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15 permits · verified 2026-10-02

What permits do you need to open a restaurant in Contra Costa County?

In short

A restaurant in Contra Costa County, CA has 4 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 11 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Contra Costa Health, Environmental Health Division charges $947 annual, Restaurant category RC1 (0-25 seats) — currently billed figure for the retail food facility permit. 5 of the 15 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-02 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a restaurant in Contra Costa County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Retail Food Facility PermitContra Costa Health, Environmental Health Division$947 annual, Restaurant category RC1 (0-25 seats) — currently billed figureannual2026-10-02
Temporary Food Event Permitonly if it applies to youContra Costa Health, Environmental Health Division$235 per event, per booth (1-2 booths) — currently billed figure; the fee scales upward with additional booths on the same fee pageper event2026-10-02
Hazardous Materials Business Plan (HMBP) Annual Permitonly if it applies to youContra Costa County Fire Protection District, Hazardous Materials Programs (Certified Unified Program Agency)Tiered by chemical inventory: under 1,000 lbs = $421 (lowest tier), scaling up to $64,220 for the highest tier (1 billion+ lbs, including the flat refinery rate). A $96 initial permit processing fee applies to newly regulated businesses or ownership changes. Incident-response fees for non-regulated-entity responses are $365 per hour per staff member during business hours and $404 per hour per staff member after hours.annual, fiscal year July 1 - June 302026-10-02
Land Use Permit (General/"Other" category)only if it applies to youContra Costa County Department of Conservation and Development$5,500 minimum deposit plus time and materials, for the Land Use Permit (Other) category, covering fee-schedule codes S-025, S-027, S-027B and S-029.per application (one-time)2026-10-02
Building Permit — Plan Review & Permit Review/Processingonly if it applies to youContra Costa County Department of Conservation and DevelopmentPlan Review fee, by improvement value (seven tiers): up to $2,000 = $49 + $8.94 per $1,000 above $2,000; $25,000 = $254 + $6.44 per $1,000 above $25,000; $50,000 = $415 + $4.47 per $1,000 above $50,000; $100,000 = $639 + $5.30 per $1,000 above $100,000; $500,000 = $2,758 + $5.52 per $1,000 above $500,000; $1,000,000 = $5,516 + $3.79 per $1,000 above $1,000,000; $5,000,000 = $20,685 + $5.52 per $1,000 above $5,000,000. A separate, lower-scaled Permit Review and Processing fee runs on the same valuation bands, starting at $19 + $3.44 per $1,000 above $2,000.per permit (one-time, project-based)2026-10-02
Food Facility PermitCalifornia Department of Public Health, Food and Drug BranchNo feeset by the local enforcement agency2026-09-03
Food Handler CardCalifornia Department of Public Health, Food and Drug Branch$15 statutory maximum for at least one accredited course3 years2026-09-03

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

Local permits that apply to every type of business in Contra Costa County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Business License Taxonly if it applies to youContra Costa County Treasurer-Tax Collector, Business License Tax DivisionVaries — formula on the Contra Costa County pageannual; license year July 1 - June 30, renewal due by June 302026-10-02

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

CA registrations that apply to every type of business

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Statement of Information (LLC)only if it applies to youCalifornia Secretary of State, Business Programs Division$20 per filing, biennialbiennial2026-09-03
Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youCalifornia Secretary of State, Business Programs Division$70 one-time filingno expiry, but a Statement of Information is due biennially2026-09-03
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youCalifornia Secretary of State, Business Programs Division$100 one-time filingno expiry, but a Statement of Information is due annually2026-09-03
Statement of Information (Corporation)only if it applies to youCalifornia Secretary of State, Business Programs Division$25 per filing, annualannual2026-09-03
Seller's Permitonly if it applies to youCalifornia Department of Tax and Fee AdministrationNo fee — no fee to applyno expiry while actively engaged in business as a seller2026-09-03
Annual LLC Tax and Minimum Franchise Taxonly if it applies to youCalifornia Franchise Tax BoardVaries — formula on the CA pageannual, until the entity is cancelled2026-09-03
General Business License — California position (city or county, not state)California Secretary of State, Business Programs DivisionNo feeset by the issuing city or county2026-09-03

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

How much does it actually cost to permit a restaurant in Contra Costa County?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 15 records listed for a restaurant in Contra Costa County, CA, 4 apply to every business of this type and 11 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.

Of the 4 that always apply, 2 carry a flat fee, coming to $962.00. That is a floor, not a total. 5 of the 15 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 2 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

Hazardous Materials Business Plan (HMBP) Annual Permit: Tiered by chemical inventory: under 1,000 lbs = $421 (lowest tier), scaling up to $64,220 for the highest tier (1 billion+ lbs, including the flat refinery rate). A $96 initial permit processing fee applies to newly regulated businesses or ownership changes. Incident-response fees for non-regulated-entity responses are $365 per hour per staff member during business hours and $404 per hour per staff member after hours.

Land Use Permit (General/"Other" category): $5,500 minimum deposit plus time and materials, for the Land Use Permit (Other) category, covering fee-schedule codes S-025, S-027, S-027B and S-029.

Building Permit — Plan Review & Permit Review/Processing: Plan Review fee, by improvement value (seven tiers): up to $2,000 = $49 + $8.94 per $1,000 above $2,000; $25,000 = $254 + $6.44 per $1,000 above $25,000; $50,000 = $415 + $4.47 per $1,000 above $50,000; $100,000 = $639 + $5.30 per $1,000 above $100,000; $500,000 = $2,758 + $5.52 per $1,000 above $500,000; $1,000,000 = $5,516 + $3.79 per $1,000 above $1,000,000; $5,000,000 = $20,685 + $5.52 per $1,000 above $5,000,000. A separate, lower-scaled Permit Review and Processing fee runs on the same valuation bands, starting at $19 + $3.44 per $1,000 above $2,000.

The other 2 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Contra Costa County permits page and the CA state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Contra Costa County?

Permits for a restaurant in Contra Costa County, CA come from 8 separate offices: Contra Costa Health, Environmental Health Division, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, Hazardous Materials Programs (Certified Unified Program Agency), Contra Costa County Department of Conservation and Development, Contra Costa County Treasurer-Tax Collector, Business License Tax Division, California Department of Public Health, Food and Drug Branch, California Secretary of State, Business Programs Division, California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, California Franchise Tax Board. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.

What does a restaurant need in Contra Costa County that other businesses do not?

Retail Food Facility Permit

A facility that prepares, packages or sells food to the public needs this permit from Contra Costa Health's Environmental Health Division, which regulates retail food countywide — in every incorporated city and the unincorporated area alike. The Scheduled Fees page carries a three-phase increase for each category, with its own effective-date footnotes: for a Restaurant (RC1, 0-25 seats), the figure currently billed is $947, the page's 'Phased Increase 1' amount, in effect through December 31, 2026; it rises to $1,095 ('Phased Increase 2') on January 1, 2027, and to $1,244 (the page's 'Current Fees' column, which is actually the fully phased-in target) on January 1, 2028. Other categories on the same fee page — bakeries, retail food markets, cocktail lounges, snack bars, production kitchens, catering operations and vending machines — are billed under this same three-phase structure at their own listed rates for each phase.

Temporary Food Event Permit

A vendor selling food at a fair, festival or other temporary event anywhere in the county needs a Temporary Food Event Permit from Contra Costa Health's Environmental Health Division. The currently billed per-booth fee for a 1-2 booth event is $235, drawn from the same Scheduled Fees page and phase-in structure as the Retail Food Facility and Mobile Food Facility Permits above; events with more booths are charged a higher per-event figure on that same schedule. This permit is separate from, and in addition to, any annual Retail Food Facility Permit or Mobile Food Facility Permit the vendor otherwise holds.

Shared with other businesses in Contra Costa County

  • Hazardous Materials Business Plan (HMBP) Annual Permit — Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, Hazardous Materials Programs (Certified Unified Program Agency), Tiered by chemical inventory: under 1,000 lbs = $421 (lowest tier), scaling up to $64,220 for the highest tier (1 billion+ lbs, including the flat refinery rate). A $96 initial permit processing fee applies to newly regulated businesses or ownership changes. Incident-response fees for non-regulated-entity responses are $365 per hour per staff member during business hours and $404 per hour per staff member after hours., annual, fiscal year July 1 - June 30. Also required for coffee shops, auto repair shops, veterinary clinics, salons and barbers and contractors and trades; what it involves is set out on the contractors and trades page.
  • Land Use Permit (General/"Other" category) — Contra Costa County Department of Conservation and Development, $5,500 minimum deposit plus time and materials, for the Land Use Permit (Other) category, covering fee-schedule codes S-025, S-027, S-027B and S-029., per application (one-time). Also required for contractors and trades, retail stores, salons and barbers and fitness studios; what it involves is set out on the contractors and trades page.
  • Building Permit — Plan Review & Permit Review/Processing — Contra Costa County Department of Conservation and Development, Plan Review fee, by improvement value (seven tiers): up to $2,000 = $49 + $8.94 per $1,000 above $2,000; $25,000 = $254 + $6.44 per $1,000 above $25,000; $50,000 = $415 + $4.47 per $1,000 above $50,000; $100,000 = $639 + $5.30 per $1,000 above $100,000; $500,000 = $2,758 + $5.52 per $1,000 above $500,000; $1,000,000 = $5,516 + $3.79 per $1,000 above $1,000,000; $5,000,000 = $20,685 + $5.52 per $1,000 above $5,000,000. A separate, lower-scaled Permit Review and Processing fee runs on the same valuation bands, starting at $19 + $3.44 per $1,000 above $2,000., per permit (one-time, project-based). Also required for contractors and trades, retail stores, fitness studios, childcare centres, auto repair shops and salons and barbers; what it involves is set out on the contractors and trades page.
  • Food Facility Permit — California Department of Public Health, Food and Drug Branch, No fee, set by the local enforcement agency. Also required for coffee shops, retail stores and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
  • Food Handler Card — California Department of Public Health, Food and Drug Branch, $15 statutory maximum for at least one accredited course, 3 years. Also required for coffee shops, retail stores and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the food trucks page.

The other 1 local permit in the tables apply to every type of business in Contra Costa County, CA; what each one involves is set out on the Contra Costa County permits page. The 7 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across CA and are covered on the CA state page.

How does a restaurant compare with other businesses in Contra Costa County?

The closest match is a coffee shop, which shares 5 of these permits. A restaurant also needs Land Use Permit (General/"Other" category) and Building Permit — Plan Review & Permit Review/Processing. A coffee shop needs nothing here that a restaurant does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Contra Costa County, CA, compared with a restaurant
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a restaurantOnly a restaurant needsOnly it needs
Coffee shops5520
Retail stores5520
Food trucks4341
Contractors and trades5342
Salons and barbers5342
Fitness studios2250
Auto repair shops4252
Childcare centres2161
Veterinary clinics4163

Sources

Every figure for the permits explained on this page was read from one of these government pages on the date shown. Sources for the permits shared with other businesses are listed with their explanations on the contractors and trades page, retail stores page and food trucks page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Contra Costa County permits page and the CA state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Environmental Health Scheduled FeesContra Costa Health, Environmental Health Division · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
  2. Fees for Retail Food, Pools, Body Art & MoreContra Costa Health, Environmental Health Division · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02

Related

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