Division of Hotels and Restaurants

Food Service Plan Review

To begin Florida's food service licensing process, the law requires the division to review facility plans for sanitation and safety concerns. Plan review is required when the establishment is:

• Newly built,
• Converted from another use,
• Extensively remodeled or
• Re-opened after being closed at least 1 year.

Required plan review forms and instructions are available online at the division's applications website. Also, see our guidelines for planning your food service operation.

A current listing of all plans submitted for review during the last 18 months is available on our data downloads page.

Information packets are available that outline the requirements for each and provide tips to help you design and submit your plans. There are two basic types of establishments:

• Fixed food service establishments that include restaurants and kiosks and
• Mobile food dispensing vehicles that include the full service trailer units, open-air hot dog carts and theme park units.

We review plans in order of acceptance, first come, first served.  The plan reviewer will notify you within 30 days as to the status of the review.

Variances

If plans do not meet sanitation and safety requirements, the applicant may request a variance from construction standards.

Plan Review is Centralizing

Between September 2007 and July 2008, the division is streamlining our plan review process by moving the district plan review offices to a centralized office. This centralization will be phased-in by district and should be complete by July 2008. Until the move is complete, please mail plan review application packets as instructed below.

These mailing instructions will change as we move forward with centralization. Please check this website for the most current instructions before mailing your plan review application packet. If you send the plan review application packet to the wrong location, your plan review will be delayed.

Districts 1 through 4:

Complete plan review application packets should be mailed to the appropriate district office.

Districts 5, 6 and 7:

Complete plan review application packets should be mailed to our Tallahassee plan review office.

Please see our Food Service News for more information on plan review centralization. If you have any questions regarding this change please call 850.487.1395 or e-mail dhr.planreview@dbpr.state.fl.us.