Commercial Compliance Hub
Check requirements

Delaware County

Delaware County Health Department

In short

Delaware County Health Department issues 11 permits we publish for Delaware County, last verified 2026-10-01. 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
Food Facility Plan Reviewonly if it applies to youDelaware County Health Department$47–$380 one-time, before opening/remodeling — standard plan review $237; facility over 10,000 sq ft $380; farmers' market vendor review $47; change of ownership/turn-key operation $47; operating without plan review approval $190; phased opening inspection $142one-time, before opening or remodeling2026-10-01
Organized Camp / Campground Licenseonly if it applies to youDelaware County Health Department$213–$239 annual — Organized Camp $237; Campground $213; second follow-up inspection $239; plan review $237 (one-time); change of ownership/turn-key $47 (one-time)annual for the license; plan review is one-time2026-10-01
Retail Food Facility License & InspectionDelaware County Health Department$47–$570 annual, by facility type — under 50 seats $266; 50+ seats $380; over 10,000 sq ft $570; in conjunction with a PA liquor license $380; beverage manufactured on premises with tasting room, no food prep $142; take-out only $261; retail outlet $190; commissary/caterer $266; tax-exempt facility $47; mobile food facility $261; mobile retail outlet $190; school food facility with private/commercial vendor $332; duplicate license $28; late fee $47 ($19 tax-exempt)annual, not transferable2026-10-01
Temporary Food Facility Licenseonly if it applies to youDelaware County Health Department$9–$142 per event (max 14 days) — 1–3 day event $57; 4–7 day event $90; 8–14 day event $142; 1–14 day event, tax-exempt $33; late fee (filed under 5 days before the event) $22 ($9 tax-exempt); the Department refuses applications filed within 24 hours of the eventper event, maximum 14 days2026-10-01
Certified Food Manager (CFM) CertificateDelaware County Health Department$57 per certificate; duplicate certificate $28not stated in the published fee schedule2026-10-01
Child Day Care Center Certificate of RegistrationDelaware County Health Department$142 per yearup to 12 months, renewed annually; the certificate is nontransferable on a change of ownership or lease2026-10-01
Public Bathing Place/Pool Certificate of Registration and Inspectiononly if it applies to youDelaware County Health Department$28–$237 swimming pool/spa base fee $95; each additional filtration system $47; second follow-up inspection $237; duplicate certificate $28registration/inspection cycle2026-10-01
On-Lot Sewage (Septic) System Permitonly if it applies to youDelaware County Health Department$95–$950 new construction, residential or commercial, initial EDU $950, each additional EDU $190; repair, initial EDU $570, each additional EDU $95; redesign — new construction $570, repair $285; minor permits — new construction $190, repair $95, septic tank only $380; holding tank — new construction $475, repair $285, temporary (weather) $285; every sewage permit application carries a non-refundable $95 processing fee; operating without a permit carries a penalty of 2× the permit feeper permit2026-10-01
DCHD Subdivision/Land Development (Act 537) Sewage-Facilities Reviewonly if it applies to youDelaware County Health Department$47–$475 residential Component I/Component II/exemptions $142/lot; non-residential and land development $190/site; non-building waiver plans and inspection $190 flat; public sewer/SFTF Component 3 review $475 flat; substantial plan re-review after initial review $47/lotper application2026-10-01
Well/Septic Contractor License (Well Driller, Geothermal, Pump Installer, Liquid Waste Hauler)Delaware County Health Department$95–$380 Well Drilling License $380; Geothermal Well License $95; Pump Installer License $285; Liquid Waste Hauler License $166/vehicle; license renewal $47; duplicate license $95; late test fee $381 year, renewed annually2026-10-01
Well Construction Permitonly if it applies to youDelaware County Health Department$47–$2,375 new well permit $237; 2nd or additional well permit $142; monitoring/test/open-loop geothermal wells $142/well; closed-loop geothermal wells, 1st–5th well $237, each additional well $47/borehole, up to a maximum of $2,375; direct core boring $95/parcel; well relocation prior to drilling $76/well; alteration of an existing well $95per well2026-10-01

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 Facility Plan Review

Before a new restaurant, coffee shop, food truck, retail food business, or childcare kitchen opens, or an existing one remodels, converts to food use, or changes ownership, DCHD reviews the plans for a one-time fee under the current DCHD Fee Schedule: $237 for a standard plan review, $380 for a facility over 10,000 square feet, $47 for a farmers' market vendor review or a change-of-ownership/turn-key review, $190 for operating without plan-review approval, and $142 for a phased-opening inspection. This plan-review fee is charged in addition to, not instead of, the annual Retail Food Facility License fee recorded separately for Delaware County.

Organized Camp / Campground License

A childcare business in Delaware County that operates as a multi-day outdoor group-living program — an organized camp or campground rather than an ordinary daytime center — needs this annual license from DCHD. The current Fee Schedule prices an Organized Camp license at $237 per year and a Campground license at $213 per year, with a $239 fee for a second follow-up inspection, a one-time $237 plan-review fee, and a one-time $47 fee for a change of ownership or turn-key operation. This is a narrow scope limited to multi-day outdoor programs; an ordinary daytime childcare center falls instead under the Child Day Care Center Certificate of Registration recorded separately for Delaware County.

Retail Food Facility License & Inspection

Any restaurant, coffee shop, food-truck commissary, food-retail store, or childcare facility that prepares or serves food in Delaware County needs this annual license from the Delaware County Health Department (DCHD), Environmental Health Division, 1400 N Providence Rd, Media — one of only seven Pennsylvania county health departments under the Local Health Administration Law of 1951. Per the current DCHD Fee Schedule, the fee is tiered by facility type, from $47 for a tax-exempt facility up to $570 for a facility over 10,000 square feet, with a $266 fee for the standard under-50-seat tier and a $28 duplicate-license fee. The fee schedule carries no printed effective date because, per Delaware County Code Chapter 57, fees are set by Council resolution and filed with the County Clerk rather than printed as a dated ordinance exhibit; it is the schedule currently linked from every DCHD licensing page. The license is annual and not transferable.

Temporary Food Facility License

A restaurant, food truck, or retail store selling food at a fair, festival, or other short-term event in Delaware County needs a Temporary Food Facility license from DCHD for each event, priced under the current DCHD Fee Schedule on a sliding per-day scale: $57 for a 1–3 day event, $90 for 4–7 days, and $142 for 8–14 days, with a reduced $33 flat rate for a tax-exempt operator at any length up to 14 days. A late fee of $22 ($9 for a tax-exempt operator) applies when the application is filed fewer than 5 days before the event, and DCHD refuses any application filed within 24 hours of the event.

Certified Food Manager (CFM) Certificate

DCHD's current Fee Schedule states directly, in its caption for this line item, that 'all persons in charge must possess a CFM' — meaning every restaurant, coffee shop, food truck, retail food business, and food-serving childcare facility in Delaware County must have a Certified Food Manager on staff. DCHD issues its own CFM certificate for $57, with a $28 fee for a duplicate certificate. The published fee schedule does not state a validity period for the certificate itself, so no renewal interval is recorded here beyond the per-certificate fee.

Child Day Care Center Certificate of Registration

A facility caring for seven or more unrelated children at one time meets DCHD Rules and Regulations §406.3's definition of a 'Child Day Care Center' and needs this county-level Certificate of Registration in addition to, not instead of, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services' own statewide Certificate of Compliance — §406.4.1.1 requires the state certificate before a center begins operating, and §406.4.2.1 separately provides that 'a person shall not operate a child day care center without a Certificate of Registration issued by the Department,' naming two distinct certificates from two different agencies in consecutive sections. DCHD's current Fee Schedule prices the registration at $142 per year. The certificate runs for up to 12 months, is renewed annually with the fee due 30 days before expiration, and is not transferable on a change of ownership or lease, per §406.4.2.3–§406.4.2.6.

Public Bathing Place/Pool Certificate of Registration and Inspection

A fitness studio in Delaware County operating a pool, spa, or hot tub needs a Bathing Place Registration Application and inspection fee from DCHD, per the Department's own Public Bathing Place/Pool page. The current Fee Schedule sets a base fee of $95 per pool or spa, $47 for each additional filtration system at the same facility, $237 for a second follow-up inspection, and $28 for a duplicate certificate. A fitness studio without a pool, spa, or hot tub has no obligation under this program — a scope consequence of the requirement rather than a claim that the county runs no pool program at all.

On-Lot Sewage (Septic) System Permit

Any Delaware County business not connected to public sewer needs an on-lot sewage (septic) permit from DCHD, which acts county-wide as the Sewage Enforcement Officer under the Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities Act. An Equivalent Dwelling Unit (EDU) equals 400 gallons per day for a commercial or non-residential property. Per the current DCHD Fee Schedule, a new-construction system costs $950 for the initial EDU and $190 for each additional EDU, a repair costs $570 for the initial EDU and $95 for each additional EDU, and separate lines cover redesigns, minor permits, septic-tank-only permits, and holding tanks, from $95 up to $950. Every application also carries a non-refundable $95 processing fee, and operating without a permit carries a penalty of twice the permit fee.

DCHD Subdivision/Land Development (Act 537) Sewage-Facilities Review

Any Delaware County business undertaking a subdivision or land-development project that requires Act 537 sewage-planning review pays this DCHD fee, which is separate from, and charged in addition to, the Planning Department's MPC §502 land-use review fee recorded separately for Delaware County — the two fees appear as distinct line items in two separate fee documents issued by two different agencies under two different statutes. Per the current DCHD Fee Schedule, the fee is $142 per lot for a residential Component I, Component II, or exemption review, $190 per site for a non-residential or land-development review, a flat $190 for a non-building waiver plan and inspection, a flat $475 for a public-sewer/SFTF Component 3 review, and $47 per lot for a substantial plan re-review after the initial review.

Well/Septic Contractor License (Well Driller, Geothermal, Pump Installer, Liquid Waste Hauler)

A contractor performing well-drilling, geothermal-well-installation, pump-installation, or liquid-waste-hauling work in Delaware County must hold the matching license from DCHD. DCHD Rules and Regulations §501.6.1–§501.6.2 state that licenses for well, geothermal-well, and pump-installation contractors 'are not transferable and shall be renewed annually,' and §504.4.3 states that a Liquid Waste Hauler License 'shall expire one (1) calendar year from date of issuance' — so all four license types run on a 1-year, annually renewed term. Per the current DCHD Fee Schedule, the Well Drilling License is $380, the Geothermal Well License is $95, the Pump Installer License is $285, and the Liquid Waste Hauler License is $166 per vehicle, with a $47 renewal fee, a $95 duplicate-license fee, and a $38 late test fee.

Well Construction Permit

Any Delaware County business drilling a well on a property not served by public water needs a well construction permit from DCHD. Per the current DCHD Fee Schedule, a new well permit is $237, a second or additional well on the same property is $142, a monitoring, test, or open-loop geothermal well is $142 per well, and a closed-loop geothermal well is $237 for the first through fifth well and $47 per additional borehole, capped at $2,375. Related fees include $95 per parcel for direct core boring, $76 per well for relocating a well before drilling, and $95 for altering an existing well.

Contact

Jurisdiction
Delaware County
Phone
(484) 276-2100

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. DCHD Camps pageDelaware County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
  2. DCHD Food Protection pageDelaware County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
  3. DCHD Public Bathing Place/Pool pageDelaware County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
  4. DCHD Rules and Regulations Chapter 400, §406 (Child Day Care Centers)Delaware County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
  5. DCHD Rules and Regulations Chapter 500 (Water, Wells, Sewage, Liquid Waste — well/septic contractor licensing)Delaware County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
  6. DCHD Sewage and Water pageDelaware County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
  7. Delaware County Health Department Fee Schedule (current; no printed effective date — fees set by County Council resolution under County Code Chapter 57)Delaware County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02

Other offices serving Delaware 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.