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Omaha

Douglas County Health Department, Food Safety & Compliance

In short

Douglas County Health Department, Food Safety & Compliance issues 2 permits we publish for Omaha, last verified 2026-09-11. 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
Food Establishment PermitDouglas County Health Department, Food Safety & Compliance$249–$583 a year, by permit type as determined by the DCHD inspector — Drink Only $249.00; Food & Drink $583.00 — plus a one-time Initial Permit Fee for a new establishment ($100.00 Drink Only; $200.00 Food & Drink). A new establishment's first-year fee is pro-rated by quarter: 100% January-March, 75% April-June, 50% July-September, 25% October-December (Food & Drink $583.00, $437.00, $292.00, $146.00; Drink Only $249.00, $187.00, $125.00, $62.00).annual — a food establishment permit runs January 1 to December 31, with renewal required by January 1 (OMC §11-263)2026-09-11
Mobile Food Unit / Pushcart Permit (Douglas County Health Department)Douglas County Health Department, Food Safety & Compliance$168–$583 annual sticker permit, by permit type — Mobile Food & Drink Vendor $583.00 (plus a one-time $200.00 Initial Permit Fee for a new unit); Mobile Drink Only Vendor $249.00 (plus $100.00); Mobile Retail Vendor $168.00 (plus $50.00); Ice Cream Push Carts $189.00 for 1-10 carts or $284.00 for 11 or more. Not pro-rated. The final permit type is determined by the assigned DCHD inspector.annual — sticker permits expire March 31 each year (the permit year runs April 1 through March 31)2026-09-11

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

The Douglas County Health Department, not the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, issues this permit for Omaha: OMC §11-263 makes it unlawful to operate a food establishment in the city without a permit approved by the health officer, and provides that the fees are determined by the county board of health with the approval of the board of county commissioners and paid to the Health Department. DCHD's own Permit Types page publishes the fee table (headed 'Permit Types for 2025'): a Food & Drink permit, for an establishment that prepares, cooks, cools, holds, reheats, serves or otherwise handles TCS and non-TCS food and drink, is $583.00 a year, and a Drink Only permit, for one that dispenses beverages or non-TCS foods needing limited handling and preparation, is $249.00 a year. A new establishment also pays a one-time Initial Permit Fee ($200.00 or $100.00) covering application processing, plan review and pre-opening inspections, including any certificate-of-occupancy inspection. The inspector determines the permit type at the opening or Certificate of Occupancy inspection and DCHD collects payment once the inspector approves the facility to open; applications must be received at least 14 days before the intended opening date or Certificate of Occupancy inspection. DCHD's application page also states that every new establishment pays a separate one-time Nebraska Department of Agriculture permit fee, which DCHD collects and forwards to NDA. DCHD's 'Do I Need A Food Permit?' page states that all food establishments must apply, and lists as exempt from a DCHD permit cottage food vendors, whole-produce stands and bottle clubs that only open or sell non-TCS pre-packaged drinks (a bottle club that washes dishes, prepares mixed drinks or uses ice needs a permit); warehouses, distributors, co-packers and manufacturers apply with the Nebraska Department of Agriculture instead. A permit must be posted and is not transferable from person to person or place to place, so a change of ownership requires a new permit.

Mobile Food Unit / Pushcart Permit (Douglas County Health Department)

A county-specific fee table, confirmed live from DCHD's own Mobile Units & Pushcart Permits page and set independently of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture's retail food establishment fee recorded at the state layer: Mobile Food & Drink Vendor $583.00, Mobile Drink Only Vendor $249.00 and Mobile Retail Vendor $168.00 a year, each with a one-time Initial Permit Fee for a new unit ($200.00, $100.00 and $50.00), and Ice Cream Push Carts $189.00 for 1-10 carts or $284.00 for 11 or more. DCHD's Permit Types table lists the same mobile fee in every quarter, so unlike the fixed-establishment permits these are not pro-rated, and the inspector makes the final determination of permit type. A unit must operate out of a licensed commissary (commercial kitchen) and have hot and cold running water; an operator who is not the commissary's permit holder must file a notarized Commissary Kitchen Certification Form before the sticker permit is issued, and DCHD allows one free commissary switch a year. Renewal is by an inspection appointment with the assigned inspector. Sticker permits are non-transferable, so a buyer of a previously permitted unit applies as a new unit, and a new unit also pays a one-time Nebraska Department of Agriculture permit fee for a state ID, which DCHD collects and forwards and which applies again on a change of commissary or ownership. This DCHD permit is separate from, and additional to, the City of Omaha's own Mobile Food Vendor license (recorded below) and the Peddler Permit under OMC §19-89, both of which DCHD's page lists among the other permits required.

Contact

Jurisdiction
Omaha
Phone
(402) 444-7480

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. Do I Need A Food Permit? — states that all food establishments must apply for a DCHD permit, that permits are non-transferable (a change of ownership needs a new permit), and lists the permit exemptions (cottage food vendors, whole-produce stands, and bottle clubs that only open or sell non-TCS pre-packaged drinks), with warehouses, distributors, co-packers and manufacturers applying to the Nebraska Department of Agriculture instead; states no dollar figure for the standard permitDouglas County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
  2. Food Establishment Permit Application — the Department's application portal page: applications due at least 14 days before opening; permit type determined by the inspector at the opening or Certificate of Occupancy inspection; payment collected once the inspector approves the facility to open; and a separate one-time Nebraska Department of Agriculture permit fee for every new establishment, collected by DCHD and forwarded to NDADouglas County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-18
  3. Food Industry Specifics — states that a restaurant needs a Food Permit from the Douglas County Health Department, and a food truck needs both a DCHD Mobile Food Vendor Permit and a separate City of Omaha Mobile Food Vendor Permit, plus a Peddler's Permit for outdoor food salesCity of Omaha ONEBiz (small-business portal) · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-11
  4. Mobile Units & Pushcart Permits — DCHD's live mobile permit fee table (Mobile Food & Drink Vendor $583.00 plus a $200.00 Initial Permit Fee; Mobile Drink Only Vendor $249.00 plus $100.00; Mobile Retail Vendor $168.00 plus $50.00; Ice Cream Push Carts $189.00 for 1-10 carts or $284.00 for 11 or more), the April 1-March 31 sticker-permit year, the commissary, water and change-of-ownership rules, the one-time NDA state-ID fee, and the other permits required: the City of Omaha Mobile Food Vendor Permit (issued by Park Omaha) and the Peddler Permit (OMC §19-89, issued by City of Omaha Permits and Inspections)Douglas County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-18
  5. Omaha Municipal Code §11-263 (Food establishments — enforcement; Ord. No. 44358, August 26, 2025) — requires a health-officer-approved permit to operate a food establishment, provides that the fees are determined by the county board of health with the approval of the board of county commissioners and payable to the Health Department, runs permits January 1 to December 31 (mobile permits April 1 to March 31), and makes permits non-transferable and subject to postingCity of Omaha (Omaha Municipal Code, via Municode) · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-18
  6. Omaha Municipal Code §19-89 (Peddlers) — permit filed with the Planning Department's permits and inspection division; defines peddler to include mobile refreshment trucks; occupation tax of $15.00 a week, $30.00 a month, $50.00 for six months or $75.00 a yearCity of Omaha (Omaha Municipal Code, via Municode) · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-18
  7. Permit Types — DCHD's fee table headed 'Permit Types for 2025', pro-rated by quarter (100/75/50/25%): Food & Drink $583.00 plus a $200.00 Initial Permit Fee; Drink Only $249.00 plus $100.00; caterer, commissary, retail, separate-facility, mobile and pushcart categories; with a description of each permit type and of the Initial Permit FeeDouglas County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-18

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