Allegheny County and Pittsburgh
Allegheny County Health Department, Food Safety Program
In short
Allegheny County Health Department, Food Safety Program issues 8 permits we publish for Allegheny County and Pittsburgh, last verified 2026-09-30. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.
Issued in Allegheny County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temporary Food Facility Permitonly if it applies to you | Allegheny County Health Department, Food Safety Program | $32–$150 per event — 1 event $55, 2 events $95, 3 events $125, 4 events $150, 5 or more events $32 each (non-profit rates are slightly lower at each tier) | per event | 2026-09-30 |
| Event/Farmers Market Organizer Registrationonly if it applies to you | Allegheny County Health Department, Food Safety Program | $23–$55 per event, by vendor count — 0-4 vendors: no registration required; 5-10 vendors $23; 11-20 vendors $34; 21-30 vendors $45; 31-40 vendors $55; 41 or more vendors $1.75 per vendor | per event | 2026-09-30 |
| Permanent Food Facility Annual Permit | Allegheny County Health Department, Food Safety Program | $145–$465 annual, by facility class — Class I $145, Class II $195, Class III $280, Class IV $465 (non-profit roughly half: $70/$95/$140/$230) | annual | 2026-09-30 |
| Permanent Food Facility Plan Review (New Construction/Remodel & Shared Kitchen User)only if it applies to you | Allegheny County Health Department, Food Safety Program | $0–$230 one-time plan review, by facility class — Class I no fee, Class II $95, Class III $140, Class IV $230 (non-profit: $45/$70/$115) | one-time, before opening, new construction, remodel, or shared-kitchen use | 2026-09-30 |
| Mobile Food Facility Annual Permit | Allegheny County Health Department, Food Safety Program | $125–$170 annual, by facility class — Class I $125, Class II $125, Class III $170, Class IV $170 (non-profit: $60/$60/$85/$85); a Commissary Use Permit is a separate annual line at Class I $60, II $60, III $95, IV $95 (non-profit: $30/$30/$45/$45) | annual | 2026-09-30 |
| Seasonal Food Facility Permitonly if it applies to you | Allegheny County Health Department, Food Safety Program | $95 per season ($85 non-profit) | season | 2026-09-30 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
Issued in Pittsburgh
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food Protection Manager Certification | Allegheny County Health Department, Food Safety Program | $145 for the 2-day certification course; a 1-day recertification course is $115, and a challenge exam alone is $75 | 5 years | 2026-09-04 |
| Food Establishment Permit | Allegheny County Health Department, Food Safety Program | $128–$404 a year, by facility class; a nonprofit pays half of each class's rate | annual | 2026-09-04 |
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
Temporary Food Facility PermitAllegheny County
A restaurant, food truck or retail store selling food at a fair, festival or other short-term event in Allegheny County needs a Temporary Food Facility permit from ACHD for each event, priced under the 2026 fee schedule on a sliding per-event-count scale: $55 for a single event, $95 for two, $125 for three, $150 for four, and $32 per event once a vendor reaches five or more events in the covered period, with non-profit rates slightly lower at every tier. This is distinct from the Seasonal Food Facility permit listed separately for this jurisdiction, which covers an ongoing seasonal operation rather than a series of discrete events.
Event/Farmers Market Organizer RegistrationAllegheny County
An organizer of a farmers market or multi-vendor food event in Allegheny County registers with ACHD, with the fee scaled to how many food vendors the event has under the 2026 fee schedule: an event with 0-4 food vendors needs no registration under this fee table, 5-10 vendors is $23, 11-20 is $34, 21-30 is $45, 31-40 is $55, and an event of 41 or more vendors is charged $1.75 per vendor instead of a flat tier. This registration is separate from, and does not substitute for, each individual vendor's own Temporary Food Facility permit listed elsewhere for this jurisdiction.
Permanent Food Facility Annual PermitAllegheny County
Every restaurant, coffee shop, food-retail store and any childcare facility that prepares or serves food in Allegheny County needs this annual permit from ACHD's Food Safety Program, 2121 Noblestown Road, Pittsburgh — the current fillable Permanent Food Facility application itself lists 'Day care' as a facility-type checkbox. Per the current 2026 fee schedule (effective January 1, 2026, revised December 2, 2025), the annual permit fee by facility class is Class I $145, Class II $195, Class III $280 and Class IV $465, with non-profit facilities paying roughly half at each tier. This is a separate table from, and should not be confused with, the one-time plan-review fee listed next for this jurisdiction — Class I pays no plan-review fee but does owe this $145 annual permit fee. A late annual payment carries a 25% penalty per the same fee schedule.
Permanent Food Facility Plan Review (New Construction/Remodel & Shared Kitchen User)Allegheny County
Before a new food facility opens, or an existing one remodels, or a shared-kitchen user begins operating, ACHD reviews the plans for a one-time fee set by class in the same 2026 fee schedule that sets the annual permit fee above: Class I has no plan-review fee, Class II is $95, Class III is $140 and Class IV is $230, with non-profit facilities at $45/$70/$115. This plan-review fee is a one-time construction-stage cost and is charged in addition to, not instead of, the annual permit fee listed separately for this jurisdiction — a Class I facility's plan review is free, but its first annual permit still costs $145.
Mobile Food Facility Annual PermitAllegheny County
A food truck operating in Allegheny County needs this annual Mobile Food Facility permit from ACHD, priced by class in the 2026 fee schedule at Class I and II $125 and Class III and IV $170 (non-profit $60/$60/$85/$85). A mobile unit that also uses a fixed commissary base needs a separate annual Commissary Use Permit, priced lower at $60 (Class I-II) and $95 (Class III-IV), non-profit $30/$30/$45/$45. Application-review fees for a new mobile unit or commissary are separate one-time charges under the same schedule (Class I free, Class II $60, Class III and IV $85 for the mobile unit; Class I free, Class II $30, Class III and IV $45 for the commissary), and a change of ownership or change of commissary is a flat $95 review each.
Seasonal Food Facility PermitAllegheny County
A seasonal food operation — a food truck or restaurant operating for a defined season rather than year-round or as a series of discrete temporary events — pays a flat $95 per season under ACHD's 2026 fee schedule ($85 for a non-profit operator). This is a single seasonal fee rather than the per-event sliding scale that applies to the Temporary Food Facility permit listed separately for this jurisdiction, so which one applies depends on whether the operation runs continuously through a season or shows up at discrete events.
Food Protection Manager CertificationPittsburgh
At least one certified food protection manager must be on site during every hour a facility is preparing or handling food — not merely a credential filed away, but genuine coverage during operating hours. This tracks Pennsylvania's statewide requirement for an ANSI-accredited manager certificate, administered here through the county.
Food Establishment PermitPittsburgh
Pittsburgh runs no restaurant permitting program of its own — Allegheny County Health Department covers the entire county, city included. Class IV, the highest-risk category at $404, generally covers full-service restaurants with complex food prep; Class I at $128 covers the lowest-risk operations. New construction, a remodel, or reopening after six months closed all trigger a separate plan review, ranging from no fee for Class I up to $202 for Class IV. A permit paid after its due date draws a 25% late fee.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Allegheny County and Pittsburgh
- Phone
- 412-578-8044
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.
- ACHD Food Safety Program, 2026 Fee Schedule (effective January 1, 2026, revised December 2, 2025)Allegheny County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-30
- ACHD Permanent Food Facility Application (fillable) — lists 'Day care' as a facility-type checkboxAllegheny County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-30
- ACHD Rules & Regulations, Article III, Food SafetyAllegheny County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-30
- Allegheny County Health Department — food protection manager certificationAllegheny County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
- Allegheny County Health Department fee schedule, effective January 1, 2024Allegheny County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
Other offices serving Allegheny County and Pittsburgh
- City of Pittsburgh Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections
- Allegheny County Health Department, On-Lot Sewage Disposal Program
- Allegheny County Health Department, Plumbing Program
- Allegheny County Treasurer
- City of Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety, Bureau of Fire
- Allegheny County Economic Development, Planning Division
- Allegheny County Health Department, Air Quality Program
- Allegheny County Health Department, Housing & Community Environment Program
- City of Pittsburgh Department of Finance
Jurisdictions this office serves
Industry permit lists that include this agency
Pennsylvania jurisdictions
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.