Food Shop Licenses and Fees
Codified Ordinances of Cleveland § 241.05
in effect§ 241.05 Food Shop Licenses and Fees
(a) No food shop shall be operated without the person, firm, association, or corporation conducting the business first applying for and obtaining an annual license. All fees and charges assessed under this section shall be paid to the Commissioner of Assessments and Licenses.
(b) The provisions of RC Chapters 3715 and 3717 pertaining to the licensing, administration and enforcement of food safety programs by the local licensing authority are adopted and incorporated herein by the City of Cleveland.
(c) The holder of a food service operation license as defined by state law shall not be required to obtain a retail food establishment license except when the activities of a retail food establishment and a food service operation are carried on within the same facility by the same person or entity, then the determination of what license applies shall be made according to the primary business of the person or entity as determined by the licensor, the City of Cleveland Director of Public Health, as described in RC 3717.44.
(d) Each application to the Commissioner of Assessments and Licenses for a mobile food service operation license required under RC 3717.43 shall be accompanied by the correct fee. The local license fees are as follows:
2026
Risk Level | Fee
FSO Mobile | $400.00
RFE Mobile (High Risk) | $400.00
RFE Mobile (Low Risk) | $200.00
2027
Mobile | Fee
(High Risk) | $350.00
(Low Risk) | $175.00
(e) Each application to the Commissioner of Assessments and Licenses for a vending food service operation license required under RC 3717.43 shall be accompanied by the correct fee. The local license fees are as follows:
2026
Risk Level | Fee
Vending | $18.30
2027
Risk Level | Fee
Vending | $18.79
(f) Each application to the Commissioner of Assessments and Licenses for a temporary commercial food service operation and temporary non-commercial food service operation license required under RC 3717.43 shall be accompanied by the correct fee. The local license fees are as follows:
2026
Risk Level | Fee
5-day temporary | $130.00
5-day temporary (non-commercial) | $65.00
2027
Risk Level | Fee
5-day temporary | $110.00
5-day temporary (non-commercial) | $55.00
(g) The Commissioner of Assessments and Licenses may also collect fees for collection and bacteriological examination of samples taken from a food shop in an amount equal to the cost of such collection and examination as determined by the Director of Public Health.
(h) Except for plans pertaining to mobile or temporary food service operations or vending devices, the Commissioner of Assessments and Licenses shall collect fees in the amounts stated below, for plan reviews of food shops prior to submission of plans to the Department of Public Health:
2026 Plan Review Fee | Commercial | Non-Commercial
New Operations | $500.00 | $250.00
Extensive Alteration / New Owner | $250.00 | $125.00
2027 Plan Review Fee |
Initial | $100.00
Hourly rate after 2 hours of administrative or inspection time spent | $50.00
(i) The Commissioner of Assessments and Licenses shall submit all applications for a food shop license to the Director of Public Health for approval or disapproval of the application.
(j) The Commissioner of Assessments and Licenses is authorized to collect license fees for retail food establishments and food service operations and deposit the fees into a fund created under RC 3717.25 and 3717.45.
(k) For purposes of this section, non-commercial operations are defined in OAC 901:3-4-01(D) and OAC 3701-21-01(N).
(l) If a renewal application is not filed with the licensor or postmarked on or before the first day of March or, or in the case of a mobile or seasonal food shop, the first day of operation in a new licensing period, the licensor shall assess a penalty if the licensor charges a license renewal fee. The amount of the penalty shall be twenty-five percent (25%) of the renewal fee. If an applicant is subject to a penalty, the licensor shall not renew the license until the applicant pays the penalty as stated in RC 3717.43(D).
(Ord. No. 905-2026. Passed 9-21-26, eff. 9-23-26)
Source: City of Cleveland, Ohio, Codified Ordinances and City Charter (American Legal Publishing, codelibrary.amlegal.com)URL: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/cleveland/latest/cleveland_oh/0-0-0-9884Fetched: 11/1/2026