Retail Food, Lodging and Recreation Licensing
The Clark County Health Department is an Agent to the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP). As an agent to DATCP, we manage the licensing and inspection program of all retail food, lodging and recreation facilities in Clark County. Additional information for each type of facility can be found below.
If you have questions about licensing requirements please call the Clark County Health Department before submitting the forms and payment. We can be reached at (715) 743-5105. Please ask to speak with a Registered Sanitarian.
To apply for a new license, please download the relevant forms and mail those in with payment to:
Clark County Health Department
517 Court St., Room 105
Neillsville, WI 54456
Retail Food
Retail food establishments are typically separated into two categories. “Serving Meals” and “Not Serving Meals”.
“Serving Meals” is usually a restaurant, tavern, or bar that serves food that is ready for consumption at the facility, for take-out, or for delivery. The food requires no further preparation once it is served.
“Not Serving Meals” is usually a grocery store, gas station, or bakery that sells food that is intended to be taken home for further processing or consumption.
If you are opening a new retail food facility or there is a change in ownership, a new application must be filled out and submitted. The application for Retail Food Licensing can be found here:
Retail food establishments also have different levels of complexity that is determined by what type of food is sold, the food processing taking place, and/or how much food is sold.
To help you determine what level of complexity your license will be, you can use the complexity calculators found here:
· Serving Meals – Complexity Calculator
· Not Serving Meals – Complexity Calculator
New construction or remodeling of your kitchen area requires a plan review. The Plan Review Form can be found here:
Lodging and Recreation
Lodging facilities include hotels, motels, tourist rooming houses, and bed and breakfasts.
Tourist rooming houses (TRHs) are usually called short term rental cabins and allow guests to stay for a limited number of days throughout the year.
Bed and Breakfast facilities provide breakfast meals only and are occupied by the owner at the time of the rental.
Recreation facilities include ‘Recreational and Educational Camps’, ‘Campgrounds’ and ‘Public Swimming Pools’ or ‘Whirlpools’.
The application for all Lodging and Recreation facilities can be found here:
· Lodging and Recreation License
If any campground changes occur that meet any of the following, a plan review is required:
1. New construction of a campground
2. An increase in the number or type of campsites, or any changes to a facility that provides accommodations to the campground users, including a camping unit provided by the campgrounds or changes to shared restroom facilities.
3.
The campground plan review form can be found here:
To report a public health emergency or communicable disease after hours, please contact Clark County Dispatch at (715) 743-3157.