Ulster County
Ulster County Department of Health, Environmental Health Services Division
In short
Ulster County Department of Health, Environmental Health Services Division issues 7 permits we publish for Ulster County, last verified 2026-10-27. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catering / Commissary Permitonly if it applies to you | Ulster County Department of Health, Environmental Health Services Division | $200 per permit for the March 1 to February 28 permit period; water sample (when required) $40.00; returned check $20.00 | the permit period beginning March 1 and ending February 28 of the following year | 2026-10-27 |
| Food Vending Operation Permitonly if it applies to you | Ulster County Department of Health, Environmental Health Services Division | $50–$100 per permit for the March 1 to February 28 permit period, by seating capacity: 0 to 25 seats $50.00; 26 seats and over $100.00 | the permit period beginning March 1 and ending February 28 of the following year | 2026-10-27 |
| Food Service Establishment Permit | Ulster County Department of Health, Environmental Health Services Division | $100–$300 per permit for the March 1 to February 28 permit period, by seating capacity: 0 to 25 seats $100.00; 26 to 75 seats $225.00; 76 seats and over $300.00. Water sample (when required) $40.00; returned check $20.00. An incomplete application is returned and "subject to a $75.00 late fee, if applicable." | the permit period beginning March 1 and ending February 28 of the following year | 2026-10-27 |
| Mobile Unit / Pushcart Food Service Permit | Ulster County Department of Health, Environmental Health Services Division | $100 per permit for the March 1 to February 28 permit period; returned check $20.00 | the permit period beginning March 1 and ending February 28 of the following year | 2026-10-27 |
| Temporary Food Service Establishment Permitonly if it applies to you | Ulster County Department of Health, Environmental Health Services Division | $50 per application, for profit. Not-for-profit $0.00 with proof of status (such as a copy of the NYS Official Letter of Acceptance). Administrative late fee $25.00 if the application is not received 5 business days before the operation start date; returned check $20.00. | one event or celebration at a fixed location of not more than 14 consecutive days (NYS Sanitary Code §14-2.1, as quoted by the county) | 2026-10-27 |
| Swimming Pool / Whirlpool Permit to Operateonly if it applies to you | Ulster County Department of Health, Environmental Health Services Division | $200 per permit; water sample (when required) $40.00; returned check $20.00. Construction plan review is separate: $700.00 for a new swimming pool at every listed capacity; modification of treatment $300.00. | as stated on the permit; the application lists the expected opening and closing dates of operation | 2026-10-27 |
| Tobacco Retail Licenseonly if it applies to you | Ulster County Department of Health, Environmental Health Services Division | No fee — first-year application fee $0.00, as printed on the county application form; late fee $25.00; returned check $20.00 | the license period beginning April 1 and expiring March 31 | 2026-10-27 |
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
Catering / Commissary Permit
A caterer, or a commissary that services mobile units and pushcarts, applies on the department's food service establishment application. The fee for "Catering/Commissary" is $200.00, as published in the Health Department's 2026 Food Service Establishment cover letter, for the permit period beginning March 1 and ending February 28 of the following year. The same letter requires the application and fee at least 21 days before the first day of operation and states that permits are not transferable and that all permit and application fees are non-refundable. A food truck operator that runs its own commissary needs this permit for the commissary in addition to the mobile unit permit. Ulster County Sanitary Code §1.12.2 provides that "The Commissioner/Director, subject to approval of the Board, may establish a schedule of, and impose fees for, the consideration of applications for the issuance of any required licenses, approvals, or permits consistent with the cost of examination and field inspections." The Board's approval of the dollar schedule is not published online, and the department's 2026 documents print no adoption or effective date.
Food Vending Operation Permit
A business that runs a food vending operation in Ulster County applies on the department's food service establishment application. The fee for a "Vending Operation" is $50.00 for a seating capacity of 0 to 25 and $100.00 for a seating capacity of 26 and over, as published in the Health Department's 2026 Food Service Establishment cover letter, for the permit period beginning March 1 and ending February 28 of the following year. The permit applies to a retail store, coffee shop or fitness studio only where it operates food vending. The letter states that permits are not transferable and that all permit and application fees are non-refundable. Ulster County Sanitary Code §1.12.2 provides that "The Commissioner/Director, subject to approval of the Board, may establish a schedule of, and impose fees for, the consideration of applications for the issuance of any required licenses, approvals, or permits consistent with the cost of examination and field inspections." The Board's approval of the dollar schedule is not published online, and the department's 2026 documents print no adoption or effective date.
Food Service Establishment Permit
A restaurant or coffee shop that operates a food service establishment in Ulster County needs a permit to operate from the Ulster County Department of Health for the period beginning March 1 and ending February 28 of the following year. The department's 2026 cover letter states that the application and fee must be submitted at least 21 days before the first day of operation, that operating without a valid permit violates Part 14 of the New York State Sanitary Code, and that permits are not transferable. The fee depends on seating capacity: $100.00 for 0 to 25 seats, $225.00 for 26 to 75 seats and $300.00 for 76 seats and over, as published in the Health Department's 2026 Food Service Establishment cover letter. A water sample, when required, costs $40.00, and the letter states "ALL PERMIT/APPLICATION FEES ARE NON-REFUNDABLE". The application includes workers' compensation and disability forms or a signed CE-200 exemption, and payment goes to the Ulster County Commissioner of Finance. Ulster County Sanitary Code §1.12.2 provides that "The Commissioner/Director, subject to approval of the Board, may establish a schedule of, and impose fees for, the consideration of applications for the issuance of any required licenses, approvals, or permits consistent with the cost of examination and field inspections." The Board's approval of the dollar schedule is not published online, and the department's 2026 documents print no adoption or effective date.
Mobile Unit / Pushcart Food Service Permit
A food truck or pushcart operating in Ulster County applies on the department's food service establishment application, and the fee for "Mobile Units/Pushcarts" is $100.00, as published in the Health Department's 2026 Food Service Establishment cover letter. The department's 2026 commissary letter states that it "requires that each mobile unit and pushcart operator select a commissary to service their unit(s) during the operating season", that the commissary must be a facility currently under permit by a regulatory agency such as the Department of Health or the Department of Agriculture and Markets, and that the application must include a commissary letter giving the operator permission to use the facility. Where the commissary is not regulated by the Ulster County Department of Health, a copy of its current permit or license is also required. Ulster County Sanitary Code §1.12.2 provides that "The Commissioner/Director, subject to approval of the Board, may establish a schedule of, and impose fees for, the consideration of applications for the issuance of any required licenses, approvals, or permits consistent with the cost of examination and field inspections." The Board's approval of the dollar schedule is not published online, and the department's 2026 documents print no adoption or effective date.
Temporary Food Service Establishment Permit
A business that serves food at a fair, festival or other single event in Ulster County needs a temporary food service establishment permit. The fee is $50.00 for a for-profit operator and $0.00 for a not-for-profit with proof of status, as published in the Health Department's 2026 Temporary Food Establishment cover letter. The application and fee are due at least 5 business days before the operation start date, or a $25.00 administrative late fee is assessed, and the letter states that this late fee still applies to a not-for-profit. The department's information sheet states that "Effective January 1, 2026" it no longer accepts applications for nonconsecutive dates outside the 14-day window from the first operating date, with farmers markets as the only exception, and that insurance documents must be submitted with each application. Ulster County Sanitary Code §1.12.2 provides that "The Commissioner/Director, subject to approval of the Board, may establish a schedule of, and impose fees for, the consideration of applications for the issuance of any required licenses, approvals, or permits consistent with the cost of examination and field inspections." The Board's approval of the dollar schedule is not published online, and the department's 2026 documents print no adoption or effective date.
Swimming Pool / Whirlpool Permit to Operate
A fitness studio that operates a swimming pool or whirlpool in Ulster County needs a permit to operate from the Department of Health. The permit fee is $200.00, as published in the Health Department's 2026 Swimming Pool/Whirlpool cover letter, which requires the application and fee at least 30 days before the first day of operation, states that operating without a valid permit violates Part 6-1 of the New York State Sanitary Code, and states that permits are not transferable. A water sample, when required, costs $40.00. The department's 2026 plan review fee schedule sets construction plan review for a new swimming pool at $700.00 at every listed capacity and a modification of treatment at $300.00. The permit applies to a studio only where it operates a pool or whirlpool. Ulster County Sanitary Code §1.12.2 provides that "The Commissioner/Director, subject to approval of the Board, may establish a schedule of, and impose fees for, the consideration of applications for the issuance of any required licenses, approvals, or permits consistent with the cost of examination and field inspections." The Board's approval of the dollar schedule is not published online, and the department's 2026 documents print no adoption or effective date.
Tobacco Retail License
The department's 2026 cover letter states that the "Ulster County Tobacco Licensing and Reduced Youth Exposure to Tobacco Law" requires all tobacco retail establishments to obtain a Tobacco Retail License from the Ulster County Department of Health and to display it prominently where tobacco products are sold. The license runs for the period beginning April 1 and expiring March 31, and it is required in addition to the New York State Retail Dealer Certificate of Registration, a copy of which must accompany the application. The county's application form names Local Law No. 6 of 2015 and prints a first-year application fee of $0.00, a $25.00 late fee and a $20.00 returned check fee; the figures are as published in the Health Department's 2026 cover letter and application form. A renewal fee is not printed on that form; contact the Environmental Health Services Division at (845) 340-3010 for the current renewal amount. The form asks for the renewal application at least 30 days before April 1. The license applies to a retail store only where it sells tobacco products.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Ulster County
- Phone
- 845-340-3010
- Website
- ulstercountyny.gov/
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.
- Construction of a Swimming Pool Plan Review Fee Schedule (2026)Ulster County Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
- Food Service Establishment permit application cover letter (2026)Ulster County Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
- Mobile Unit/Pushcart Operator commissary letter (2026)Ulster County Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
- Swimming Pool/Whirlpool permit application cover letter (2026)Ulster County Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
- Temporary Food Establishment application cover letter (2026)Ulster County Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
- Temporary Food Permit Applications for nonconsecutive dates (information sheet)Ulster County Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
- Tobacco Retail Establishment application cover letter (2026)Ulster County Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
- Tobacco Retail License applicationUlster County Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
- Ulster County Sanitary CodeUlster County Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
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