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

Food Establishment Plan Review (STATE-SET fee, paid to the Comanche County Health Department)

Before a food establishment is built, converted, remodelled or changed in type, its plans go through plan review. The fee is STATE-SET: OAC 310:250-3-7 (effective October 1, 2017) sets plan review at $425.00 for food service, manufacturing, wholesale and broker establishments, and the same $425.00 for state-operated, non-profit, seasonal and fee-exempt establishments, with plans submitted to the Oklahoma State Department of Health or the respective county health department. OSDH's food licensure page tells applicants to "submit plans and plan review fee of $425.00" and states that plan review fees are paid to the county health department before the plan review is completed. The plan review fee is separate from the license fee, so a new establishment pays both. In Comanche County, the local office is the Comanche County Health Department, an Oklahoma State Department of Health office at 1010 South Sheridan, Lawton, OK 73501 (mailing address P.O. Box 87, Lawton, OK 73502), (580) 248-5890, open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

County Zoning and Fire/Safety/Health Code Certificates for an Original ABLE Alcohol License (premises outside city limits)

Under 37A O.S. § 2-142(B), every applicant for an original ABLE Commission license, except applicants for an employee, charitable event, special event or airline/railroad beverage license, furnishes a certificate of zoning and a code-compliance certificate. Where the principal place of business is located outside the incorporated limits of a municipality, both come from the county: paragraph 2 calls for a certificate "certifying that the applicant's proposed location and use thereof comply with all municipal zoning ordinances or county zoning regulations if applicable", and paragraph 3 for one certifying that operations "comply with all municipal or county fire codes, safety codes, or health codes, if applicable". Subsection C provides that the certificates are signed by the chair of the board of county commissioners unless the county designates another officer or entity, that applications are in writing, and that the county acts within twenty (20) days of receipt. Subsection D allows conditional certificates for premises still under construction, and subsection E requires issuance within ten (10) days after all final inspections. Subsection J exempts public event license applicants from these certificates. The section is cited as amended by HB 1270, approved by the Governor April 23, 2025 and effective November 1, 2025; the bill's title describes its changes as ABLE deficiency notices and decision timelines. A business inside a city or town obtains these certificates from that municipality. The county's Zoning & Permitting page states: "Alcohol licenses and permits are handled through the Oklahoma ABLE Commission."

Temporary Food Establishment License (events; STATE-SET fee, through the Comanche County Health Department)

A vendor selling food at a temporary event needs a state temporary food establishment license from the Oklahoma State Department of Health. The fee is STATE-SET: OAC 310:250-3-1(a)(5) (as amended effective September 11, 2022) sets it at $50.00 for the initial day of the event plus $25.00 for each additional consecutive day, states that the total fee for a single temporary event license shall not exceed $250, and limits a temporary license to fourteen (14) consecutive days. OSDH's food licensure page states the same daily amounts and the 14-day maximum. In Comanche County, the local office is the Comanche County Health Department, an Oklahoma State Department of Health office at 1010 South Sheridan, Lawton, OK 73501 (mailing address P.O. Box 87, Lawton, OK 73502), (580) 248-5890, open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Certified Food Protection Manager (optional, not mandatory)

No fee, because Oklahoma runs no mandatory statewide food handler card or food manager certification programme — and this is worth stating plainly because it contradicts what a business owner might expect from a neighbouring state. The rule gives the person in charge three separate ways to demonstrate knowledge at inspection: having no priority violations that day, being a certified food protection manager, or simply answering the inspector's questions correctly. Certification is one option among three, not a requirement. Local ordinances in individual cities and counties may impose their own food handler card programmes, but those are municipal choices rather than a state mandate.

Shared with other businesses in Comanche County Ok

• Food Establishment License (state license, STATE-SET fee; apply through the Comanche County Health Department) — Comanche County Health Department (Oklahoma State Department of Health), STATE-SET (OAC 310:250-3-1, as amended effective September 11, 2022; OSDH Form 543, revised 5/29/25). Food service, manufacturing or wholesale, and mobile (Form 543 type 45 M): new license $425; renewal $335; $375 if 30-89 days late. A license not renewed within 90 days is ineligible for renewal and pays the $425 initial fee. Seasonal (180 consecutive days) $250. State-operated, non-profit or health facility not meeting fee-exempt status: $175 new, $125 renewal, $150 late renewal., annual; a seasonal license is valid for 180 consecutive days. Also required for coffee shops, food trucks and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the food trucks page.
• Food Establishment License — Oklahoma State Department of Health, Consumer Health Service, $425 to open, plus a $425 plan review; renewal is $335 a year, annual. Also required for coffee shops and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the food trucks page.