Benton County

Benton-Franklin Health District

In short

Benton-Franklin Health District issues 6 permits we publish for Benton County, last verified 2026-10-26. 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
Permit	Issuing agency	Fee	Renews	Last checked
Mobile Food Unit Permit (per unit)	Benton-Franklin Health District	$200–$400 a year per unit by risk level 1/2/3: $200/$300/$400 (BFHD sheet effective 01/01/24); plan review $500	annual; expires December 31 (BCC 6.40.050)	2026-10-26
Temporary and Seasonal Temporary Food Establishment Permitonly if it applies to you	Benton-Franklin Health District	$30–$400 per permit by hazard level low/moderate/high (BFHD sheet effective 01/01/24): temporary permit $60/$90/$120; qualified operator at a temporary event $30/$45/$60; seasonal temporary $200/$300/$400; seasonal temporary (caterer) $100/$150/$200; additional event days $15; application less than 14 business days before the event +$50; late changes $30	per event; a temporary permit runs for the period stated in the application, not more than 21 calendar days (BCC 6.40.050)	2026-10-26
Food Establishment Permit (food service, by seats and risk level)	Benton-Franklin Health District	$200–$700 a year by seats and risk level 1/2/3: 0-20 seats $200/$300/$400; 21-50 $300/$400/$500; 51-100 $400/$500/$600; 101+ $500/$600/$700 (BFHD sheet effective 01/01/24); plan review for a new establishment $500/$600/$700/$800 by the same seat bands	annual; expires December 31 (BCC 6.40.050)	2026-10-26
Retail Food (Grocery Store) Permitonly if it applies to you	Benton-Franklin Health District	$75–$400 a year (BFHD sheet effective 01/01/24): basic store by registers 1-4 $200, 5-9 $300, 10+ $400 (plan review $300); with food service 0-20 seats $200/$300/$400 by risk (plan review $150); each additional department $200/$300/$400 (plan review $150); micro market or vending machine with TCS food $75 (plan review $150)	annual; expires December 31 (BCC 6.40.050)	2026-10-26
Food Worker Card	Benton-Franklin Health District	$10 per card, set by state rule (WAC 246-217-025(2)); a duplicate card is $5 on the BFHD sheet	per card	2026-10-26
Commercial On-Site Sewage (Septic) System Permitonly if it applies to you	Benton-Franklin Health District	$1,000–$1,300 per permit (BFHD schedule approved November 22, 2024, effective 2025): non-residential/commercial installation, design flow under 500 gpd $1,000; over 500 gpd $1,300; commercial repair $1,000	per permit	2026-10-26

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

Mobile Food Unit Permit (per unit)

A food truck, trailer or coffee cart operating in Benton County needs a mobile unit permit from the Benton-Franklin Health District (BFHD), which serves both Benton County and Franklin County. Per the BFHD fee sheet 'BFHD Food Establishment Fees', stamped 'Effective 01/01/24' and linked by BFHD as its 'Current Food Safety Fee Schedule', the 'Mobile Unit - Per Unit' line is $200, $300 or $400 a year for risk level 1, 2 or 3, charged for each unit, with a $500 plan review. BFHD's Food Safety Applications page also states: 'Starting January 1, 2024, the Benton-Franklin Health District (BFHD) Food Safety Program will no longer issue temporary food service permits to vendors using mobile food units without Washington State Labor & Industries (WA L&I) certification or approval.' The annual permit follows the BCC 6.40 cycle, expiring December 31 with the renewal fee due by January 31. Contact BFHD Food Safety at 509-460-4205.

Temporary and Seasonal Temporary Food Establishment Permit

A restaurant, coffee business or food truck serving food at a fair, festival, market or other event in Benton County needs a temporary food establishment permit from the Benton-Franklin Health District (BFHD), which serves both Benton County and Franklin County. Under BCC 6.40.050 a temporary permit expires at the end of the period stated in the application, which may not exceed 21 calendar days. Per the 'Temporary Food Permits' block of the BFHD fee sheet stamped 'Effective 01/01/24' (linked by BFHD as its 'Current Food Safety Fee Schedule'), a temporary permit is $60 for low hazard, $90 for moderate hazard and $120 for high hazard; a qualified operator at a temporary event pays $30/$45/$60; a seasonal temporary permit is $200/$300/$400; and a seasonal temporary permit for a caterer is $100/$150/$200. Additional days for an event are $15, an application made less than 14 business days before the event adds $50, and late changes to a permit are $30. Contact BFHD Food Safety at 509-460-4205.

Food Establishment Permit (food service, by seats and risk level)

A restaurant, café or other food service establishment anywhere in Benton County needs a food establishment permit from the Benton-Franklin Health District (BFHD), the health district serving both Benton County and Franklin County. BCC 6.40.030 makes it unlawful to operate a food service establishment without an unrevoked permit issued by the health officer, and BCC 6.40.060 sets the fee by resolution of the Benton-Franklin District Board of Health. Per the BFHD fee sheet 'BFHD Food Establishment Fees', stamped 'Effective 01/01/24' and linked by BFHD's Food Safety Applications page as its 'Current Food Safety Fee Schedule', the annual permit is priced by seats and risk level 1/2/3: 0-20 seats $200/$300/$400; 21-50 seats $300/$400/$500; 51-100 seats $400/$500/$600; 101+ seats $500/$600/$700. Plan review for a new establishment is $500, $600, $700 or $800 by the same seat bands. The same sheet lists a caterer at $200/$300/$400 (plan review $350); a cocktail lounge, bar or additional kitchen at $100/$200/$300 (plan review $300); food service from a commissary kitchen at $200/$300/$400 (plan review $250); a change of ownership at $250; a reinspection at $150; and a late permit payment at $100. BFHD's Applications page adds that 'All new applications are subject to an application submission fee.' Under BCC 6.40.050 the permit expires December 31 each year, and under BCC 6.40.070 the renewal fee is due by January 31 and is delinquent after that date. Contact BFHD Food Safety at 509-460-4205.

Retail Food (Grocery Store) Permit

A grocery or other store that sells food in Benton County holds a grocery permit from the Benton-Franklin Health District (BFHD), which serves both Benton County and Franklin County. Per the 'Grocery Stores' block of the BFHD fee sheet 'BFHD Food Establishment Fees', stamped 'Effective 01/01/24' and linked by BFHD as its 'Current Food Safety Fee Schedule', a basic store is priced by its number of registers: 1-4 registers $200, 5-9 registers $300 and 10 or more registers $400 a year, with a $300 plan review. A store with food service of 0-20 seats pays $200/$300/$400 by risk level, with a $150 plan review, and each additional department (bakery, meat, produce and the like) is $200/$300/$400, with a $150 plan review. A micro market or vending machine with time/temperature-control-for-safety (TCS) food is $75 a year, with a $150 plan review. The annual permit follows the BCC 6.40 cycle: it expires December 31 and the renewal fee is due by January 31. Contact BFHD Food Safety at 509-460-4205.

Food Worker Card

Food workers in restaurants, cafés and food trucks in Washington carry a state food worker card. The fee is set by the State Board of Health, not by the county: WAC 246-217-025(2) states, 'Each applicant for a food worker card must pay a fee in the amount of ten dollars.' The Benton-Franklin Health District (BFHD), which serves both Benton County and Franklin County, lists the same 'Food Worker Card $10.00' under Food Worker Education on its fee sheet stamped 'Effective 01/01/24', together with a $5 duplicate card. The card is separate from the establishment's own food permit. Contact BFHD Food Safety at 509-460-4205.

Commercial On-Site Sewage (Septic) System Permit

A business whose building is served by an on-site sewage (septic) system rather than a public sewer needs an on-site sewage permit from the Benton-Franklin Health District (BFHD), which serves both Benton County and Franklin County, when it installs or repairs that system. The BFHD fee schedule whose cover reads 'Approved by the Benton-Franklin Health District Board of Health on November 22nd, 2024', and whose table pages are headed 'Fee schedule effective 2025', prices a non-residential/commercial on-site sewage installation permit at $1,000 for a design flow under 500 gallons per day and $1,300 for a design flow over 500 gallons per day, and a commercial on-site sewage repair at $1,000. The figures are the schedule's approved 2025 rates (the column headed 'Proposed BFHD FEE', which the Board approved). BFHD's Fee Schedule page links this document as its 2025 Fee Schedule and states that the schedule is 'reviewed annually and updated when there is a significant cost increase or decrease to the services provided.' Contact BFHD at 509-460-4200.

Contact

Jurisdiction: Benton County
Phone: 509-460-4200 (Food Safety 509-460-4205)
Website: www.bfhd.wa.gov/

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.

Benton County Code ch. 6.40, Food Service Establishments (§§6.40.030, 6.40.050, 6.40.060, 6.40.070)Benton County · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-26
Benton-Franklin Health District Proposed Fee Schedule – 2025, Approved by the Benton-Franklin Health District Board of Health on November 22nd, 2024 ("Fee schedule effective 2025")Benton-Franklin Health District · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-26
BFHD Food Establishment Fees, Effective 01/01/24Benton-Franklin Health District · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-26
Fee Schedule (links the 2025 Fee Schedule)Benton-Franklin Health District · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-26
Food Safety — Applications (links the "Current Food Safety Fee Schedule"; mobile unit L&I statement)Benton-Franklin Health District · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-26
WAC 246-217-025 — food worker card feeWashington State Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03

Other offices serving Benton County

The full permit list for this jurisdiction

Business licenses in Benton County

Industry permit lists that include this agency

Washington jurisdictions

Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.