NAICS 722330

What permits does a food truck need?

In short

We hold 1736 verified records for a food truck across 443 jurisdictions, counting statewide registrations, a median of 3 per place. The most widely required is the general business license, held in 208 of them, with a median fee of $100. The exact set depends on your city and county, so the table below shows the spread rather than a single national figure.

The permits a food truck usually carries

Each row groups the permits of one type, whatever the local name. 1282 differently named permits fall into 196 types; the 25 most widely required are shown here.

Permit types this business carries, with how many covered jurisdictions require each, the middle half of published fees, the median fee and the usual renewal term
Permit type	Jurisdictions	Typical fee (middle half)	Median fee	Usual term
General business licensealways applies in 75 of 208	208	$45 – $150	$100	not applicable
Mobile food vendor permitalways applies in 145 of 186	186	$100 – $355	$200	annual
Temporary food establishment permitalways applies in 11 of 155	155	$52 – $179	$80.56	per event
Food service establishment permitalways applies in 99 of 122	122	$105 – $400	$240	annual
Sales and use tax permitalways applies in 44 of 56	56	$0 – $50	$20	not applicable
Mobile food preparation vehicle permitalways applies in 41 of 45	45	$100 – $360	$200	annual
Food manager certificationalways applies in 16 of 41	41	$25 – $45	$33.56	5 years
Building permitalways applies in 4 of 33	33	$75	$75	per project (one-time)
Fire inspection permitalways applies in 10 of 33	33	$45 – $90	$59.82	not stated in the published fee schedule
Food handler trainingalways applies in 24 of 26	26	$10 – $16	$15	not stated in the published schedule
Onsite sewage system permitdepends on premises or set-up	26	$200 – $551	$300	per permit
Food establishment plan reviewalways applies in 3 of 21	21	$50 – $425	$273	One-time, before opening a new facility or completing a remodel.
Occupational license taxalways applies in 14 of 20	20	$8.50 – $16	$16	annual, October 1 to September 30; due October 1 and delinquent November 1, with a 15 percent penalty plus interest; a new business starting after April 1 pays half the year's amount
Farmers market permitdepends on premises or set-up	19	$50 – $100	$100	1 year
Plan review feealways applies in 8 of 17	17	$200 – $1,044	$640	one-time per project
Zoning permitalways applies in 5 of 15	15	$30 – $270	$75	per application
Alcohol licensealways applies in 1 of 14	14	$5 – $52	$25	collected with the TABC permit or license
Fire operational permitalways applies in 1 of 14	14	$50 – $100	$100	construction permits per project; operational permits annual
Certificate of occupancyalways applies in 3 of 11	11	$35 – $104.67	$75	not stated in the published fee schedule
Conditional use permitdepends on premises or set-up	11	$350 – $10,268.02	$775	per application
Zoning verification letterdepends on premises or set-up	11	$40 – $60	$50	not applicable
Commercial building permitalways applies in 2 of 9	9	Set by formula	—	per project
Food handler permitalways applies in 7 of 9	9	$10	$10	3 years
Special event permitdepends on premises or set-up	9	$100 – $500	$225	per event
Commercial alteration permitalways applies in 5 of 8	8	Set by formula	—	per permit, for the addition or alteration it covers

171 further permit types are each held in fewer jurisdictions. They are listed, with their fees and sources, on the page for each jurisdiction below.

Do the requirements change between cities?

Substantially. 0 permit types are held in at least half of the 443 jurisdictions we cover for a food truck; the other 196 appear in fewer. The categories of permit are broadly consistent nationally, but the issuing agency, the fee, the renewal term and the filing order all change at city and county level. This is why a national checklist is a starting point rather than an answer.

General business license: 198 published fees, from $0 to $550,000. Half fall between $45 and $150, and the median is $100.

Mobile food vendor permit: 92 published fees, from $13 to $1,457.35. Half fall between $100 and $355, and the median is $200.

Temporary food establishment permit: 107 published fees, from $0 to $12,633. Half fall between $52 and $179, and the median is $80.56.

Food trucks by state

We publish a full permit list for a food truck in 392 jurisdictions across 50 states and DC. Each state page lists them all.

Food trucks by city

Showing the 12 jurisdictions where we publish the most. See all 392.

Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.