Lancaster County
Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Food Safety and Laboratory Services
In short
Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Food Safety and Laboratory Services issues 3 permits we publish for Lancaster 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
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Food Facility License | Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Food Safety and Laboratory Services | $14–$300 annual license — new (under 50 seats, owner-operated) $103; new (all other facilities) $241; change of ownership $82; annual renewal $82; duplicate license $14; 2nd follow-up inspection $150; 3rd or subsequent follow-up inspection $300; courtesy inspection $150; remodel plan review no charge | annual | 2026-10-01 |
| Mobile Food Facility License | Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Food Safety and Laboratory Services | $14–$300 same fee table as the Retail Food Facility License — $103 new (under 50 seats, owner-operated), $241 new (all other), $82 change of ownership or annual renewal, $14 duplicate, $150 2nd follow-up or courtesy inspection, $300 3rd or subsequent follow-up; a Type 1 (prepackaged, non-potentially-hazardous food only) unit is exempt from license fees | annual; may require pairing with a fixed commissary, determined case-by-case by PDA based on the unit's risk Type 1–4 | 2026-10-01 |
| Temporary Food Facility Licenseonly if it applies to you | Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Food Safety and Laboratory Services | $14–$300 flat $14 for a new license, change of ownership, or annual renewal; $150 for a 2nd follow-up inspection; $300 for a 3rd or subsequent follow-up inspection; $14 duplicate; $150 courtesy inspection; a Type 1 (prepackaged, non-potentially-hazardous food only) facility is exempt from the license fee | per event or operating period, maximum 14 days per calendar year (consecutive or non-consecutive) | 2026-10-01 |
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
Retail Food Facility License
Any restaurant, coffee shop, or retail store preparing or selling food in Lancaster County, and any childcare facility that cooks or prepares food on-site, needs this license directly from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA), Bureau of Food Safety and Laboratory Services — not a county health department, because Lancaster is not among the seven Pennsylvania counties that PDA's own application packet names as running their own county health department jurisdiction (Allegheny, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Erie, Montgomery and Philadelphia). Per PDA's own current Retail Food Facilities and Restaurants application packet (Rev. 7/25), the fee is tiered: a new license for a facility under 50 seats that is owner-operated is $103, a new license for all other facilities is $241, a change of ownership or annual renewal is $82, a duplicate license is $14, a 2nd follow-up inspection is $150, a 3rd or subsequent follow-up inspection is $300, a courtesy inspection is $150, and remodel plan review carries no charge. The license is annual, and fees are collected at the licensing inspection rather than with the application.
Mobile Food Facility License
A food truck, or any mobile coffee-cart operation, running in Lancaster County needs this license from PDA's Bureau of Food Safety and Laboratory Services, using the same fee table as the Retail Food Facility License listed as a separate Lancaster County record: $103 (new, under 50 seats and owner-operated), $241 (new, all other facilities), $82 (change of ownership or annual renewal), $14 (duplicate), $150 (2nd follow-up inspection or courtesy inspection), and $300 (3rd or subsequent follow-up inspection). PDA's own current application packet states verbatim that a Mobile Food Facility of risk Type 1 — one offering only prepackaged, non-potentially-hazardous food — is 'exempt from license fees,' though it still requires an application and inspection. Whether a unit must also operate from a fixed commissary is a case-by-case determination PDA makes based on the unit's risk Type 1 through 4.
Temporary Food Facility License
A restaurant, coffee shop, food truck, or retail store selling food at a farmers market or other short-term event in Lancaster County needs this license from PDA's Bureau of Food Safety and Laboratory Services for each event, up to 14 days per calendar year (consecutive or non-consecutive). Per PDA's own current Temporary Food Facilities application packet (Rev. 7/25), the fee is a flat $14 for a new license, a change of ownership, or an annual renewal, with $150 for a 2nd follow-up inspection, $300 for a 3rd or subsequent follow-up inspection, $14 for a duplicate license, and $150 for a courtesy inspection. The packet states that a facility offering only prepackaged, non-potentially-hazardous food (Temporary Food Service Type 1) is exempt from the license fee itself, though it still requires an application and inspection.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Lancaster County
- Phone
- 717-787-4315
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.
- PDA Mobile Food Facilities Application PacketPennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Food Safety and Laboratory Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
- PDA Retail Food Facilities and Restaurants Application Packet (Rev. 7/25)Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Food Safety and Laboratory Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
- PDA Temporary Food Facilities Application Packet (Rev. 7/25)Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Food Safety and Laboratory Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
Other offices serving Lancaster County
The full permit list for this jurisdiction
Industry permit lists that include this agency
Pennsylvania jurisdictions
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