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

Temporary Food Service License

Code 5.20.010 defines a temporary food service establishment as one that "operates at a fixed location for a period of time of not more than fourteen consecutive days in conjunction with a single event or celebration." The one-day fee is $100 (Class 1T, high risk), $83 (Class 2T, medium risk) or $53 (Class 3T, low risk), with $26 for each additional day, per Sangamon County Code 5.20.160 Schedule A, "Effective 12/1/19" column (ordinance text as published on the county's code site). The Temporary Food Permit Application (revised 09/26) states: "These prices are for 1 day. Add $26.00 for each consecutive day after, up to 14 days total." The food-service page states that the application and fee are due two weeks before the event and that a permit is required if food is served to the general public for free or at a charge.

County Retail Liquor License (Unincorporated Area)

Code 5.04.030 states that no person within the boundaries of Sangamon County shall sell alcoholic liquor at retail without a license or permit under the chapter, and the Building and Zoning liquor page states: "To apply for a Sangamon County Liquor License you must be in the unincorporated area of the County and must have proper zoning." The County Board Chairman is the local liquor control commissioner (5.04.130), and applications are filed with the Department of Building and Zoning. Annual class fees run from $350 (1RR Outdoor Recreation Center) to $850 (1FF Package Liquor Only), with $700 for a 1AA Tavern, $600 for 1WW Beer & Wine Only and $550 for a 1K Caterer's license, plus a $50 application fee ($30 for a renewal), per Sangamon County Code 5.04.080 (fee table; amended by Res. 15-1 on 10/16/2019, Res. 12-1 on 4/8/2024 and Res. 5 on 3/23/2026); the department's Liquor Fees sheet (Rev 4-2024) lists the same class fees. Code 5.04.090 requires a $500 bond with each application and renewal. Code 5.04.120 states that a license is "valid for not to exceed one calendar year".

Food Service Establishment License (Annual)

Code 5.20.030 states: "No food service establishment shall operate or do business without first having obtained a permit or license from the board of health." Each license is valid for twelve months from the original date of issue, and annual fees may be paid half at the annual period and half at the semi-annual period. Code 5.20.165 sets the classes, and the annual fees are $944 for Class 1A (high risk), $784 for Class 2A (medium risk) and $500 for Class 3A (low risk), per Sangamon County Code 5.20.160 Schedule A, "Effective 12/1/19" column (ordinance text as published on the county's code site). The Health Department's Annual Restaurant Food Permit Application prints the same amounts with the half-payment figures ($472, $392 and $250). The food-service page states that food establishment permits are non-transferable and that the application must be completed before purchasing an existing food service establishment. Code 5.20.040 states that "The board of health shall inspect each food service establishment located in the county of Sangamon".

Food Service Establishment: New Facility Owner Fee

Code 5.20.160 Schedule A lists "Food Service Establishment: New Facility Owner" at $1,000.00 in its "Effective 12/1/19" column. The Health Department's Annual Restaurant Food Permit Application lists "License Permitting Fees: New Facility and/or Owner $1,000.00", and its Mobile Food Service Application lists a new owner line at $1,000. This is stated here as the code and forms state it, as its own fee line. Contact the Health Department at (217) 535-3145 before opening a new facility or buying an existing one to learn which fees apply to the application.

Food Service Establishment Plan Review

Code 5.20.140 requires plans and specifications to be submitted to the board of health for approval before work begins when a food service establishment is constructed or extensively remodeled, or when an existing structure is converted for use as a food service establishment. The New Plan Review Fee is $300 and the Remodeling Plan Review Fee is $263, per Sangamon County Code 5.20.160 Schedule A, "Effective 12/1/19" column (ordinance text as published on the county's code site); the Health Department's Plan Review Application lists the same amounts. The food-service page states that plans must be submitted before the start of construction and that "the local jurisdiction may require building and zoning permits."

County Liquor Permits for Licensees (Beer Garden, Drive-Up, Package, Additional Bar, Patio, Special Event, Off-Site)

A county liquor licensee in unincorporated Sangamon County that adds a beer garden, drive-up window, package sales, an additional bar or a patio pays $100 for each permit, and a Special Event or Off-Site Sales permit costs $75 per day, applied for 15 days before the event, per Sangamon County Code 5.04.080 (fee table; amended by Res. 15-1 on 10/16/2019, Res. 12-1 on 4/8/2024 and Res. 5 on 3/23/2026). Code 5.04.080 limits each permit to holders of particular license classes; for example, a Drive-Up Window Permit is issued to a Class 1AA or 1FF holder and a Package Liquor Permit to a Class 1AA, 1BB, 1PC or 1GG holder. Applications use the Department of Building and Zoning's Additional Permit/s Application.

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 Sangamon County

• Seasonal (6-Month) Food Service Establishment License — Sangamon County Department of Public Health, Environmental Health, $250–$472 per season, one-half the annual fee: Class 1A $472; Class 2A $392; Class 3A $250, seasonal; for facilities open fifteen to one hundred eighty-three days per year (Code 5.20.160). Also required for coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops 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.