Lake County
Lake County General Health District
In short
Lake County General Health District issues 6 permits we publish for Lake 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food Service Operation / Retail Food Establishment License | Lake County General Health District | LCGHD license fee per Chapter 220 §220.06(a)(1), revised 12/1/2025. Commercial, less than 25,000 sq ft: Risk 1 $252; Risk 2 $280; Risk 3 $554; Risk 4 $704. Commercial, greater than 25,000 sq ft: Risk 1 $364; Risk 2 $388; Risk 3 $1,352; Risk 4 $1,460. Non-commercial: 50% of the commercial license fee for the same risk level (§220.06(a)(2)). A license fee submitted late is charged a late fee in accordance with ORC 3717.23(D) or 3717.43(D) (§220.06(a)(8)). | annual; LCGHD's food safety page states that renewal applications received after the March 1st deadline are assessed a late fee penalty | 2026-10-27 |
| Food Facility Plan Reviewonly if it applies to you | Lake County General Health District | LCGHD plan review fee per Chapter 220 §220.06(a)(3), revised 01/01/2020, the same under or over 25,000 sq ft: Commercial Risk 1 or 2 $225; Commercial Risk 3 or 4 $400; Non-Commercial Risk 1 or 2 $150; Non-Commercial Risk 3 or 4 $200. | per project | 2026-10-27 |
| Mobile Food Service Operation / Mobile Retail Food Establishment License | Lake County General Health District | $112.50–$225 per operation — high risk $225.00, low risk $112.50, per Chapter 220 §220.06(a)(4) | annual | 2026-10-27 |
| Temporary Food Service Operation / Retail Food Establishment Licenseonly if it applies to you | Lake County General Health District | $75–$150 per event — commercial $150.00; non-commercial 50% of that, $75.00 | per event, for not more than five consecutive days | 2026-10-27 |
| Public Swimming Pool / Spa / Special Use Pool Licenseonly if it applies to you | Lake County General Health District | LCGHD license fee per Chapter 220 §220.07(a), revised 12/1/2025: individual public swimming pool $300; individual public spa $300; individual special use pool $300; each subsequent pool, spa or special use pool at the same location $225; governmental agencies and tax-supported schools $0. | annual | 2026-10-27 |
| Tattoo and Body Piercing Establishment Approvalonly if it applies to you | Lake County General Health District | $290–$325 a year — tattooing service $290; body piercing services $290; 'Combined Tattooing and Body Piercing Services' $325; time-limited approval for a specific event $290 | annual; Chapter 220 §220.09 states the fee 'shall be paid on or before March 1 of each year' | 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
Food Service Operation / Retail Food Establishment License
LCGHD's food safety page states that 'All food businesses in Lake County are required by Ohio law to have a food service operation or retail food establishment license issued by Lake County General Health District (LCGHD).' Its examples of food service operations include 'restaurants, school kitchens, daycares, bars, hospitals, and nursing homes', and of retail food establishments 'convenience stores, pizza shops, bakeries, grocery stores, and gas stations', so a childcare center that serves meals or a gym that sells food falls under this license as well. The figures are the license fees printed in the Lake County General Health District Board of Health regulation Chapter 220, 'Fees', the adopted schedule LCGHD's laws and fees page links as 'Fees – 2025', each line marked 'revised 12/1/2025'; Chapter 220 prints them as the LCGHD license fee, so contact LCGHD for the full amount due at licensing. Non-commercial operations pay half the commercial fee for the same risk level. The food safety page adds that LCGHD 'mails license renewal applications as a courtesy' and that 'license renewal applications received after the March 1st deadline will be assessed a late fee penalty'. The Lake County General Health District Board of Health heard a first reading on September 21, 2026 of a fee change for the food service program, to take effect approximately December 1, 2026 if adopted, per the Board's September 2026 meeting packet (item 7.08); check with LCGHD at (440) 350-2543 for the amount in force when you apply.
Food Facility Plan Review
LCGHD's food safety page states that 'All new food service operations/retail food establishments and those performing extensive alterations or remodeling must complete the plan review process', so opening or remodeling a restaurant, coffee shop, grocery or a childcare kitchen in Lake County starts with plan review by the health district. The fees are set in the Lake County General Health District Board of Health regulation Chapter 220, 'Fees', the adopted schedule LCGHD's laws and fees page links as 'Fees – 2025', §220.06(a)(3), revised 01/01/2020: $225 for commercial risk levels 1 and 2, $400 for commercial risk levels 3 and 4, $150 for non-commercial risk levels 1 and 2 and $200 for non-commercial risk levels 3 and 4, with the same figure for facilities under or over 25,000 sq ft. The food safety page asks applicants to 'allow for up to 30 days to complete the plan review'. Plan review comes before, and is separate from, the food license itself.
Mobile Food Service Operation / Mobile Retail Food Establishment License
A food truck, trailer or cart licensed in Lake County is a mobile food service operation or mobile retail food establishment under LCGHD's food safety program. The fee is set in the Lake County General Health District Board of Health regulation Chapter 220, 'Fees', the adopted schedule LCGHD's laws and fees page links as 'Fees – 2025', §220.06(a)(4): 'The license fee for Mobile Food Service Operations High Risk is $225.00 per operation' (revised 01/01/2024) and 'The license fee for Mobile Food Operations Low Risk is $112.50 per operation' (new 02/12/2024). LCGHD's mobile plan review application states that 'Mobile food units may not remain at any one location for more than forty (40) consecutive days' and that 'LCGHD does not enforce zoning, electrical, fire, building, or other regulations', so a truck also checks with each municipality where it parks. The Lake County General Health District Board of Health heard a first reading on September 21, 2026 of a fee change for the food service program, to take effect approximately December 1, 2026 if adopted, per the Board's September 2026 meeting packet (item 7.08); check with LCGHD at (440) 350-2543 for the amount in force when you apply.
Temporary Food Service Operation / Retail Food Establishment License
Serving food at a festival, fair or other short event in Lake County takes a temporary license from LCGHD. the Lake County General Health District Board of Health regulation Chapter 220, 'Fees', the adopted schedule LCGHD's laws and fees page links as 'Fees – 2025' sets the commercial fee at $150.00 per event in §220.06(a)(5) (revised 01/01/2024) and the non-commercial fee at 50% of that in §220.06(a)(6). LCGHD's temporary license packet (footer 'Revised 1/11/24') covers an event of 'not more than five consecutive days', requires the application at the health district 'no later than ten (10) days prior to the event', and prints the fee as '$150 … or $75 (for a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization). Sorry, there are NO REFUNDS'.
Public Swimming Pool / Spa / Special Use Pool License
A gym, fitness club or studio in Lake County that runs a public swimming pool, spa or special use pool needs a license from LCGHD, which states on its pools page that it 'licenses and inspects over 100 pools and spas' and that 'All public pools are inspected twice a year'. The figures are the license fees printed in the Lake County General Health District Board of Health regulation Chapter 220, 'Fees', the adopted schedule LCGHD's laws and fees page links as 'Fees – 2025', §220.07(a), revised 12/1/2025: $300 for each individual public swimming pool, public spa or special use pool and $225 for each subsequent one at the same location, with governmental agencies and tax-supported schools at $0. The pools page also asks operators to report any incident needing medical treatment beyond first aid to LCGHD within 72 hours. A studio without a pool or spa has no pool license to obtain.
Tattoo and Body Piercing Establishment Approval
LCGHD's body art page states that 'Body art establishments include businesses that offer tattoos, piercings, permanent makeup/cosmetics, and microblading' and that 'Persons seeking approval to operate a business offering tattooing and/or body piercing services must apply to the Board of Health of the Lake County General Health District.' A salon offering permanent makeup or microblading therefore falls under this approval. The annual approval fee is set in the Lake County General Health District Board of Health regulation Chapter 220, 'Fees', the adopted schedule LCGHD's laws and fees page links as 'Fees – 2025', §220.09 (last revised 11/17/2003): $290 for tattooing, $290 for body piercing, $325 for combined tattooing and body piercing services and $290 for a time-limited approval for a specific event, 'paid on or before March 1 of each year'. A hair or nail salon offering none of these services is outside this record.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Lake County
- Phone
- (440) 350-2543
- Website
- www.lcghd.org/
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.
- Board of Health meeting packet, September 21, 2026 (item 7.08, Resolution to Increase Certain Fees, Food Service Program, First Reading)Lake County General Health District Board of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
- Body Art - Lake County General Health DistrictLake County General Health District · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
- Chapter 220 Fees (Revised December 2025)Lake County General Health District Board of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
- Food Safety - Lake County General Health DistrictLake County General Health District · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
- Laws, Rules, Regulations, Fees and Governance - Lake County General Health DistrictLake County General Health District · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
- Mobile Food Service Operation / Retail Food Establishment Plan Review ApplicationLake County General Health District · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
- Swimming Pools & Spas - Lake County General Health DistrictLake County General Health District · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
- Temporary Food Service Operation / Retail Food Establishment License PacketLake County General Health District · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
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