What permits do you need to open a food truck in Mohave County?

Mobile Food Unit Permit, Prepackaged Foods Only (permit 1055)

Required for a mobile unit that sells only prepackaged foods. Figures are as published on the county's Environmental Health service-fees page, labelled 'FEE 2026' and 'Effective June 1, 2026': $166.00 base and $181.00 total, per permit per year. The Board of Supervisors' approval that A.R.S. § 36-187(C)(3) requires is not stated on that page, and no adopting order is cited for this schedule; the county's hearing notice dated April 18, 2026 lists the revised fee schedule for the Board's May 4, 2026 meeting. A mobile unit that prepares food on board falls under the peddler or multiple-item food preparation permits instead. Coverage inside the four incorporated cities is not stated in the county's published materials.

Mobile Food Peddler Permit (open food limited items; multiple-item food preparation unit)

Required for a mobile food peddler. The county's service-fees page lists two tiers: open food limited items (permit 1053) at $592.00 base and $607.00 total, and a multiple-item food preparation unit (permit 1054) at $702.00 base and $717.00 total, per permit per year. Figures are as published on the page labelled 'FEE 2026' and 'Effective June 1, 2026'. The Board of Supervisors' approval that A.R.S. § 36-187(C)(3) requires is not stated on that page, and no adopting order is cited for this schedule; the county's hearing notice dated April 18, 2026 lists the revised fee schedule for the Board's May 4, 2026 meeting. The tier depends on whether the unit serves open food or prepares multiple items, so confirm the tier with Environmental Health before applying.

Temporary Food Service Permit, with Late-Notice Add-On, Non-Profit and Annual Options

Required for food service at a temporary event. The county's service-fees page states that a temporary permit is 'valid only for the permittee/booth and event, no more than 14 consecutive days.' Figures are as published on the page labelled 'FEE 2026' and 'Effective June 1, 2026': temporary food service (permit 1071) at $108.00, with no total shown on the page; the late-notice add-on for an event notified under seven days at $50.00 base and $65.00 total; the non-profit temporary permit (permit 1072) at $54.00, which requires proof of non-profit status; and the annual temporary food service permit (permit 1078) at $293.00. The Board of Supervisors' approval that A.R.S. § 36-187(C)(3) requires is not stated on that page, and no adopting order is cited for this schedule; the county's hearing notice dated April 18, 2026 lists the revised fee schedule for the Board's May 4, 2026 meeting.

Food Establishment Permit

The state writes the rules and the counties issue and price the permits — the health department's own licensing menu has no food establishment category at all. The two big counties do not even measure the same thing. Maricopa bands by seating and a four-level risk class, from $373 for a small low-risk operation to $1,015 for a ten-seat-plus class four, and repriced its whole schedule on 19 August 2026, so anything cached before that is wrong. Pima bands by risk class and floor area instead, from $144 to $930, and offers fee reductions of up to a quarter for an active managerial control plan, calorie counts, a food bank programme or a trans-fat-free menu. Plan review is a further $728 to $919 in Maricopa and $480 in Pima. The counties are not even on the same food code — Maricopa adopts the 2017 edition and Pima the 2013.

Food Handler Card

No state fee and no state card — Arizona's statute does not require a food handler card at all. What it does is standardise the training to a named national standard and make a card reciprocal between counties if a county chooses to require one. Maricopa does require one of every food-handling employee, valid three years and bought from a private accredited provider rather than from the county, which charges only for a five-dollar limited-use certificate issued as a disability accommodation. Pima does not require one of every employee: it requires a person in charge on the premises and at least one accredited food protection manager per establishment, and sells an optional thirty-dollar county certificate that it warns is not itself accredited. The one place state law does mandate cards is for a mobile food vendor's employees.

Shared with other businesses in Mohave County

• Catering or Commissary Permit, and Catering Vehicle Permit (permits 1051 and 1052) — Mohave County Department of Public Health, Environmental Health Division, Catering or commissary (permit 1051): $672.00 base; $687.00 total. Catering vehicle (permit 1052): $97.00 base; $112.00 total. As printed on the county's Environmental Health service-fees page., annual; the county FAQ describes its operating license fees as annual, and the exact renewal date is not stated on the fee page, the FAQ or the application page. Also required for coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
• Seasonal Food Service Permit (Type I, II or III) — Mohave County Department of Public Health, Environmental Health Division, Seasonal Type I (permit 1006): $283.00 base; $298.00 total. Seasonal Type II (permit 1007): $420.00 base; $435.00 total. Seasonal Type III (permit 1008): $481.00 base; $496.00 total. As printed on the county's Environmental Health service-fees page., the page limits seasonal permits to operations of no more than 180 consecutive days (or 6 consecutive months or less) in a year. Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.