Inspections & Permits
The Florence County Health Department Environmental Health Staff work as an agent of the Department of Agriculture, Trade & Consumer Protection (DATCP) to provide licensing and inspection services to establishments in Florence County.
This includes the licensing and regulation of food establishments, mobile units, temporary and special events, retail operations, lodging establishments, campgrounds, swimming pools, and tourist rooming houses. All licensed establishments that serve the public are inspected by the Florence County Health Department annually to ensure adherence to state and local regulations.
To view Florence County inspection reports click here. To view other Wisconsin county inspection reports click here.
License/Permit Duration
Each license issued by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection or it's Agent expires June 30 of each year.
License dates extend from July 1 of one year through June 30 of the following year.
If a license is granted after April 1 of a license year, that license will extend to June 30 of the following year (15-month). Example: If a business is licensed by DATCP or it's Agent on April 1, 2026, then their license will expire June 30, 2027.
If a licensed facility is on a private well, water collection is required annually. FCHD can collect and analyze samples in their certified water lab. Bacteria- $40, Nitrate- $40
Renewal fees for existing establishments shall be submitted to DATCP or it's Agent before June 30 each year to avoid a late fee.
PAY ONLINE- NOW AVAILABLE!!
Click HERE
Or
Scan the QR code with your phone's camera:
Below is information on the different license categories, definitions, applications and helpful documents.
.jpg)
Retail Food Serving Meals
“Retail food establishment- serving meals” means a permanent retail food establishment operating as a restaurant where the total meal sales exceed 50% of all retail food sales. A retail food establishment- serving meals includes any building, room, or place where meals are prepared, served, or sold to the general public and all places used in connection with the building, room, or place; and any public or private school lunchroom for which food service is provided by contract. Applications have a complexity calculator on the back to determine license type.
Retail Food Not Serving Meals
A permanent retail food establishment where food processing is conducted primarily for direct retail sale of “time/temperature controlled for safety food” to consumers at the facility, and the total non-meal sales exceed 50% of all retail food sales. A permanent retail food establishment from which food is sold to consumers at retail, whether or not that facility sells “time/temperature controlled for safety food” or processes food, and the total non-meal sales exceed 50% of all retail food sales. Applications have a complexity calculator on the back to determine license type.
“Retail food establishment- serving meals” means a permanent retail food establishment operating as a restaurant where the total meal sales exceed 50% of all retail food sales. A retail food establishment- serving meals includes any building, room, or place where meals are prepared, served, or sold to the general public and all places used in connection with the building, room, or place; and any public or private school lunchroom for which food service is provided by contract. Applications have a complexity calculator on the back to determine license type.
Retail Food Not Serving Meals
A permanent retail food establishment where food processing is conducted primarily for direct retail sale of “time/temperature controlled for safety food” to consumers at the facility, and the total non-meal sales exceed 50% of all retail food sales. A permanent retail food establishment from which food is sold to consumers at retail, whether or not that facility sells “time/temperature controlled for safety food” or processes food, and the total non-meal sales exceed 50% of all retail food sales. Applications have a complexity calculator on the back to determine license type.
Retail Food Establishment Applications:
Retail Food Plan Review Application
Retail Food Establishment Serving Meals Application
Retail Food Establishment Not Serving Meals Application
DATCP Home Food & Retail Establishments
Mobile Retail Food Establishment
A mobile retail food establishments means a restaurant or retail food establishments where food is served or sold from a movable vehicle, intrastate railway car, push cart, trailer, or boat which periodically or continuously changes locations and requires a service base to accommodate the unit for servicing, cleaning, inspection and maintenance. Applications have a complexity calculator on the back to determine license type.
Mobile Retail Plan Review Application
Mobile Retail Food Serving Meals Application
?Mobile Retail Food Not Serving Meals Application
DATCP Home Mobile and Transient Retail Food Establishments
Requirements for Mobile Food Establishments
Transient Retail Food Establishment
A food establishments that operates at a fixed location for a period of no more than 14 consecutive days in conjunction with a single event or celebration such as a fair, carnival, circus, public exhibition, anniversary sale or occasional sales promotion. Applications have a complexity calculator on the back to determine license type.
Transient Retail Application
Transient Retail Food Establishment Checklist
Transient Retail Food Stand Guidelines
Transient Retai Food License Information
Special Organization/Special Event
“Special Organization Serving Meals” organizations including, churches, religious, fraternal, youth, or patriotic organizations, service clubs, and civic organizations. Special Organizations can prepare, serve, sell meals to transients or the general public for 4 days, but no more than 12 days in a licensing year.
Special Event Application
Vendors at Community Events
All food establishments require a Certified Food Manager certification-
DATCP Home Food Manager Requirements
Online trainings:
360 Learn2Serve
ServSafe
In-person trainings:
Call NWTC in Aurora, Wisconsin for course scheduling- 715-589-2768
Retail Food Resources
Wisconsin Food Code
ATCP 75; Retail Food Establishments
DATCP Food, Dairy and Retail Food
Retail Food Establishment Construction Guidance
Handwash Sign
Handwashing Basics
Employee Illness Reporting Agreement
3-Compartment Sink
Bare Hand Contact
Vomit & Diarrhea Clean Up
Vomit & Diarrhea Clean Up Kit Contents
Consumer Advisories
Safe Food Temperatures
Employee Hygiene
Cooling Procedures
Thawing Foods
Date Marking of Ready-To-Eat Foods
Demonstration of Knowledge- Person in Charge
Proper Use of Gloves
Sanitizing Food Contact Surfaces
Food Safety for Exempt Groups
Storing & Thawing Vacuum-Packaged Fish
Retail Labeling Requirements
Refrigerator Storage Chart
When is a HACCP or Variance Needed?
Properly Calibrating your Thermometer
Potluck Guidelines
Temporary Handwash Station
Food Allergen Retail Requirements
Food Allergens

Hotel/Motel
A hotel is defined as a place where sleeping accommodations are offered for pay to transients, in five or more rooms, and all related rooms, buildings, and areas.
A motel means a hotel that furnishes on-premises parking for motor vehicles of guests as part of the room charge, without extra cost, and is identified as a motel rather than a hotel at the request of the operator. All fees related to hotel and motel licensing are identical.
Tourist Rooming House
All lodging places and tourist cabins and cottages, other than hotels and motels, in which sleeping accommodations are offered for pay to tourists or transients.
Bed & Breakfast
Any place of lodging that provides 8 or fewer rooms for rent to no more than a total of 20 tourists or other transients for more than 10 nights in a 12-month period, is the owner's personal residence, is occupied by the owner at the time of rental, and in which the only meal served to guests is breakfast.
Lodging License Application
2025 Lodging License Application
2026 Lodging License Application (use after April 1, 2026)
A hotel is defined as a place where sleeping accommodations are offered for pay to transients, in five or more rooms, and all related rooms, buildings, and areas.
A motel means a hotel that furnishes on-premises parking for motor vehicles of guests as part of the room charge, without extra cost, and is identified as a motel rather than a hotel at the request of the operator. All fees related to hotel and motel licensing are identical.
Tourist Rooming House
All lodging places and tourist cabins and cottages, other than hotels and motels, in which sleeping accommodations are offered for pay to tourists or transients.
Bed & Breakfast
Any place of lodging that provides 8 or fewer rooms for rent to no more than a total of 20 tourists or other transients for more than 10 nights in a 12-month period, is the owner's personal residence, is occupied by the owner at the time of rental, and in which the only meal served to guests is breakfast.
Lodging License Application
2025 Lodging License Application
2026 Lodging License Application (use after April 1, 2026)
Announcements!
?ATCP 72 Rule Changes Update
Updates to Wis. Admin. Code. ch. ATCP 72 Hotel, Motel, Tourist Rooming Houses have now been finalized and went into effect on January 25, 2026.
These changes impact operational and compliance requirements for all hotel, motel, and tourist rooming house establishments. We encourage you to review the
updated ch. ATCP 72 and the Changes to ATCP 72 Fact Sheet.
ATCP 72 Updates
Training Webinars
Licensing
Plumbing?
Fire Safety
General Safety
Lodging Resources
ATCP 72; Hotel, Motel, Tourist Rooming House
TRH Checklist
Room Rate Card
Sanitizing Utensils
Bed Bug Fact Sheet
Jetted Bath Tub Cleaning Procedures

Campground Plan Review Application
Campground Application
Campground Resources
ATCP 79; Campgrounds
Campground FAQ
PAY ONLINE- NOW AVAILABLE!!
Click HERE
Or
Scan the QR code with your phone's camera:
Updates to Wis. Admin. Code. ch. ATCP 72 Hotel, Motel, Tourist Rooming Houses have now been finalized and went into effect on January 25, 2026.
These changes impact operational and compliance requirements for all hotel, motel, and tourist rooming house establishments. We encourage you to review the
updated ch. ATCP 72 and the Changes to ATCP 72 Fact Sheet.
ATCP 72 Updates
Training Webinars
Licensing
Plumbing?
Fire Safety
General Safety
Lodging Resources
ATCP 72; Hotel, Motel, Tourist Rooming House
TRH Checklist
Room Rate Card
Sanitizing Utensils
Bed Bug Fact Sheet
Jetted Bath Tub Cleaning Procedures

Campground
A campground is any parcel or tract of land, owned by a person, the state, or a local government, which is used for the purpose of providing campsites for:
Non-permanent overnight use by four or more campsites or non-permanent overnight use by one to three campsites? if the parcel or tract of land is represented as a campground. Note: Represented as a campground means to advertise using the media, a sign, or a symbol.
Campground plan approval is required prior to beginning the construction phase for a new campground and for the expansion of capacity in an existing campground. A campground plan approval application is required to be completed by the operator and submitted with a map of the new or expanded campground to DATCP or the local public health department. The map is not required to be created by an architect or engineer.?
A campground is any parcel or tract of land, owned by a person, the state, or a local government, which is used for the purpose of providing campsites for:
Non-permanent overnight use by four or more campsites or non-permanent overnight use by one to three campsites? if the parcel or tract of land is represented as a campground. Note: Represented as a campground means to advertise using the media, a sign, or a symbol.
Campground Plan Review Application
Campground Application
Campground Resources
ATCP 79; Campgrounds
Campground FAQ
Public Swimming Pools
Means a structure, basin, chamber, or tank, and appurtenant buildings and equipment, used for wading, swimming, diving, water recreation, or therapy. Types of pools include pools used for swimming, combination pools, diving pools, exercise pools, experiential pools, mobile pools, therapy pools, wading pools, whirlpools, and cold soak pools.
Water Attraction
Public facility with design and operational features that provide patron recreational activity other than conventional swimming and involves partial or total immersion of the body. Types of water attractions include activity pools, interactive play attractions, leisure rivers, plunge pools, vortex pools, vanishing edge pools, waterslides, run-out slides, drop slides, pool slides, wave pools, zero-depth entry pools, and any public pool with play features except wading pools.
Pool and Water Attraction Application
ATCP 76; Safety, Maintenance and Operation of Public Pools and Water Attractions
For all pool and water attraction resources including training videos and the 2023 rule revisions, visit DATCP Home Public Swimming Pools
Means a structure, basin, chamber, or tank, and appurtenant buildings and equipment, used for wading, swimming, diving, water recreation, or therapy. Types of pools include pools used for swimming, combination pools, diving pools, exercise pools, experiential pools, mobile pools, therapy pools, wading pools, whirlpools, and cold soak pools.
Water Attraction
Public facility with design and operational features that provide patron recreational activity other than conventional swimming and involves partial or total immersion of the body. Types of water attractions include activity pools, interactive play attractions, leisure rivers, plunge pools, vortex pools, vanishing edge pools, waterslides, run-out slides, drop slides, pool slides, wave pools, zero-depth entry pools, and any public pool with play features except wading pools.
Pool and Water Attraction Application
ATCP 76; Safety, Maintenance and Operation of Public Pools and Water Attractions
For all pool and water attraction resources including training videos and the 2023 rule revisions, visit DATCP Home Public Swimming Pools
PAY ONLINE- NOW AVAILABLE!!
Click HERE
Or
Scan the QR code with your phone's camera:

.jpg)