Caterer permits in Eugene, Oregon

Lane County licenses a caterer through its base kitchen. A production kitchen with no public seats is licensed in the commissary category at $665 a year, which runs below the lowest restaurant tier, so the fee tracks the facility type, not how many events you cook. Building or remodeling the kitchen first triggers a one-time plan review. A caterer renting time in an already-licensed commissary works under that facility's license and pays neither the county license fee nor the plan review, documenting the arrangement with a commissary agreement.

Issued by

Lane County Environmental Health

Fee

$665 a year for a no-seat production kitchen (the commissary category, 2026 rate), or the restaurant tier if you add seats; plus a one-time $578 plan review and a $27 processing fee to build or remodel

Renewal

Annual (due December 31)

Processing

Plan review, then a pre-opening inspection before the license issues

Private, contracted jobs like weddings and corporate dinners run under your base kitchen license. Serving the general public is the trigger: a booth at a Eugene festival, fair, or the Saturday Market is a temporary restaurant and needs its own Lane County license. The application asks you to name the licensed commissary you prep from and get the operator's signature, so a shared-kitchen caterer still documents its base here.

Issued by

Lane County Environmental Health

Fee

$271 if you apply at least 7 business days ahead, $346 late, plus a $27 processing fee; an intermittent or seasonal license adds a one-time $123 plan review (nonprofits pay $54)

Renewal

Per event or per period (a single event, a 30-day intermittent, or a 90-day seasonal license)

Processing

Apply at least 7 business days ahead for the lower rate

Eugene issues no general business license, so this registration stands in for one, but only for a caterer whose base kitchen sits inside the Eugene city limits. A caterer working out of a kitchen outside the city that only drives in to serve events has no Eugene location and does not register, because the tax follows the kitchen's address, not where the event is. A Eugene-based caterer registers and files even with no employees.

Issued by

City of Eugene Finance Division (via MUNIRevs)

Fee

Free to register; the tax is 0.21% of payroll (0.15% on the first $100,000 for an employer with 2 or fewer employees), with self-employment earnings taxed at the same rates

Renewal

Employer returns quarterly; the self-employment return is annual (due April 15)

Processing

Immediate online at eugene.munirevs.com

Before the OLCC issues your Full On-Premises (Caterer) license, the City of Eugene completes a local recommendation, which it handles as an administrative staff review with no public hearing, unlike Portland's neighborhood process (Eugene Code 2.1100). You email your OLCC documents to the Business License Program, and staff call you to collect the fee. Only a caterer that serves alcohol needs it.

Issued by

City of Eugene Business License Program

Fee

A local review fee quoted by phone after you apply; not published

Renewal

Once per new license; reviewed again at renewal only if the county flags it

Processing

Administrative staff review, no public hearing; the OLCC then adds 4 to 8 weeks

Building your own catering kitchen needs a commercial permit and a Certificate of Occupancy before you cook for hire. A standalone production kitchen is usually classed Factory Industrial (F-1); a kitchen attached to a dining or tasting area is Business or Assembly, and converting a prior retail or office space triggers a change-of-use review. Eugene Springfield Fire deputy marshals sit in the Building department and review the fire plan, including the hood, with the permit. A caterer leasing a built-out, licensed commissary inherits all of this.

Issued by

City of Eugene Building and Permit Services

Fee

Valuation-based through the eBuild portal, plus a 12% state surcharge; a grease-producing kitchen also needs a Type 1 hood and suppression system, fire-reviewed within the same permit

Renewal

One-time per project; the Certificate of Occupancy stands until the use changes

Processing

4 to 8 weeks of commercial plan review, depending on the project

A catering kitchen that puts fats, oil, or grease down the drain must install and maintain a grease removal device under Eugene City Code, with all kitchen drains routed through it. The Industrial Source Control Program administers and inspects it. A caterer renting a licensed commissary is covered by the commissary's existing interceptor.

Issued by

City of Eugene Public Works, Industrial Source Control Program

Fee

No permit fee; the interceptor is a build-out cost, and a formal pretreatment consultation runs $289 an hour if one is required

Renewal

Ongoing; keep maintenance records on site

Processing

Installed before the kitchen discharges to the sewer

EWEB, not the city, runs backflow protection in Eugene. A kitchen with equipment plumbed to the water supply, such as a dishwasher, ice machine, or steam kettle, needs a backflow prevention assembly, and EWEB alone decides which type. EWEB arranges the annual test and adds it to your utility bill. A caterer renting a commissary inherits its assemblies, but the water-account holder owes the yearly test.

Issued by

Eugene Water and Electric Board (EWEB), Cross-Connection Control

Fee

No EWEB fee for the requirement; the install needs a plumbing permit, and the annual test is billed to your EWEB account

Renewal

Annual test by a state-certified tester, arranged through EWEB

Processing

Installed before first use; tested at install and annually

A full-service caterer that uses open flames at events, such as chafing-dish burners or table candles in a dining or assembly area, needs this annual operational permit from Eugene Springfield Fire. A drop-off or delivery caterer that does no on-site service does not. It is separate from the build-out fire review of your kitchen hood.

Issued by

Eugene Springfield Fire Marshal's Office

Fee

$25 per year

Renewal

Annual

Processing

By appointment with the Fire Marshal