What permits do you need to open a retail store in Sonoma County?

Tobacco Retail License (unincorporated area)

A retail store in unincorporated Sonoma County that sells tobacco products needs a Tobacco Retail License for each location under County Code Chapter 32A (§32A-3(a)), administered by the Department of Health Services' Impact Sonoma programme; Chapter 32A defines the County as its unincorporated territory. The license runs one year, and the renewal application and fee are due at least 30 days before it expires. Under §32A-12 the annual fee is set by Board of Supervisors resolution to recover the cost of the programme; the amount is not published on the Department's tobacco-retailers page, so contact Impact Sonoma for the current fee. The Department's page states that Impact Sonoma also administers tobacco retail licenses for Petaluma, Santa Rosa and Windsor, and that Healdsburg, Sebastopol and the City of Sonoma require their own license.

Temporary Food Facility Permit

A restaurant, food truck, coffee business or retailer that sells food from a booth at a fair, festival or other community event in Sonoma County needs a Temporary Food Facility permit from the Department of Health Services' Environmental Health & Safety section. A single event of up to five days costs $223 to $516 depending on the preparation level, and a vendor that works many events can instead hold an annual temporary food facility permit at $263 to $627. The organizer of a community event pays $804 to $1,766 depending on vendor count. The Local Caterer with TFF fee of $1,175 is a new fee added by the FY 2026-27 resolution, effective July 1, 2026. The figures are from the Department of Health Services' official Environmental Health fee page and match Board of Supervisors Resolution 24-0114 (adopted March 26, 2024, fees effective July 1, 2024). The Board's August 12, 2025 Environmental Health fee resolution keeps Resolution 24-0114 in full force and effect, the Department's FY 2025-26 summary report held fees at FY 2024-25 levels, and the FY 2026-27 resolutions (Res. 26-0090 to 26-0093, approved March 24, 2026, effective July 1, 2026) keep most Environmental Health fees at FY 2025-26 levels.

Fire Code Annual Operational Permit and Inspection (unincorporated area outside fire protection districts)

A business whose operations require a fire code operational permit under the County Fire Code (the 2025 California Fire Code as adopted by County Code §13-15(a)) pays Permit Sonoma Fire Prevention $256 for the annual inspection, which includes the first permit, $209 for each additional three permits and $209 for a reinspection, plus a 1.3% surcharge, per Permit Sonoma's FY 2026-27 fee schedule, adopted by Board of Supervisors Ordinance No. 6554 and in effect July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027. Under County Code §13-15(b), the county fire warden/fire marshal administers the County Fire Code only 'within those portions of the unincorporated area of the county not in a local fire protection district'; inside a local fire protection district, administration and enforcement of the fire code is 'the responsibility of the local fire chief', so this Permit Sonoma fee applies only in unincorporated areas outside a local fire protection district.

Food Facility Permit

California writes one statewide standard and delegates the permit. No food facility may open without one, but section 114381(d) puts the price in local hands: any fee "shall be determined by the local governing body" and may only cover the actual cost of enforcement. So there is a statewide RULE and no statewide FEE — no amount is recorded here because the state sets none. The figure that applies to you is your county environmental health department's, and it varies widely between counties. The permit is non-transferable, tied to the specific person, location and activity, and must be displayed. Cottage food operations, child day care facilities and community care facilities sit outside the definition of a food facility.

Shared with other businesses in Sonoma County

• Retail Food Facility Permit — County of Sonoma Department of Health Services, Environmental Health & Safety, $500–$2,286 Annual permit, by type: prepackaged non-potentially-hazardous food, no preparation $500; minimal or no preparation $662; moderate preparation under 2,000 sq ft $1,488; moderate preparation over 6,000 sq ft $1,826; extensive preparation under 2,000 sq ft $1,938, 2,000-6,000 sq ft $2,117, over 6,000 sq ft $2,286; caterer $858; rental or catering kitchen $1,070; seasonal (under five months a year) $903. Plan review: major new construction or remodel $2,088 (8-hour minimum, then $261 an hour); minor remodel $1,044 (4-hour minimum). Hourly rate $261., Annual; the permit expires on its renewal date and is not transferable (County Code §14-3-030(d)). Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the restaurants 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 restaurants, coffee shops and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the food trucks page.