What permits do you need to open a coffee shop in Snohomish County?

Food Service Establishment Annual Permit

Every restaurant, cafe and other food service establishment in Snohomish County needs an annual food service permit from the Snohomish County Health Department, in Everett, every other city and the unincorporated area alike. The amounts shown take effect November 1, 2026 under Board of Health Ordinance No. BOH26-03 (adopted April 14, 2026), which sets one schedule for November 1, 2026 through October 31, 2027 and a higher one after that. From November 1, 2026 a low-risk establishment pays $525; an establishment with 0-50 seats pays $780 (medium risk) or $1,075 (high risk); 51-150 seats $890 or $1,210; 151 seats or over $985 or $1,365. After October 31, 2027 these become $540, $805 / $1,105, $915 / $1,245 and $1,015 / $1,405. Before November 1, 2026 the codified SCBHC 1.40.041 (Ord. BOH25-08, effective November 1, 2025) sets $500 low risk, $745 / $1,025 for 0-50 seats, $850 / $1,150 for 51-150 seats and $940 / $1,300 for 151 seats or over. Operating without a permit costs double the prescribed fee. An office conference that includes a reinspection costs $440 from November 1, 2026 and $455 after October 31, 2027 under the same ordinance. Plan review, catering endorsements and the on-site sewage review are separate charges. Alcohol is licensed by the State, not the Health Department.

Food Establishment Plan Review (general plan review and pre-operation inspection)

A new food establishment, including a new mobile food unit, goes through Health Department plan review before it can be permitted. The general plan review fee, which covers the plan review and the pre-operation inspection, is $1,155 from November 1, 2026 through October 31, 2027 and $1,190 after October 31, 2027 under Board of Health Ordinance No. BOH26-03, §5, amending SCBHC 1.40.040; the codified fee before November 1, 2026 is $1,100 (Ord. BOH25-08), the same $1,100 the Health Department's Mobile Food Units page lists for a new mobile food unit. The Mobile Food Units page states that the plan review fee is nonrefundable and is submitted with the plan review checklist, that the first pre-operational inspection carries no added charge, and that a reinspection is charged. SCBHC 1.40.040 also prices tap room, tasting room and vending reviews, additional permits at a multiple-permit facility, change of ownership, HACCP review, remodels and plan revisions and plan review consultations as separate lines; contact the Snohomish County Health Department, 3020 Rucker Avenue, Suite 104, Everett, for the amount in effect for those.

Unplumbed Espresso Stand Plumbing Variance (application fee waiver)

There is no variance application fee for an eligible unplumbed espresso stand that applies on time. Under SCBHC 1.40.040, the owner of an unplumbed espresso stand, as defined in SCBHC 3.05.050, that was legally operating on or before March 1, 2022 pays no application fee when seeking a variance from the plumbing requirements of chapter 246-215 WAC, provided the variance application reaches the Health Department on or before December 31, 2026. An application submitted after that date pays the regular variance application fee. Ordinance No. BOH26-03, effective November 1, 2026, keeps the same waiver and the same December 31, 2026 cut-off, allows only one waived variance fee per stand, and states that a new owner of a stand that is sold or transferred must either obtain a variance with payment of any applicable fees or plumb the stand. Under BOH26-03, a stand without a current annual food service establishment permit is ineligible for a plumbing variance. The stand still needs its annual food service permit, recorded separately.

Food Service with On-Site Sewage System Review

A food service establishment on an on-site sewage (septic) system, rather than public sewer, pays a Health Department on-site sewage review fee each year with its annual food service permit. From November 1, 2026 the fee is $245, rising to $255 after October 31, 2027, under SCBHC 1.40.097 as amended by Board of Health Ordinance No. BOH26-03 §25. The same ordinance amends SCBHC 1.40.045 so that its food-service on-site sewage line carries no dollar figure and reads 'See SCBHC 1.40.097 for review fees,' leaving 1.40.097 as the one section that sets this fee from November 1, 2026. Both sections state that the fee is 'charged at time of annual food service permit fee' and that the paid review fee and a current on-site sewage monitoring and maintenance report are required before the annual permit is issued. A restaurant or cafe on public sewer is outside this fee. Septic installation, repair and certification permits are recorded separately.

Food Establishment Permit

The state writes the retail food code and prices nothing — the whole chapter contains no dollar figure anywhere. The local board of health, acting through the local health officer, is the regulatory authority, and each of the thirty-five local health jurisdictions sets its own schedule capped at actual cost. They do not even band the same way: King County crosses establishment type with seat count and a three-level risk category, from $441 to $1,386; Spokane bands by complexity, $290 basic, $380 limited and $850 complex; Pierce County bands by seats from $1,080 up to $2,400 for a large buffet. King County's permit year runs from 1 April and prorates by quarter. Plan review is separately and substantially charged — a thousand dollars and upward in King County. A single Washington restaurant permit fee does not exist and any figure offered as one is invented.

Food Worker Card

Ten dollars, and unusually the card is issued locally but valid across the whole state — the exam is uniform and any legally issued card works everywhere in Washington. The term rewards staying current: two years for a first card, three on renewal, and five if you document additional food safety training within the previous two years. One warning worth repeating because the state itself repeats it: there is exactly one authorised online provider, foodworkercard.wa.gov, and other sites offering a similar card are not valid in Washington. You may renew up to sixty days early. This is a separate thing from the certified food protection manager requirement in the food code.

Shared with other businesses in Snohomish County

• State Liquor License — County Notice and Objection Outside Cities and Towns — Snohomish County legislative authority (notice and objection role on state liquor licenses outside cities and towns), No fee, per state license application or renewal. Also required for restaurants and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
• Food Worker Card — Snohomish County Health Department (formerly the Snohomish Health District), Food Safety and Environmental Health, $10 per card, State-set; replacement for a lost card $10, two-year initial card; three-year or five-year renewal (five-year renewal requires ANSI-approved Certified Food Protection Manager certification). Also required for restaurants and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.
• Temporary Food Service Permit (single event, recurring event, blanket event, food demonstrator) — Snohomish County Health Department (formerly the Snohomish Health District), Food Safety and Environmental Health, Set in SCBHC 1.40.044 by permit type and risk category: single event; recurring events, including farmers' markets, with an added fee per additional location; blanket event (judged cooking); food demonstrator (single, recurring, recurring additional); a processing fee for an event vendor exempt from permit; and a late fee for an application filed 1-13 days before the event. Ord. BOH26-03 §9 sets new amounts for every line from November 1, 2026; contact the Snohomish County Health Department for the amount in effect., per event, or per recurring-event permit. Also required for food trucks and restaurants; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.
• On-Site Sewage (Septic) System Permit — Snohomish County Health Department (formerly the Snohomish Health District), Food Safety and Environmental Health, Set in SCBHC 1.40.090-1.40.092 by permit type: new permit (all types except community systems), redesign, renewal within 30 days, alteration of the absorption or reserve area, tank only, repair, and community system application review plus a per-connection charge. Ord. BOH26-03 sets new amounts for these sections from November 1, 2026; contact the Snohomish County Health Department for the amount in effect., per permit; SCBHC 1.40.090 lists a separate fee for renewal within 30 days. Also required for restaurants, retail stores and fitness studios; what it involves is set out on the fitness studios page.