Starting a Food Business

Prior to opening a new food service establishment in Snohomish County, the Washington State Retail Food Code requires that plans be reviewed and approved by the Snohomish County Health Department. This review process will help ensure that your plans and equipment meet state and local health requirements.

Click on the links below to go directly to those topics:

Estimated time until the first review CheckApplicationStatus

The estimated timeline for the first review of a submitted plan is currently at 12 weeks. The plans are sent to a queue to be reviewed on a first come-first served basis, regardless of the type of plan review submitted. Exact time until the first review is dependent on the number of applications submitted and may be longer.


FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS / PREGUNTAS FRECUENTES

If you have any other questions about the Plan Review process, contact the Snohomish County Health Department Food Safety voicemail line at 425-339-8730 or Email Food Safety.


Plan Review Process

There are six main steps to the plan review process. Click on the titles below for information on each of the steps.

  1. Submittal & Screening
  2. Review & Result
  3. Inspection
  4. Annual Permit

1. SUBMITTAL. Submit everything listed on the plan review checklist, along with the plan review fee. Incomplete applications are not accepted. Prior to submittal, applicants are encouraged to use our Agency Resource List to contact their local building and planning departments for additional requirements, obtain their business license, obtain water and sewer/septic approval, and review our minimum equipment requirements. 

2. SCREENING. The application will first be screened to make sure all of the necessary information has been included. Once the application is screened, you will receive an email with your service request number which you can use to check the status of the application online.

We accept applications in person, by mail or online. Food_ApplyOnline

Snohomish County Health Department
Attn: Food Section Plan Review
3020 Rucker Avenue
Suite 104
Everett, WA 98201-3900


How to turn in an application online

For instructions on how to turn in an application online, click on a language below:

English / Chinese / Korean / Punjabi / Spanish / Thai / Vietnamese

TYPES OF PLAN REVIEW APPLICATIONS

Click on the type of plan review listed below that applies to you to jump to that topic on this page. Descriptions and application links are under each type of plan review. Make sure you complete the required documents listed on your application checklist. 


GENERAL FOOD SERVICE ESTABLISHMENT

A food service establishment is a place where food is provided for service directly to the consumer, whether the food is provided free of charge or sold, and whether the food is consumed on or off the premises.

This includes restaurants, espresso stands, employee cafeterias, bakeries, takeouts, pizzerias, bars, senior centers, emergency food relief organizations, public and non-public schools, or religious, fraternal and charitable organizations.

New food service establishments will need to complete the full plan review application.


MOBILE FOOD UNIT

A mobile food unit is an operation where the food service establishment is movable. This includes food trucks, food cart vendors, and other mobile operations. All mobile units must have a commissary kitchen (unless they meet the exemption criteria in RCW 43.20.148), and commissary agreements need to be submitted annually. 

A commissary kitchen is an approved, permitted food establishment where food is stored, prepared, portioned, or packaged to be served somewhere else. This ensures that food safety requirements are met. The MFU must return to the commissary kitchen at a regular frequency, as determined during the plan review process. At least one of the annual routine inspections will be conducted at the commissary to demonstrate moveability of their MFU. Mobile operators are now required to document their presence at the commissary on a log and maintain the log for one year. The logs must be stored onboard the MFU for review during inspections.

If you are changing your commissary, you will need to submit a Remodel/Revision Plan Review Application. If you are a commissary kitchen and are no longer supporting a mobile food unit or an espresso stand please call to have the information updated in our system.

New mobile food units will need to complete the full mobile plan review application. 


MOBILE FOOD PERMIT RECIPROCITY

A Mobile food unit that is already permitted in another county in Washington.

Submit the items on the following checklist. Work with the primary county to ensure that all required documentation is included. If these requirements cannot be met, apply as a new mobile food unit for review by the Snohomish County Health Department. 

A reciprocity permit may only be issued if the most recent routine inspection report for the mobile food unit has no violations.


TAP ROOM AND TASTING ROOM

A food service establishment that does not handle any open food or conduct any food preparation. These facilities are limited to dispensing non-Time/Temperature Control for Safety (TCS) Foods or vending commercially pre-packaged food items.