What permits do you need to open a restaurant in Champaign County Il?

Temporary Food Event Health Permit (Outside Champaign and Urbana)

A vendor serving food at a fair, festival or other temporary event in Champaign County outside Champaign and Urbana needs a temporary food establishment permit. Ordinance No. 2026-03-01 §5-3 requires each operator to pay a permit fee for each Temporary Food Establishment, and §3-2B limits the permit to the dates stated on it, expiring not more than fourteen consecutive days after the start date. A one-day event costs $50 and an event of two to fourteen consecutive days $75, per Champaign County Board of Health Ordinance No. 975 ("Establishing Fees", adopted December 17, 2015), and the same figures appear on the "Fee Schedule — Champaign County" page the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District publishes for the county (page footer 01/25). CUPHD's Temporary Food Events page asks for the application, proof of food safety training and fees at least two weeks before the event, offers a separate application choice for "other areas of the county outside of Champaign or Urbana", and states "there is a limit of three temporary health permits per calendar year."

County Liquor License (Unincorporated Champaign County)

The County Clerk's Liquor License Information page states "Liquor licenses are required to serve alcohol in unincorporated areas of Champaign County" and that licenses issued by the Clerk's Office are valid from June 1st through May 31st. To qualify, the owner and manager must be fingerprinted by the Champaign County Sheriff's Office (217-384-1204), the owner must show proof of insurance, and a diagram of the premises goes with the application. The County Board Rules (§VI.U) state "The County Executive shall be the Local Liquor Commissioner", charged with administering the county's liquor ordinance under 235 ILCS 5/4-2, 4-4, 4-5 and 7-5. As published on the County Clerk's application forms (the Standard and Renewal applications linked from that page), the class fees are Class A $2,365 (premises of 1,200 square feet or larger, other than gas stations and grocery stores; package and by the drink), Class B $1,400 (premises under 1,200 square feet), Class C $1,865 (package only), Class D $1,200 (beer and wine), Class D1 $930 (beer and wine, package only), Class F Caterer $465, Class G Club $1,400 and Class H Hotel/Motel $2,130. The Standard form states that a state criminal background check is required of certain owners and officers.

Food Establishment and Mobile Unit Annual Health Permit (Outside Champaign and Urbana)

Ordinance No. 2026-03-01 §3-1 makes it unlawful to operate a Food Establishment within the jurisdiction of the Health Department without a valid permit, and §3-2A states that "All Permits shall be valid from December 1-November 30 each year unless otherwise noted in this Ordinance." Ordinance No. 969 §1.3.2 states that the county Health Ordinance governs "throughout Champaign County, including areas falling within the corporate limits of municipalities, except for the following areas: A. Areas falling within the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District; and B. Areas falling within the corporate limits of any municipality which maintains a local health department meeting the minimum requirements of Division 5-25 of the Illinois Counties Code"; the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District administers the program for the county under contract. The ordinance's FOOD ESTABLISHMENT definition covers restaurants, markets and mobile operations, and it "does not include an establishment that offers only prepackaged foods that are not time/temperature control for safety". CUPHD's Plan Review page states "To operate a food or drink establishment or mobile unit, a health permit is required", and the 2022 FDA Food Code the ordinance adopts defines food to include beverages, so a coffee shop holds this permit. Annual fees are $400/$200 for Category 1, $300/$150 for Category 2 and $150/$75 for Category 3, the higher figure for permits issued December 1 – May 31 and the lower for June 1 – November 30, per Champaign County Board of Health Ordinance No. 975 ("Establishing Fees", adopted December 17, 2015), and the same figures appear on the "Fee Schedule — Champaign County" page the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District publishes for the county (page footer 01/25). Permits are not transferable (§3-1) and must be posted for public view (§3-4).

Retail Food Establishment Permit

The Department of Public Health's Retail Food page states that retail food establishments in Illinois, 'including restaurants, bakeries, grocery stores, and food trucks, are regulated by local health departments serving the jurisdiction where the establishment is located', and directs anyone starting a retail food business to the local health department, so the permit and its fee are set locally and depend on the county or city. The state reserves permitting to itself only for food processing plants, which it splits with the Department of Agriculture. The code itself is the 2022 FDA Food Code as adopted by Illinois, and inspection findings are graded as priority, priority foundation or core rather than by a numeric score.

Shared with other businesses in Champaign County Il

• Food Establishment Plan Review (Outside Champaign and Urbana) — Champaign County Public Health Department (Board of Health), Environmental Health services by the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District, $100–$500 per review, by square footage of food service areas: (A) new construction or conversion of an existing structure — up to 1,000 sq ft $200; over 1,000 to 10,000 sq ft $300; over 10,000 to 50,000 sq ft $400; over 50,000 sq ft $500. (B) change of owner or extensive remodel — $150 / $225 / $300 / $375. (C) minor remodel — $100 / $150 / $200 / $250, per project. Also required for coffee shops, food trucks and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
• Food Handler Training — Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Food, Drugs and Dairies, No fee, 3 years. Also required for coffee shops and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
• Certified Food Protection Manager — Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Food, Drugs and Dairies, No fee, 5 years. Also required for coffee shops and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the food trucks page.