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Lake County

Lake County Health Department (Food Safety and Environmental Health Divisions)

In short

Lake County Health Department (Food Safety and Environmental Health Divisions) issues 4 permits we publish for Lake County, last verified 2026-10-15. 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
Annual Food Service Establishment Permit (Lake County Health Department)only if it applies to youLake County Health Department (Food Safety and Environmental Health Divisions)Annual Food Service Permit by number of employees: 1–4 $220; 4–9 (as printed) $280; 10–14 $340; 15–19 $400; 20–24 $460; 25–29 $520; 30–34 $580; 35–39 $640; 40–44 $700; 45–49 $760; 50–54 $820; 55–59 $880; 60–64 $940; 65 or more $1,000. New Establishment Application $20 (no plan review needed); New Establishment plan review: 1–24 employees $75, 25–49 $150, 50–65 $225. Replacement permit $10. Food service violation re-inspection $50. A new establishment applying between July 1 and December 31 pays 50% of the scale; an establishment operating four or fewer consecutive months in a calendar year pays one-third, and more than four but less than six consecutive months one-half. Renewal not paid by March 1: permit void, double fee to resume. Operating before obtaining the permit: double fee.calendar year; renewal fee due between January 1 and March 1 each year2026-10-15
Annual, Seasonal and Single-Event Temporary Food Permits (Lake County Health Department)only if it applies to youLake County Health Department (Food Safety and Environmental Health Divisions)Annual Temporary Permit $300; Seasonal Temporary Permit $150 per season; single-event Temporary Permit $20 per day, maximum $100 per event.annual permit: the calendar year; seasonal permit: six continuous months during the calendar year, per the department's 2026 notice; single-event permit: the event2026-10-15
Non-Tax-Supported Public Swimming Pool Permit (Lake County Health Department)only if it applies to youLake County Health Department (Food Safety and Environmental Health Divisions)Annual Non-Tax Supported Swimming Pool Permit $2,180; Seasonal Non-Tax Supported Swimming Pool Permit $670 (a pool operating only between May 15 and September 15). Annual renewal not paid by March 1: permit void, and a penalty of up to $1,000 to renew. Operating before obtaining the permit: double the regular fee.annual, or seasonal (May 15 to September 15); annual renewal due between January 1 and March 12026-10-15
On-Site Wastewater (Septic) Disposal Permit (Lake County Health Department)only if it applies to youLake County Health Department (Food Safety and Environmental Health Divisions)Commercial and residential new on-site wastewater disposal permit, trench type $250; new permit for mound and technologies new to Indiana as defined by code $275; repair permit $150. Well water sample collection fee $20.per installation or repair2026-10-15

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

Annual Food Service Establishment Permit (Lake County Health Department)

The Lake County Health Department's Permanent Food Service Establishments page states that "All food service establishments within the jurisdiction of the Lake County Health Department must obtain a permit" for the year before operating, and that a new establishment must receive a pre-inspection from the department before it opens. As set in Ord. 1336A-3, the Lake County health fee ordinance amendment signed October 14, 2025 and printed in the Lake County Council's minutes of that meeting, the annual Food Service Permit is priced by number of employees, from $220 for 1–4 employees to $1,000 for 65 or more (the second band is printed as "4-9 employees"). A new establishment pays a $20 application fee where no plan review is needed, or a plan review fee of $75, $150 or $225 by employee count; a replacement permit is $10 and a violation re-inspection $50. The ordinance pro-rates partial years: 50% for a new establishment applying from July 1 to December 31, one-third for four or fewer consecutive months of operation and one-half for more than four but less than six. Renewal is due between January 1 and March 1; if unpaid by March 1 the permit is void and the establishment may resume only after paying double the regular fee, and opening before obtaining a permit also brings a double fee. The ordinance sets assisted living facilities at the same rates. On jurisdiction, the department's 2026 temporary-permit notice excludes locations regulated by the East Chicago and Gary health departments, and the Indiana Department of Health's food protection directory lists those two departments separately from the county department. Food Safety contact: (219) 755-3655.

Annual, Seasonal and Single-Event Temporary Food Permits (Lake County Health Department)

As set in Ord. 1336A-3, the Lake County health fee ordinance amendment signed October 14, 2025 and printed in the Lake County Council's minutes of that meeting, the Annual Temporary Permit costs $300, the Seasonal Temporary Permit $150 per season and a single-event Temporary Permit $20 per day with a maximum of $100 per event. The Lake County Health Department's notice "Changes to Temporary, Seasonal, and Mobile Food Service Permits – Effective January 1, 2026" states that seasonal, mobile and temporary food service vendors operating out of an approved commissary no longer need a permit for each event: the Annual Temporary Permit allows operation "at locations throughout Lake County (except locations regulated by the East Chicago and Gary Health Departments)" for the calendar year, and the Seasonal Temporary Permit allows operation "for six continuous months during the calendar year". The notice says this covers festivals, farmers markets and other locations; that a vendor setting up somewhere other than an event registered with the department needs the property owner's written permission and must follow the rules of the city or town; that all temporary vendors must have a commissary unless the department approves an exemption; that permits must be posted in the booth or trailer; and that permits must be obtained seven days before an event, by mail or in person. Questions: (219) 755-3664.

Non-Tax-Supported Public Swimming Pool Permit (Lake County Health Department)

A fitness studio or club in Lake County that operates a public swimming pool not supported by taxes needs a Lake County Health Department pool permit; a studio without a pool has no pool permit. As set in Ord. 1336A-3, the Lake County health fee ordinance amendment signed October 14, 2025 and printed in the Lake County Council's minutes of that meeting, the Annual Non-Tax Supported Swimming Pool Permit costs $2,180 and the Seasonal permit $670, a seasonal public swimming pool being one that is only operational between May 15 and September 15. Every operator of an annual pool pays the renewal fee between January 1 and March 1; if it is not paid by March 1 the permit is void, and the pool may reopen only after securing a permit and paying a penalty of up to $1,000. An owner who opens the pool before obtaining the permit pays double the regular fee. The department's Swimming Pools page describes plan submission, review and inspections at stages of construction, and links the pool permit application fee form.

On-Site Wastewater (Septic) Disposal Permit (Lake County Health Department)

A business site in Lake County that is not on a public sewer and installs or repairs an on-site wastewater (septic) system needs a Lake County Health Department permit; a site on a public sewer has no septic permit. As set in Ord. 1336A-3, the Lake County health fee ordinance amendment signed October 14, 2025 and printed in the Lake County Council's minutes of that meeting, the Environmental fees are $250 for a new commercial or residential on-site wastewater disposal permit of the trench type, $275 for a new permit using a mound or technologies new to Indiana as defined by code, and $150 for a repair permit, with a $20 well water sample collection fee. The Lake County Plan Commission's Procedure for Requesting a Building Permit lists Lake County Health Department approval among the approval letters that must accompany a commercial building permit application where the proposed sewage disposal is by septic tank, and a final health department approval among the items needed before a final inspection. The department's Septic Systems page links the septic permit application.

Contact

Jurisdiction
Lake County
Phone
(219) 755-3655

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. Changes to Temporary, Seasonal, and Mobile Food Service Permits – Effective January 1, 2026Lake County Health Department, Indiana · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15
  2. Food Protection Contacts by CountyIndiana Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15
  3. Lake County Council, Regular Meeting Minutes, October 14, 2025 (signed text of Ord. 1336A-3, health fees)Lake County Council, Indiana · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15
  4. Permanent Food Service EstablishmentsLake County Health Department, Indiana · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15
  5. Procedure for Requesting a Building PermitLake County Plan Commission, Indiana · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15
  6. Septic Systems (Inspections and Permits)Lake County Health Department, Indiana · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15
  7. Swimming Pools (Inspections and Permits)Lake County Health Department, Indiana · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15

Other offices serving Lake County

The full permit list for this jurisdiction

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Indiana jurisdictions

Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.