New Jersey — statewide
New Jersey Department of Health, Public Health and Food Protection Program
In short
New Jersey Department of Health, Public Health and Food Protection Program issues 2 permits we publish for New Jersey — 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Food Establishment License | New Jersey Department of Health, Public Health and Food Protection Program | $80–$1,000 a year, set by the local board of health across more than a hundred jurisdictions | annual, usually the calendar year | 2026-09-03 |
| Certified Food Protection Manageronly if it applies to you | New Jersey Department of Health, Public Health and Food Protection Program | No fee | set by the certifying programme, not by New Jersey | 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
Retail Food Establishment License
Chapter 24 of title 8 of the New Jersey Administrative Code, as published by the Department of Health, sets no state retail food license and no state fee — its only fees are the $100.00 cottage food operator permit and its $100.00 renewal (8:24-11.6). Licensing sits with more than a hundred local boards of health, and they band differently: Hamilton by risk type from $175 to $300, Randolph by risk type from $80 to $500 with a floor-area surcharge of a quarter over ten thousand square feet and double over forty thousand, Hanover by floor area alone from $250 to $1,000. The state department licenses only a narrow slice directly — turnpike and parkway rest stops, facilities on state property, cottage food and frozen desserts. There is no statewide fee table and it would be wrong to publish one.
Certified Food Protection Manager
No state fee — the Department of Health says it offers no food protection manager courses or programmes, and an accredited certifier charges what it charges. The state rule requires it only at Risk Type 3 establishments, which covers full-service restaurants, diners, commissaries and caterers; risk types 1 and 2 need only a knowledgeable person in charge. Many local health departments extend it to risk type 4 as a license condition, so check the town as well as the state. The manager need not be on the premises at all times but a person in charge must be. New Jersey requires no food handler card — the phrase does not appear in the retail food code — though individual municipalities do impose one.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- New Jersey — statewide
- Phone
- (609) 826-4935
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.
- New Jersey Administrative Code title 8, chapter 24 — sanitation in retail food establishments, including the food protection manager ruleNew Jersey Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- Township of Hamilton, Mercer County — retail food license fees by risk typeTownship of Hamilton Division of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- Township of Randolph, Morris County — food license feesRandolph Township Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
Other New Jersey statewide offices
- New Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services
- New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, Business Licensing Services Bureau
- New Jersey Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors, Division of Consumer Affairs
- New Jersey Department of Children and Families, Office of Licensing
- New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, Drug Control Unit
- New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, Office of Consumer Protection, Regulated Business Section
- New Jersey State Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling, Division of Consumer Affairs
- New Jersey State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers, Division of Consumer Affairs
- New Jersey State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, Division of Consumer Affairs
New Jersey jurisdictions
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.