St. Joseph County

St. Joseph County Department of Health

In short

St. Joseph County Department of Health issues 6 permits we publish for St. Joseph 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
Permit	Issuing agency	Fee	Renews	Last checked
Mobile Retail Food Establishment Permit (St. Joseph County Department of Health)only if it applies to you	St. Joseph County Department of Health	Mobile Food Establishments: pre-packaged items $100 per unit; dispensing and food prep in unit $200 per unit. Seasonal Mobile: push carts $100 per unit.	no more than one calendar year's continuous operation (County Code 117.02(F)(2))	2026-10-15
Retail Food Service/Store Establishment Permit (St. Joseph County Department of Health)only if it applies to you	St. Joseph County Department of Health	Annual permit by the establishment's total gross sales for the preceding year, including all beverages and alcohol: $0.00–$49,999.99 $85; $50,000.00–$149,999.99 $115; $150,000.00–$249,999.99 $145; $250,000.00–$499,999.99 $175; $500,000.00–$749,999.99 $225; $750,000.00–$999,999.99 $275; $1,000,000.00–$1,249,999.99 $350; $1,250,000.00–$1,499,999.99 $375; $1,500,000.00 and up $425. Late fee 100% of the permit cost; replacement permit $25; Administration/Application fee $85; additional consultation or inspection $35 a visit; probationary fee $200.	January 1 to January 31 of the following year; renewed annually by January 31 (County Code 117.02(F)(1))	2026-10-15
Food Establishment Plan Review (St. Joseph County Department of Health)only if it applies to you	St. Joseph County Department of Health	Plan and Review, Application for Permanent Establishment Food Service, by floor area: under 3,000 sq ft $100; 3,001–30,000 sq ft $180; 30,001–40,000 sq ft $260; 40,001–60,000 sq ft $340; 60,001 sq ft and over $400. These amounts do not include the $85 Administration/Application fee or the annual permit fee. Failure to notify the Department of Health of new construction: a fine equal to the cost of the required plan review, and the plan review must still be submitted.	one-time review, approved before construction, conversion or extensive remodelling begins, followed by an opening inspection	2026-10-15
Temporary Food Establishment Permit (St. Joseph County Department of Health)only if it applies to you	St. Joseph County Department of Health	Temporary Permit: one-day event $35; two-to-three-day event $75; four-to-ten-day event $150; annual permit $375 a year. Late fee 100% of the permit cost; replacement permit $25.	a specified number of consecutive days for a single event or location; a new permit for each temporary event (County Code 117.02(J), 117.05(A))	2026-10-15
Public and Semi-Public Swimming Pool and Spa Permit (St. Joseph County Department of Health)only if it applies to you	St. Joseph County Department of Health	Swimming Pools and Spas (January–December): public swimming pool $155; public wading pool $85; spa $90. Summer Time Pools (May–September): public swimming pool $85; public wading pool $60; spa $65. Late fee 100% of the permit cost.	annual (January–December) or seasonal (May–September); renewed in April, by April 30	2026-10-15
Commercial Septic System and Commercial Well Permits (St. Joseph County Department of Health)only if it applies to you	St. Joseph County Department of Health	Environmental Unit Fee Schedule: commercial septic (new and replacement construction) $375; commercial septic repair $138; commercial well (new and replacement construction) $225.	per installation or repair	2026-10-15

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

Mobile Retail Food Establishment Permit (St. Joseph County Department of Health)

St. Joseph County Code 117.02(A)(1) requires a valid permit from the county health officer before a mobile retail food establishment operates in St. Joseph County, with a separate permit for each unit. Under 117.05(D) mobile fees are collected "for any vehicle that can pull to and set up at any location, then prepare/grill food", and all vehicle license plates for each mobile unit must be on file at the Department of Health for the permit to be valid. A mobile unit's plans and specifications are reviewed before it is built (117.03(A)(1)), and an opening inspection precedes the permit. The permit lasts for no more than one calendar year's continuous operation (117.02(F)(2)). As set in the Food Services Unit Fee Schedule in the Appendix: Schedule of Fines and Fees of the St. Joseph County Code (Ord. 95-19, 12-3-2019; Ord. 149-22, 12-13-2022; Ord. 90-24, 12-10-2024; Ord. 61-25, 10-14-2025), the fee is $100 per unit for pre-packaged items, $200 per unit for dispensing and food preparation in the unit, and $100 per unit for seasonal push carts. Under 117.04(E) a late fee applies for operating before obtaining the permit or for failing to obtain it within one week of the opening inspection approval. Permits are not transferable between locations, operators or owners. The department's phone is (574) 235-9750.

Retail Food Service/Store Establishment Permit (St. Joseph County Department of Health)

St. Joseph County Code 117.02(A)(1) makes it unlawful to operate a retail food service/store establishment "in St. Joseph County without first obtaining a valid permit from the health officer", so the permit applies in South Bend, Mishawaka and the towns as well as the unincorporated area. A separate permit is needed for each establishment, and for each entity sharing a building (117.02(I)); permits are not transferable between locations, operators or owners and must be posted where customers can see them. The applicant must pay the fee with the application and pass an opening inspection. The permit runs from January 1 to January 31 of the following year. Under 117.04(B) the fee is based on the establishment's total gross sales of food, including all beverages and alcohol, for the preceding year; a new operation's fee is based on gross sales from application to December 31 (117.04(A)(4)). As set in the Food Services Unit Fee Schedule in the Appendix: Schedule of Fines and Fees of the St. Joseph County Code (Ord. 95-19, 12-3-2019; Ord. 149-22, 12-13-2022; Ord. 90-24, 12-10-2024; Ord. 61-25, 10-14-2025), the annual fee runs from $85 for sales under $50,000 to $425 for $1.5 million and up. Under 117.04(E) a late fee of 100% of the permit cost applies for renewing after January 31, for operating before obtaining a permit, and for failing to obtain the permit within one week of the opening inspection approval; a change of ownership without notifying the Department of Health also carries a 100% late fee. A new owner of a continuously operating establishment may obtain a nonrenewable interim permit valid up to 90 days (117.02(G)). Under 117.04(D) an organisation exempt under IC 6-3-2 selling food at an event held for its own benefit pays no fee. The Department of Health's Permit Deadlines page lists January 31 for food service and food store annual permits; the department's phone is (574) 235-9750.

Food Establishment Plan Review (St. Joseph County Department of Health)

Under St. Joseph County Code 117.03(A)(1) the owner or agent of an existing or proposed retail food service/store establishment or mobile retail food establishment submits plans and specifications to the county Department of Health for review and approval before constructing the establishment, converting an existing structure to one, or extensively remodelling one where the department finds plans necessary. The plans show the type of operation, the type of food preparation and the menu, and the interior and exterior layout, and must be approved before construction starts; a pre-operational (opening) inspection then checks the work against the approved plans (117.03(A)(2)–(4)). Under 117.04(G) a newly constructed or renovated establishment pays a nonrefundable administrative fee for the review. As set in the Food Services Unit Fee Schedule in the Appendix: Schedule of Fines and Fees of the St. Joseph County Code (Ord. 95-19, 12-3-2019; Ord. 149-22, 12-13-2022; Ord. 90-24, 12-10-2024; Ord. 61-25, 10-14-2025), the plan review fee for a permanent establishment is $100 under 3,000 square feet, $180 for 3,001 to 30,000, $260 for 30,001 to 40,000, $340 for 40,001 to 60,000 and $400 for 60,001 square feet and over, excluding the $85 Administration/Application fee and the annual permit fee; the square-footage table is titled for permanent establishments. Failing to notify the department of new construction brings a fine equal to the plan review cost. Under 117.03(D)(1) every retail food service establishment installs a grease interceptor unless the St. Joseph County Building Department exempts it, and an establishment on a private septic system must meet state and county rules.

Temporary Food Establishment Permit (St. Joseph County Department of Health)

Under St. Joseph County Code 117.02(J) a temporary food establishment permit lasts no more than a specified number of consecutive days in connection with a single event or location, and is not issued until the temporary food establishment has had a yearly opening inspection by the Department of Health. Under 117.05(A) temporary permit fees are collected not less than one week before the event, copies of a permit are not valid permits, and a new permit is required for each temporary event. As set in the Food Services Unit Fee Schedule in the Appendix: Schedule of Fines and Fees of the St. Joseph County Code (Ord. 95-19, 12-3-2019; Ord. 149-22, 12-13-2022; Ord. 90-24, 12-10-2024; Ord. 61-25, 10-14-2025), the fee is $35 for a one-day event, $75 for a two-to-three-day event, $150 for a four-to-ten-day event and $375 a year for the annual temporary permit, with a replacement permit at $25. Under 117.04(E)(1)(d) a late fee, set at 100% of the permit cost, applies for failing to obtain the permit at least seven days before a scheduled temporary event. Under 117.04(D) an organisation exempt under IC 6-3-2 that sells food at an event held for its own benefit pays no fee. The permit applies throughout St. Joseph County, inside the cities and towns as well.

Public and Semi-Public Swimming Pool and Spa Permit (St. Joseph County Department of Health)

A fitness studio or club in St. Joseph County that operates a public or semi-public swimming pool, wading pool or spa needs a St. Joseph County Department of Health permit for it; a studio without a pool or spa has no pool permit. The department's Pool Program page says the programme permits and inspects public and semi-public pools and spas under the Indiana Department of Health's 410 IAC 6-2.1 and St. Joseph County Code chapter 95, that the Indiana Department of Homeland Security's Division of Fire and Building Safety reviews and approves construction plans, that county permits are processed after construction is complete, a satisfactory water sampling report is submitted and an inspection is passed, and that "Annual and seasonal pool and spa permits are renewed in April of each year." The Permit Deadlines page lists April 30 for pool and spa annual permits. As set in the County Code Appendix: Schedule of Fines and Fees (Ord. 95-19 through Ord. 61-25, 10-14-2025), a year-round permit costs $155 for a public swimming pool, $85 for a wading pool and $90 for a spa, and a May-to-September summer permit costs $85, $60 and $65; the late fee is 100% of the permit cost.

Commercial Septic System and Commercial Well Permits (St. Joseph County Department of Health)

A business site in St. Joseph County that is not on a public sewer or public water system and installs, replaces or repairs a commercial septic system, or drills a commercial well, goes through the St. Joseph County Department of Health's Environmental Unit; a site on public sewer and water has no septic or well permit. As set in the Environmental Unit Fee Schedule of the County Code Appendix: Schedule of Fines and Fees (Ord. 94-19 of December 3, 2019, as amended through Ord. 61-25 of October 14, 2025), a commercial septic system for new or replacement construction costs $375 and a commercial septic repair $138, and a commercial well for new or replacement construction costs $225. The same schedule sets separate registration fees for septic and well drilling contractors, which the Department of Health's Permit Deadlines page lists as due by January 31. For food businesses, County Code 117.03(D)(2) adds that a retail food service/store establishment with a private septic system must comply with all state and county regulations. Contact the Department of Health at (574) 235-9750.

Contact

Jurisdiction: St. Joseph County
Phone: (574) 235-9750
Website: www.in.gov/localhealth/stjosephcounty/

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.

Permit DeadlinesSt. Joseph County Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15
Pool ProgramSt. Joseph County Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15
St. Joseph County Code chapter 117, St. Joseph County Food Establishments (Ord. 49-05; Ord. 22-25, 4-8-2025)St. Joseph County, Indiana (codified by Municode) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15
St. Joseph County Code of Ordinances, Appendix: Schedule of Fines and Fees (current to Sep 23, 2026)St. Joseph County, Indiana (codified by Municode) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15

Other offices serving St. Joseph County

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