Monroe County businesses that miss the deadline could pay up to $600 in late fees for their yearly license renewal under a new increase that took effect this year. While the county health department hopes the increase in fees will encourage more on-time renewals, one business owner expressed concern about how the change was communicated before the Feb. 28 license renewal deadline.
The Monroe County Board of Commissioners changed the health department’s late fee charge from 10% of license renewal costs to 100% at a May 29, 2025 meeting.
The health department’s late fees apply to licenses for retail establishments, sewage and waste management facilities and pools and campgrounds. For retail food service establishments, the annual license renewal cost ranges from $165 to $600 depending on the number of employees, with additional fees for temporary, seasonal or mobile food service establishments.
The late fee doubles the total amount a business is expected to pay for their license renewal. A business that paid $600 for its license used to pay $60 in late fees; now it could pay $600, or $1,200 in total.
Discussions to change the fee began in March 2025, Michael Kuzemka, MCHD environmental health services director, said in an email. It was brought before the Monroe County Board of Health before receiving final approval from the Monroe County Board of Commissioners in late May.
“Operating without a valid license is a serious matter regarding food safety,” Kuzemka wrote. “The goal in adopting the 100% late fee is to encourage timely renewal.”
Christopher Emge, Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce’s senior director of government and community relations, hasn’t heard directly from chamber members about the late fee changes but said “hopefully the health department put out correspondence” about the fee change to business owners ahead of time.
“If you know these things are coming well in advance, I think businesses can handle that,” Emge said.
One business owner, Michael Klinge, said the late fees took him by surprise. Klinge owns The Orbit Room, a pub with pinball machines, live music and trivia nights located on the Courthouse Square. He said the fees, which totaled $660, cost him about a week’s worth of his own wages.
Kuzemka wrote county business owners received email notice of these changes Jan. 5 and Feb. 2, 2026, before the Feb. 28 deadline for their license renewal applications. Klinge said he received two email notifications about the fee change and one phone call, but that one email didn’t show up in his main inbox.
“Communication’s really key, and no one’s going to be upset about too many emails about something, those days are gone,” Klinge said.
John Santos, the owner of Dagwood’s Deli Sub Shop, which applied for its license renewal ahead of the Feb. 28 deadline, said he got the message about the fee change with enough notice to apply for license renewal.
“I just feel like it's important enough that you should know when it's due,” Santos said. “The last thing I want is our health license to not be coming, to not be able to be open.”
Kuzemka wrote past renewals didn’t come in from businesses on schedule, and the increase should motivate businesses to renew in a timely manner. Operating without a valid MCHD food license is subject to a maximum fine of $500 a day.
The health department is still accepting late license renewal applications and has received 59 late applications as of March 13, Kuzemka wrote. In 2025, 71 retail food establishments paid late fees to renew their licenses, compared to 171 establishments in 2024.
“It's still a pretty low price to be in business if you think about all the fees you pay and all the expenses you have,” Santos said. “So even if it was double, it's not the end of the world.”
Kuzemka said the county’s foods lead and environmental health services director reached out to other local health departments to compare late fees before introducing the change to the Board of Health and county commissioners.
In neighboring counties like Brown County, food establishment late fees are 10% of the renewal cost for every business day that the license renewal is late. As of 2024, Morgan County charged a $25 late fee for food establishments, which increases to $50 if the payment is more than 15 days late.
Klinge hopes when new board of health positions open, the county commissioners or others with the power to appoint members should consider selecting someone with a background in the retail industry to be an advocate for retail establishments.
The board oversees the health department and its finances, sets policies, reviews local data and provides the department with guidance. There are currently five board members, with four appointed by the county commissioners, including one at the recommendation of the mayor, and one appointed by the Monroe County Council.
“How do we get a voice as the retail establishments with the board that oversees us?” Klinge said.
