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Bucks County

Bucks County Department of Health

In short

Bucks County Department of Health issues 13 permits we publish for Bucks County, last verified 2026-09-30. 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
Public Health Bathing Place (Pool/Spa) Registrationonly if it applies to youBucks County Department of Health$80–$200 $200 per year for the first pool, spa or hot tub; $80 per year for each additional one at the same facilityannual2026-09-30
Massage Therapy Establishment Licenseonly if it applies to youBucks County Department of Health$100–$300 biennial license fee, by therapy-room count — one therapy room $100, two therapy rooms $200, three or more therapy rooms $300, paid once per 2-year license term2 years (biennial) — the license expires two years after the date of issuance2026-09-30
Retail Food Facility License — Seasonal Mobile Standonly if it applies to youBucks County Department of Health$260 flat fee, per season (up to 180 consecutive days)up to 180 consecutive days per season2026-09-30
Farmers'/Flea Market Stand Licenseonly if it applies to youBucks County Department of Health$50–$235 seasonal stand $175; year-round farmers market stand $235; satellite stand (same product, same day as a licensed primary stand) $50seasonal or year-round, depending on the license type selected2026-09-30
Temporary Food Facility Licenseonly if it applies to youBucks County Department of Health$65–$180 1 to 14 days — non-profit $65, for-profit $180; a $50 late fee applies if filed fewer than 3 business days before the event1 to 14 days, per event2026-09-30
Certified Food Safety Manager (CFSM) Certificateonly if it applies to youBucks County Department of Health$80 per 5-year certificate; $20 for a duplicate5 years2026-09-30
On-Site Sewage (Septic) System Permitonly if it applies to youBucks County Department of Health$200–$1,900 new or alternate/experimental system $850 per EDU; repair (refacing) $650, component-replacement-only repair $225; permit transfer $200; permit revision $300; temporary holding tank permit $350; site evaluation and subdivision-review fees $310–$1,900 depending on scopeper permit, one-time; site evaluation and permit issuance are billed as separate fee lines2026-09-30
Sewage Waste Hauling Vehicle Operating Licenseonly if it applies to youBucks County Department of Health$295 per year, per vehicle or piece of equipmentannual2026-09-30
Retail Food Facility License (Yearly)Bucks County Department of Health$115–$1,200 annual, by facility type/size — non-profit or school cafeteria/kitchen $115; take-out with no seating $345; microbrewery/winery/distillery with no food prep $345; under 50 seats $365; 50+ seats (including private/commercial schools with food service) $545; licensed in conjunction with a PA liquor license $545; caterer/commissary $545; over 10,000 sq ft $1,200; duplicate license $20annual, calendar-year (January 1 through December 31); not transferable2026-09-30
Retail Food Facility License — Mobile Food UnitBucks County Department of Health$50–$345 annual operating license $345 per vehicle or stand; one-time plan review $225 for a new unit, $50 for an existing unit or change of ownershipannual for the operating license; the plan-review fee is one-time, before first operating a new mobile unit or upon a change of ownership2026-09-30
Food Facility Plan Reviewonly if it applies to youBucks County Department of Health$50–$1,200 general for-profit facility $335; new-construction mobile food vehicle $225; change of ownership, partial remodel, existing mobile unit, or non-profit facility $50; facility over 10,000 sq ft $1,200one-time, before opening a new facility or upon a qualifying remodel or ownership change2026-09-30
Private/Residential Well Construction & Certification Permitonly if it applies to youBucks County Department of Health$10–$435 well certification (3 field inspections) $420, each additional inspection $270; abandonment, hydrofracturing, pitless adaptor, monitoring well, casing extension or deepening $280; geothermal well (up to 3 holes) $435, each additional 3-hole increment $330; permit transfer $130; bacteriological water analysis $25, replacement sample bottle $10per permit; well certification and other well actions are billed separately2026-09-30
Camp/Campground Permitonly if it applies to youBucks County Department of Health$340–$400 annual permit $340 per year; one-time non-food plan-review fee $400 for a new or altered facilityannual for the permit; the plan-review fee is one-time, for a new or altered facility2026-09-30

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

About each permit

Public Health Bathing Place (Pool/Spa) Registration

A fitness studio (or any other Bucks County business) operating a pool, spa or hot tub registers it annually with BCDH under the current ADM-71 fee schedule, at $200 per year for the first pool and $80 per year for each additional pool at the same facility. A fitness studio without a pool, spa or hot tub has no registration obligation under this program.

Massage Therapy Establishment License

A salon or fitness studio operating a 'Regulated Establishment' under Bucks County Ordinance No. 166 needs this BCDH-issued Massage Therapy Establishment license, which requires a Pennsylvania-licensed massage therapist to perform services and a criminal background check for the owner. Ordinance 166 §III.A(3) sets the fee as a biennial charge — 'The biennial license fee shall be as follows: $100 for a Regulated Establishment with one therapy room, $200 for a Regulated Establishment with two therapy rooms, and $300.00 for a Regulated Establishment with three or more therapy rooms' — and §III.D confirms the license 'shall expire two years after the date of issuance,' so this fee is paid once per 2-year term (per 2 years), never annually. The current ADM-71 fee schedule lists the identical $100/$200/$300 figures, confirming no adjustment has occurred since the ordinance's January 1, 2024 adjustment window opened. Ordinance 166 §I expressly excludes from 'Regulated Establishment' any salon with fewer than two therapy rooms whose primary services are manicure, pedicure, or hair grooming, so this license applies only to a salon or fitness studio with two or more dedicated therapy rooms, or one whose primary service is massage or another alternative therapy.

Retail Food Facility License — Seasonal Mobile Stand

A seasonal mobile food stand — a 'stick stand' operating for up to 180 consecutive days rather than year-round — pays a flat $260 fee under BCDH's current ADM-71 fee schedule, a single tier rather than the per-vehicle annual fee that applies to a full Mobile Food Facility listed separately here. This applies to a food-truck-industry seasonal stand operating anywhere within Bucks County's 54 municipalities, all of which BCDH licenses directly under one countywide fee schedule.

Farmers'/Flea Market Stand License

A retail store or food-truck operator selling from a farmers market or flea market stand in Bucks County needs this BCDH license, priced under the current ADM-71 fee schedule at $175 for a seasonal stand, $235 for a year-round farmers market stand, and $50 for a satellite stand selling the same product on the same day as a licensed primary stand. This is separate from the Temporary Food Facility License listed elsewhere here, which covers short-run event sales rather than an ongoing market stand.

Temporary Food Facility License

A restaurant, coffee shop or food truck selling food at a short-term event in Bucks County needs a Temporary Food Facility license from BCDH for each event of up to 14 days, priced under the current ADM-71 fee schedule at $65 for a non-profit operator and $180 for a for-profit operator, with a $50 late fee if the application is filed fewer than 3 business days before the event. This is separate from the Seasonal Mobile Stand and Farmers'/Flea Market Stand licenses listed elsewhere here, which cover an ongoing seasonal or market presence rather than a single short-run event.

Certified Food Safety Manager (CFSM) Certificate

A restaurant, coffee shop or food truck in Bucks County needs at least one Certified Food Safety Manager on staff, and BCDH issues its own CFSM certificate for $80 under the current ADM-71 fee schedule, valid for 5 years, with a $20 fee for a duplicate certificate. This is a personal certification tied to an individual employee rather than the business's food facility license, and is required in addition to that license, not instead of it.

On-Site Sewage (Septic) System Permit

Any Bucks County business not connected to public sewer — spanning the restaurant, retail-store, childcare, fitness-studio, veterinary, auto-repair, salon and contractor industries — needs an on-site sewage permit from BCDH, acting as the county's Sewage Enforcement Officer under the Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities Act. The current ADM-71 fee schedule prices a new or alternate/experimental system at $850 per EDU, a refacing repair at $650, a component-replacement-only repair at $225, a permit transfer at $200, a permit revision at $300, and a temporary holding tank permit at $350, with separate site-evaluation and subdivision-review fees ranging from $310 for an abandonment inspection up to $1,900 for a primary-plus-replacement site evaluation or a proposed 4-year fill-site evaluation.

Sewage Waste Hauling Vehicle Operating License

A contractor hauling septic or sewage waste in Bucks County needs an annual Sewage Waste Hauling Vehicle Operating License from BCDH for each vehicle or piece of hauling equipment, priced at $295 per year under the current ADM-71 fee schedule. Bucks County's own complete 169-ordinance index (buckscounty.gov/195/Ordinances-Resolutions) contains no separate general contractor-registration ordinance, so this hauling-vehicle license is the only county-level license here reaching a contractor-type business directly at the county level.

Retail Food Facility License (Yearly)

Any restaurant, coffee shop, or retail store preparing or serving food in Bucks County, and any food-truck operator running a fixed food-prep facility, needs this annual license from the Bucks County Department of Health (BCDH), the statutory licensor for all 54 Bucks municipalities under 3 Pa.C.S. §5702. Per the current ADM-71 Environmental Services Fee Schedule (January 2026 through December 2026), the fee is tiered by facility type and size, from $115 for a non-profit or school cafeteria/kitchen up to $1,200 for a for-profit facility over 10,000 square feet, with a $20 duplicate-license fee. A childcare facility that prepares or cooks food on-site meets 3 Pa.C.S. §5702's broad 'retail food establishment' definition and is not covered by §5703(b)'s exhaustive exemption list, so it needs this license at whichever tier fits its size and service style; a childcare facility serving only prepackaged, non-potentially-hazardous snacks is exempt under §5703(b)(2)(i) and needs no license under this program.

Retail Food Facility License — Mobile Food Unit

A food truck, cart or trailer, or a mobile coffee cart, operating in Bucks County needs this annual Mobile Food Facility license from BCDH, priced at $345 per vehicle or stand per year under the current ADM-71 fee schedule. A one-time plan-review fee applies before a new unit first operates ($225) or when an existing unit changes ownership ($50). Every mobile unit must operate from a licensed commissary base rather than being issued a temporary or seasonal license of its own, distinguishing this record from the Seasonal Mobile Stand License listed separately here, which covers a simpler roadside stand rather than a fully equipped mobile food unit.

Food Facility Plan Review

Before a new food facility opens in Bucks County, or an existing one is remodeled or changes ownership, BCDH reviews the plans for a one-time fee under the current ADM-71 fee schedule: $335 for a general for-profit facility, $225 for a new-construction mobile food vehicle, $50 for a change of ownership, partial remodel, or existing mobile unit (or any non-profit facility), and $1,200 for a facility over 10,000 square feet. This plan-review fee is charged in addition to, not instead of, the annual or per-event license fee listed separately here for the facility type involved.

Private/Residential Well Construction & Certification Permit

Any Bucks County business drilling or certifying a private well — including the restaurant, retail-store, childcare, fitness-studio, veterinary, auto-repair and contractor industries — needs a BCDH well permit or certification, priced under the current ADM-71 fee schedule: well certification with 3 field inspections is $420 (each additional inspection $270), a geothermal well of up to 3 holes is $435, abandonment or similar well actions are $280, a permit transfer is $130, and a bacteriological water sample analysis is $25 (a replacement sample bottle is $10).

Camp/Campground Permit

A childcare business in Bucks County that independently meets 3 Pa.C.S. §5702's statutory definition of an 'organized camp' — operating as an outdoor group-living program for 5 or more consecutive days — needs a BCDH Camp/Campground Permit, priced at $340 per year under the current ADM-71 fee schedule, plus a one-time $400 non-food plan-review fee for a new or altered facility. This is a narrow scope that does not extend to an ordinary daytime childcare center; a childcare business that does not operate as a multi-day organized camp has no obligation under this specific permit, though it may still need the Retail Food Facility License listed separately here if it prepares food on-site.

Contact

Jurisdiction
Bucks County
Phone
215-345-3318

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. Bucks County Department of Health Environmental Services Fee Schedule, ADM-71 (Rev 08/2025), January 2026 through December 2026Bucks County Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-30
  2. Bucks County Ordinance No. 166, Massage Therapy Establishments (enacted January 19, 2022)Bucks County Board of Commissioners · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-30

Other offices serving Bucks County

The full permit list for this jurisdiction

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.