Mid-Atlantic beta
Local food-permit routes, mapped
Your local-ready HACCP plan, without the permit maze.
Check your location and project fit free. Build the intake at no cost, then purchase a one-time package only when your route is packet-ready. No HACCP plan is generated during the free check.
Chef Kit says
Let’s find your local recipe for a stronger submission.
Baltimore County, MDCounty plan-review application plus the Maryland HACCP format for moderate/high priority facilities.
$499Guided packet
$799Expert review
Government fees are separate. No approval guarantees.
Active packet
Baltimore CountyHarbor Kitchen
92%
Packet readiness
Nearly submission-ready
Two owner confirmations remain before expert review.
Packet checklist6 / 8
✓Priority assessmentReady
✓Menu process flowsReady
✓HACCP chartsReady
Employee training planReview
Human review
“Cooling steps and equipment capacity need one final check.”
FSFood safety reviewerChecked today
01Official-source rule packs
Every claim is tied to a state or local government source.
02Checkout locked by coverage
Eligibility and intake are free; plan generation requires payment.
03AI-assisted, human-reviewed
Expert judgment remains in the loop where it matters.
FREE VS. PAID
Know exactly where the free eligibility check ends.
Explore your local route and organize your facts without paying. The valuable deliverable—the generated HACCP working packet and downloads—unlocks only after a one-time purchase.
Find the right route and gather your information
- State and local jurisdiction screening
- Initial process and complexity check
- Facility, menu, equipment, and document intake
- Likely requirement preview
No HACCP plan or submission packet is generated.
Payment unlocksOne packet-ready location
Generate, review, and export the working packet
- AI-assisted HACCP plan draft
- Process flows, control tables, SOPs, and logs
- Consistency checks and included revisions
- Organized packet exports and optional expert review
Government fees and outside technical work remain separate.
01 / THE REQUIREMENT
First, it’s HACCP — and not every food business needs the same plan.
States and local agencies use different triggers and form sets. Maryland uses priority classifications, while DC, Delaware, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey each use their own specialized-processing, variance, and plan-review paths. Chef Kit starts with the location before interpreting the menu.
Packaged or simple service
Commercially packaged foods, certain non-TCS foods, or limited assembly may not require a full HACCP plan.
Plan review or licensing can still apply.Cooking, cooling, holding
Raw preparation, cooking, hot holding, cooling, or reheating usually drives a menu-specific HACCP review.
Final priority is assigned by the approving authority.ROP, sous vide, curing
Reduced-oxygen packaging, acidification, smoking for preservation, and similar processes may require a variance or validation.
Quoted after technical screening.02 / HOW IT WORKS
One guided interview becomes a local-ready working packet.
Locate & classify
Select the jurisdiction, project type, and operation so the correct rule set and local route are loaded.
Map menu & equipment
Add menu items, preparation steps, storage, cooking, cooling, holding, and the equipment used at each point.
Build & quality-check
The system groups like processes, drafts flow diagrams, CCP tables, SOPs, logs, and flags contradictions.
Review & submit
Approve the facts, add expert review if needed, then download the packet and follow the official submission route.
03 / COVERAGE
Launch by verified route, not by a blanket state claim.
Maryland, DC, Delaware, and the current Virginia launch market have packet-ready routes. Pennsylvania and New Jersey mix verified filing routes with free address-level screening; payment stays locked everywhere else.
MD · Maryland19 verified local routes, with free eligibility screening across all 24 jurisdictions.Official source
Anne Arundel County
County-led HACCP review includes a working session with the operator.
- Timing
- Appointment required
- Route
- Anne Arundel County Department of Health
Baltimore City
Plan review, menu, facility details, and HACCP materials are routed through the City.
- Timing
- Varies by project
- Route
- Baltimore City Health Department
Baltimore County
County plan-review application plus the Maryland HACCP format for moderate/high priority facilities.
- Timing
- Allow at least 14 days
- Route
- Baltimore County Environmental Health
Calvert County
The county publishes its food-service permit, plan-review, HACCP submission, and permanent-facility forms.
- Timing
- Approval before construction or food service
- Route
- Calvert County Health Department
Caroline County
Permanent food facility plan review and Maryland HACCP guidance are published locally.
- Timing
- Confirm before planned opening
- Route
- Caroline County Health Department
Carroll County
County-specific HACCP review form maps menu items, processes, CCPs, equipment, and corrective actions.
- Timing
- Submit before operation
- Route
- Carroll County Health Department
Cecil County
Separate local applications cover plan review, operating licenses, and HACCP review.
- Timing
- Submit before construction
- Route
- Cecil County Health Department
Dorchester County
The local program publishes plan-review applications, submission guidelines, and HACCP guidance.
- Timing
- Submit before construction or remodeling
- Route
- Dorchester County Health Department
Frederick County
Plan-review, license, HACCP, and special-process guidance are published through the Food Control Office.
- Timing
- File before construction
- Route
- Frederick County Health Department
Harford County
The current priority-assessment form identifies the local high, moderate, and low priority review path.
- Timing
- Submit priority assessment with plan review
- Route
- Harford County Health Department
Howard County
Food-facility plan review and separate full or partial HACCP review fees are published.
- Timing
- Confirm current queue
- Route
- Howard County Bureau of Environmental Health
Kent County
The local program publishes a food-service plan-review application and HACCP process template.
- Timing
- Allow at least 30 days
- Route
- Kent County Health Department
Montgomery County
Application, fee, menu, HACCP flow charts, insurance documentation, and plans are coordinated locally.
- Timing
- Allow 14 working days
- Route
- Montgomery County HHS / DPS
Prince George's County
Electronic plan review uses Momentum; flow diagrams and hazard controls are required for applicable processes.
- Timing
- Electronic submission
- Route
- Prince George's County DPIE
Queen Anne's County
Local packets cover permanent facilities, change of ownership, and mobile food operations.
- Timing
- Submit before construction or operation
- Route
- Queen Anne's County Environmental Health
St. Mary's County
The county publishes the plan-review, operating-license, and pre-opening inspection sequence.
- Timing
- Plan approval before licensing
- Route
- St. Mary's County Health Department
Talbot County
Plan-review forms, HACCP templates, SOPs, training procedures, and special-process guidance are published locally.
- Timing
- Allow at least 30 days
- Route
- Talbot County Health Department
Washington County
The county publishes its plan-review application, HACCP plan materials, operating permit, and supporting forms.
- Timing
- Submit before construction or remodeling
- Route
- Washington County Health Department
Worcester County
The official food-service licensing page publishes the local plan-review application route.
- Timing
- Submit before operation
- Route
- Worcester County Health Department
04 / SEE THE DELIVERABLE
Don’t buy a mystery document. Explore the packet first.
This redacted example shows how confirmed kitchen facts, process flows, controls, equipment, sources, and revisions become one organized working packet.
HACCP WORKING PACKETHarbor KitchenBaltimore County · Sample v2
SECTION 01
Facility profile
The confirmed operating facts used throughout this sample packet.
FacilityHarbor Kitchen
ProjectNew food facility
AuthorityBaltimore County Environmental Health
PriorityModerate — working classification
ServiceCounter service + takeout
Water / sewagePublic / public
✓
Owner-confirmed fact statement
Menu, equipment, facility, and service details were confirmed before this version was prepared.
QUALITY GATE
AI drafts the paperwork. It does not make the regulatory decision.
Each packet runs through consistency checks for menu items, process flows, critical limits, monitoring, corrective actions, equipment, and training. Expert Review adds a qualified human review before delivery.
Every menu group maps to a documented process
Every CCP includes a limit, monitoring, and corrective action
Local form requirements are checked before export
Unsupported or specialized processes are escalated
05 / PRICING
Two simple plans. Pay once, then add review only if you need it.
Launch pricing for one packet-ready location. Government fees, architectural drawings, laboratory work, and process-authority services are separate. There is no monthly PermitChef software subscription.
$499one time
For straightforward restaurant, café, catering, and mobile menus.
- Jurisdiction requirement screening
- Priority-assessment draft
- Menu process grouping
- HACCP charts, SOPs, and sample logs
- Mapped official-form working copy where verified
- Automated consistency review
- One owner revision
- 90 days of project access
$799one time
For owners who want a qualified reviewer before submission.
- Everything in Guided Packet
- Named reviewer and qualifications
- Target first action shown in your project
- Equipment and process cross-check
- Written findings with clear severity
- One customer response and revision cycle
- Version-specific review decision
06 / COMMON QUESTIONS
What restaurant owners ask before they start.
Is the HACCP plan free?
No. The location check and intake are free so you can confirm eligibility before spending money. Plan generation, the working submission packet, revisions, and downloads unlock only after purchasing a one-time package.
What does HACCP stand for?
HACCP is the standard acronym: Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point. New, remodeled, or converted food establishments may also need broader plan review even when a full HACCP plan is not required.
Does every new Maryland restaurant need a HACCP plan?
Not always. Maryland’s guidance requires HACCP plans for high and moderate priority facilities. Low-priority operations may be exempt from a full HACCP plan, though local licensing and plan review can still apply.
Will PermitChef fill the health department form?
When the agency publishes a verified fillable PDF that matches your project type, PermitChef can populate the mapped fields and keep the file interactive. You review the remaining questions and sign it yourself. Static or changed forms stay in guided mode until they are safely mapped and reverified.
Will PermitChef submit the packet for me?
The launch product prepares and organizes the submission packet and shows the official route. Direct filing will be added only for jurisdictions that support it and after the owner approves the final packet.
Can you guarantee agency approval?
No legitimate provider controls the health department’s decision. PermitChef reduces avoidable errors and supports one comment cycle on the Expert plan, but the approving authority makes the final determination.
What will I need to provide?
Your menu, preparation steps, ingredient sources, equipment, holding and cooling methods, facility/project details, operating model, and responsible staff. Specialized processes require more technical information.
Which locations are available now?
Maryland, Washington, DC, Delaware, the current Virginia launch market, selected Pennsylvania regulators, and four New Jersey county programs have packet-ready routes. Burlington, Camden, and Monmouth now include mapped official working copies; Atlantic remains a guided local route. Every other indexed location remains screening-only until the exact local authority and forms are confirmed.
FREE ELIGIBILITY CHECK