Nashville
Metro Public Health Department, Food Protection and Public Facilities Division
In short
Metro Public Health Department, Food Protection and Public Facilities Division issues 3 permits we publish for Nashville, last verified 2026-10-09. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.
What this agency issues
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile Food Unit / Pushcart Health Permit (Metro Public Health) | Metro Public Health Department, Food Protection and Public Facilities Division | Mobile food vending pushcart: $210 per year, as stated in Metro Public Health's 2022 Mobile Food Vending Pushcart Regulations. Mobile food unit (truck or trailer): Metro Public Health's 2023 Mobile Food Units Plan Review and Permitting Process sheet sets out the plan review and permit steps and prints no fee amount; ask the Food and Public Facilities Division (615-340-5620) for the current permit fee. | pushcart permit: per year; truck or trailer: not stated on Metro's mobile food unit sheet | 2026-10-09 |
| Veterinary Premises Permit | Metro Public Health Department, Food Protection and Public Facilities Division | $235 total if veterinarian-owned ($25 application, $200 premises inspection, $10 state registration); $595 total if non-veterinarian-owned (the same $235 plus a $360 premises permit fee). All fees are non-refundable. | not stated on the form consulted | 2026-09-05 |
| Food Service Establishment Permit (Metro Public Health) | Metro Public Health Department, Food Protection and Public Facilities Division | $30–$360 per permit year (state rule fees): $210 for 0–50 seats, $360 for 51+; auxiliary $100; child care food service $50 (0–50 seats) or $80 (51+); temporary food service $30 | annual (the rule states each establishment fee 'per year'; the $30 temporary food service fee is stated without a period) | 2026-10-09 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
About each permit
Mobile Food Unit / Pushcart Health Permit (Metro Public Health)
Both documents are Metro Public Health's own sheets, linked from its current Food Protection Services page (last updated September 6, 2025). The 2023 Mobile Food Units Plan Review and Permitting Process sheet requires a detailed menu, food-flow process and scaled floor plan of the truck or trailer; a notarized commissary or servicing agreement; Metro Water Services approval of the grease trap and the site where wastewater is emptied; and a Metro Fire Marshal permit and approval for propane tanks, extinguishers and the hood system before the final pre-opening consultation; it also says food may not be cooked, prepared or stored at a residential home. The 2022 Mobile Food Vending Pushcart Regulations limit a pushcart to a restricted menu (raw animal proteins need a properly equipped truck or trailer) and state 'Permit fee is $210.00 per year.' Both sheets direct applicants to submit plans through an online form at redcap.health.tn.gov. The Fire Marshal's own mobile food vendor permit, NDOT's truck vending permit for the public right-of-way and the Metro business tax license are separate.
Veterinary Premises Permit
A state premises permit, directly confirmed from the board's own application form. No Metro-specific veterinary permit beyond this and the standard business tax registration was found.
Food Service Establishment Permit (Metro Public Health)
In Davidson County the Metro Public Health Department permits and inspects food service establishments, but the fees are the state's, not Metro-set fees. The Tennessee Department of Health's Environmental Health page states that there are 'Contract Counties' in Tennessee 'responsible for their own food establishment inspections, invoicing, permitting, and enforcement at the local level', naming Davidson, Hamilton, Knox, Madison and Shelby and listing Nashville/Davidson County at 615-340-5620. The figures come from Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1200-23-01-.09 (amendments effective June 14, 2026): $210 a year for an establishment with 0–50 seats, $360 a year for 51 or more seats, $100 a year for an auxiliary establishment, $30 for a temporary food service establishment, and $50 or $80 a year for a child care food service establishment (0–50 or 51+ seats). Metro Public Health's Food and Public Facilities Division page says the division inspects Davidson County's food service establishments, schools, childcare locations and other facilities, over 6,800 permitted facilities in all. Contact the division at 615-340-5620, Lentz Public Health Center, 2500 Charlotte Avenue, Nashville, TN 37209.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Nashville
- Phone
- (615) 340-5620
Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.
Sources
Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- 2022 Mobile Food Vending Pushcart RegulationsMetropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Metro Public Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- 2023 Mobile Food Units Plan Review and Permitting ProcessMetropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Metro Public Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- Food and Public Facilities — Metro Public Health Department division pageMetropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Metro Public Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- Food Protection Services — Metro Public Health Department (mobile food unit regulations and forms)Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Metro Public Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- Tennessee Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners — Veterinary Premise Permit application and feeTennessee Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-05
- Tennessee Comp. R. & Regs. 1200-23-01 — food service establishments, including the permit fee schedule effective 14 June 2026Tennessee Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- Tennessee Department of Health — Environmental Health (food Contract Counties)Tennessee Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
Other offices serving Nashville
- Metro Department of Codes and Building Safety
- Davidson County Clerk, Business Tax Division
- Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure (NDOT), Permit Office
- Nashville Fire Department, Fire Marshal's Office
- Metro Water Services, Environmental Compliance (Grease Management)
- Metropolitan Beer Permit Board
The full permit list for this jurisdiction
Industry permit lists that include this agency
Tennessee jurisdictions
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