the code's commissary-sharing definition treats a mobile food unit as a temporary food establishment, so a food truck also takes temporary food establishment permits for the events it serves. Figures are per Winnebago County Code of Ordinances Chapter 50, Article III (Food Code), as posted by the Health Department ("Article III – Food Establishments 2025 Revisions"); the ordinance amending Article III was approved by the County Board on March 26, 2026 (minutes item 28.A), and the fees increase by CPI each December 1 beginning in 2027.

Temporary Food Establishment Permit

The Winnebago County Food Code's temporary food establishment definition names "existing restaurants, caterers, churches" among the operators who serve at events, and its commissary-sharing definition names a "temporary food establishment (i.e. mobile food unit…)". The permit is priced by category and by the number of events in a six-month period (May 1 to October 31 or November 1 to April 30): a single event costs $143.86, $95.91 or $47.95 for Category I, II or III, rising to $287.72, $191.81 or $95.91 for 21 to 26 events. A commissary permit is $287.72 where required, and an Organizing Entity registration is $50.00. Sec. 50-77(a)(1)(g) requires application and payment at least two weeks before the event. A separate Special Event permit (Category II / III: $95.91 / $47.95 for one event, $115.09 / $57.54 for 2–4, $134.27 / $67.13 for 5–8) is defined in Sec. 50-66 for a vendor with "no licensed commissary or an annual permit", and food establishments holding annual permits are excluded from it. Figures are per Winnebago County Code of Ordinances Chapter 50, Article III (Food Code), as posted by the Health Department ("Article III – Food Establishments 2025 Revisions"); the ordinance amending Article III was approved by the County Board on March 26, 2026 (minutes item 28.A), and the fees increase by CPI each December 1 beginning in 2027.

Food Establishment Plan Review

Sec. 50-86 of the Winnebago County Food Code provides for Health Department review of food establishment plans, and Sec. 50-217 applies the code's requirements to mobile food units and their commissaries. The plan review fee is $863.16 for Category I, $575.44 for Category II and $287.72 for Category III, paid when the plans are submitted. Figures are per Winnebago County Code of Ordinances Chapter 50, Article III (Food Code), as posted by the Health Department ("Article III – Food Establishments 2025 Revisions"); the ordinance amending Article III was approved by the County Board on March 26, 2026 (minutes item 28.A), and the fees increase by CPI each December 1 beginning in 2027. A restaurant, coffee shop, grocery or food truck building out a new operation in Winnebago County submits plans before the annual permit is issued.

Food Establishment Change of Owner / Request for Inspection

Sec. 50-76(d) of the Winnebago County Food Code addresses a change in ownership of a permitted food establishment, and the fee table in Sec. 50-77(a)(2) lists a Change of Owner / Request for Inspection fee of $575.44 for Category I, $287.72 for Category II and $143.86 for Category III. Figures are per Winnebago County Code of Ordinances Chapter 50, Article III (Food Code), as posted by the Health Department ("Article III – Food Establishments 2025 Revisions"); the ordinance amending Article III was approved by the County Board on March 26, 2026 (minutes item 28.A), and the fees increase by CPI each December 1 beginning in 2027. A buyer taking over an existing restaurant, coffee shop or food store in Winnebago County is the typical case; contact the Health Department's Environmental Health section at 815-720-4100 about the inspection for a specific change of owner.

Contact

Jurisdiction: Winnebago County
Phone: 815-720-4100
Website: publichealth.wincoil.gov/how-do-i/get-a-permit-or-license/

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.

Article III – Food Establishments 2025 Revisions (Winnebago County Code of Ordinances Chapter 50, Article III)Winnebago County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-24
County Board Agenda Packet, April 23, 2026 (Minutes of the Regular Adjourned Meeting of March 26, 2026)Winnebago County Board · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-24
County Board Agenda Packet, March 12, 2026 (Ordinance Amending Chapter 50, Article III (Food Code); Winnebago County Food Code Briefing)Winnebago County Board · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-24
Get a Permit or LicenseWinnebago County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-24

Other offices serving Winnebago County

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