15 permits · verified 2026-09-28
What permits do you need to open a food truck in Alameda County?
In short
A food truck in Alameda County, CA has 5 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 10 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. California Secretary of State, Business Programs Division charges $20 per filing, biennial for the statement of information (llc). 7 of the 15 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-28 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a food truck in Alameda County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile Food Facility (Food Truck) Permit | Alameda County Department of Environmental Health, Food Protection Program | $370–$1,325 a year per unit, by category (ACDEH's current schedule): Espresso cart $657, Hot Dog Cart $500, Ice Cream Truck (prepackaged) $444, Catering Truck & In-Coach Trailer $1,058, Produce Truck $370; commissary fee ranges from $671 (2-8 carts/trucks) to $1,325 (20 or more carts/trucks) | annual; renewal is arranged with the assigned inspector about two weeks before expiration | 2026-09-28 |
| Temporary Food Facility (TFF) Permitonly if it applies to you | Alameda County Department of Environmental Health, Food Protection Program | $143–$433 per event, by duration and food type (ACDEH's current schedule): open food, 4 days or less $211; 5-25 days $333; prepackaged-only equivalents $143 and $186; event-sponsor fees $218-$433 depending on booth count | per event | 2026-09-28 |
| Food Facility / Mobile Food Facility Plan Check | Alameda County Department of Environmental Health, Food Protection Program | $891–$218,850 one-time per project, by scenario (ACDEH's current schedule): Restaurant plan check under 26 seats $909, 26-50 seats $1,296, 51-75 seats $1,662, over 75 seats $2,188.50; Coffee House plan check $891; Mobile Food Facility commissary plan check (2-8 units) $907; expedited plan-check service $1,104 | one-time per project | 2026-09-28 |
| Food Facility Permit | California Department of Public Health, Food and Drug Branch | No fee | set by the local enforcement agency | 2026-09-03 |
| Food Handler Card | California Department of Public Health, Food and Drug Branch | $15 statutory maximum for at least one accredited course | 3 years | 2026-09-03 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
Local permits that apply to every type of business in Alameda County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business License Taxonly if it applies to you | Alameda County Treasurer-Tax Collector, Business License Tax Unit | Varies — formula on the Alameda County page | annual; the license year renews every January 1 | 2026-09-28 |
| Building Permitonly if it applies to you | Alameda County Public Works Agency, Building Inspection Department (Permit Center) | Varies — formula on the Alameda County page | per project | 2026-09-28 |
| Fictitious Business Name Statementonly if it applies to you | Alameda County Clerk-Recorder | Varies — formula on the Alameda County page | statement is valid for 5 years or until any information on it changes, whichever comes first | 2026-09-28 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
CA registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statement of Information (LLC)only if it applies to you | California Secretary of State, Business Programs Division | $20 per filing, biennial | biennial | 2026-09-03 |
| Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | California Secretary of State, Business Programs Division | $70 one-time filing | no expiry, but a Statement of Information is due biennially | 2026-09-03 |
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | California Secretary of State, Business Programs Division | $100 one-time filing | no expiry, but a Statement of Information is due annually | 2026-09-03 |
| Statement of Information (Corporation)only if it applies to you | California Secretary of State, Business Programs Division | $25 per filing, annual | annual | 2026-09-03 |
| Seller's Permitonly if it applies to you | California Department of Tax and Fee Administration | No fee — no fee to apply | no expiry while actively engaged in business as a seller | 2026-09-03 |
| Annual LLC Tax and Minimum Franchise Taxonly if it applies to you | California Franchise Tax Board | Varies — formula on the CA page | annual, until the entity is cancelled | 2026-09-03 |
| General Business License — California position (city or county, not state) | California Secretary of State, Business Programs Division | No fee | set by the issuing city or county | 2026-09-03 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
How much does it actually cost to permit a food truck in Alameda County?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 15 records listed for a food truck in Alameda County, CA, 5 apply to every business of this type and 10 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.
Of the 5 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $15.00. That is a floor, not a total. 7 of the 15 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 2 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:
Mobile Food Facility (Food Truck) Permit: $370–$1,325 a year per unit, by category (ACDEH's current schedule): Espresso cart $657, Hot Dog Cart $500, Ice Cream Truck (prepackaged) $444, Catering Truck & In-Coach Trailer $1,058, Produce Truck $370; commissary fee ranges from $671 (2-8 carts/trucks) to $1,325 (20 or more carts/trucks)
Temporary Food Facility (TFF) Permit: $143–$433 per event, by duration and food type (ACDEH's current schedule): open food, 4 days or less $211; 5-25 days $333; prepackaged-only equivalents $143 and $186; event-sponsor fees $218-$433 depending on booth count
Food Facility / Mobile Food Facility Plan Check: $891–$218,850 one-time per project, by scenario (ACDEH's current schedule): Restaurant plan check under 26 seats $909, 26-50 seats $1,296, 51-75 seats $1,662, over 75 seats $2,188.50; Coffee House plan check $891; Mobile Food Facility commissary plan check (2-8 units) $907; expedited plan-check service $1,104
The other 4 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Alameda County permits page and the CA state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Alameda County?
Permits for a food truck in Alameda County, CA come from 8 separate offices: Alameda County Treasurer-Tax Collector, Business License Tax Unit, Alameda County Department of Environmental Health, Food Protection Program, Alameda County Public Works Agency, Building Inspection Department (Permit Center), Alameda County Clerk-Recorder, California Department of Public Health, Food and Drug Branch, California Secretary of State, Business Programs Division, California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, California Franchise Tax Board. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- Alameda County Treasurer-Tax Collector, Business License Tax UnitIssues 1 permit on this page: Business License Taxwww.acgov.org/business/buslic.htm
- Alameda County Department of Environmental Health, Food Protection ProgramIssues 3 permits on this page: Mobile Food Facility (Food Truck) Permit, Temporary Food Facility (TFF) Permit, Food Facility / Mobile Food Facility Plan Check1131 Harbor Bay Pkwy, Alameda, CA 94502health.alamedacountyca.gov/unit/food-safety
- Alameda County Public Works Agency, Building Inspection Department (Permit Center)Issues 1 permit on this page: Building Permit399 Elmhurst St., Hayward, CA 94544www.acgov.org
- Alameda County Clerk-RecorderIssues 1 permit on this page: Fictitious Business Name Statement1106 Madison St, Oakland, CA 94607www.acgov.org
- California Department of Public Health, Food and Drug BranchIssues 2 permits on this page: Food Facility Permit, Food Handler Cardwww.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CEH/DFDCS/Pages/FDBPrograms/FoodSafetyProgram/RetailFood.aspx
- California Secretary of State, Business Programs DivisionIssues 5 permits on this page, including Statement of Information (LLC), Articles of Organization (LLC), Articles of Incorporation(916) 657-5448bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov
- California Department of Tax and Fee AdministrationIssues 1 permit on this page: Seller's Permitonlineservices.cdtfa.ca.gov
- California Franchise Tax BoardIssues 1 permit on this page: Annual LLC Tax and Minimum Franchise Taxwww.ftb.ca.gov
What does a food truck need in Alameda County that other businesses do not?
2 of the 5 permits particular to a food truck here apply to no other business type we cover in Alameda County: Mobile Food Facility (Food Truck) Permit and Temporary Food Facility (TFF) Permit.
Mobile Food Facility (Food Truck) Permit
Any Mobile Food Facility (MFF) or Compact Mobile Food Operation (CMFO) — a food truck, cart, trailer or ice-cream truck — must hold an ACDEH permit before operating anywhere in the county except Berkeley, which permits mobile food vendors within its own city limits through its own Environmental Health Division. A compliant commissary agreement is required alongside the unit permit, and the commissary itself is charged a separate annual fee that scales with how many carts or trucks it services. ACDEH's Mobile Food Facilities Program runs monthly free information sessions, the first Wednesday of the month, 10-11 a.m., at 1131 Harbor Bay Pkwy, Alameda; new-operator questions can also go to dehmobilefood@acgov.org.
Temporary Food Facility (TFF) Permit
A vendor selling food at a fair, festival or other temporary event anywhere in the county except Berkeley needs an ACDEH Temporary Food Facility permit, submitted at least 30 working days before the event to dehwebbilling@acgov.org. An event's sponsoring organization pays its own, separate sponsor fee on top of each individual vendor's fee, scaled to the number of food booths at the event. Berkeley permits temporary food vendors at events inside Berkeley through its own Environmental Health Division rather than ACDEH.
Food Handler Card
The state does not sell the card and sets no fee of its own — it caps the market instead. At least one accredited course and examination must cost no more than $15 including the card, and if no course is available at that price the requirement does not apply at all. A handler has 30 days from hire to obtain one, it lasts three years, and it travels with the person rather than the employer. Since Senate Bill 476 the employer must treat the training and examination as paid working time, relieve the worker of other duties while they do it, reimburse the cost, and may not require a card as a condition of being hired. The exemptions are broad: grocery and convenience stores, school cafeterias, certified farmers' markets, licensed health care facilities, and any workplace covered by a collective bargaining agreement with its food handlers. Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties run their own card programmes under a pre-2009 carve-out and charge their own fees. Do not confuse this with the separate food safety MANAGER certification, which is one certified person per facility and lasts five years.
Shared with other businesses in Alameda County
- Food Facility / Mobile Food Facility Plan Check — Alameda County Department of Environmental Health, Food Protection Program, $891–$218,850 one-time per project, by scenario (ACDEH's current schedule): Restaurant plan check under 26 seats $909, 26-50 seats $1,296, 51-75 seats $1,662, over 75 seats $2,188.50; Coffee House plan check $891; Mobile Food Facility commissary plan check (2-8 units) $907; expedited plan-check service $1,104, one-time per project. Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
- Food Facility Permit — California Department of Public Health, Food and Drug Branch, No fee, set by the local enforcement agency. Also required for restaurants, coffee shops and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
The other 3 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Alameda County, CA; what each one involves is set out on the Alameda County permits page. The 7 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across CA and are covered on the CA state page.
How does a food truck compare with other businesses in Alameda County?
The closest match is a coffee shop, which shares 3 of these permits. A food truck also needs Mobile Food Facility (Food Truck) Permit and Temporary Food Facility (TFF) Permit. A coffee shop needs Retail Food Facility Permit, Hazardous Materials Business Plan (HMBP) / CUPA Registration and Fire Code Permits / Site Inspections, which a food truck does not.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a food truck | Only a food truck needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee shops | 6 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Restaurants | 9 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| Retail stores | 7 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Auto repair shops | 5 | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Childcare centres | 4 | 0 | 5 | 4 |
| Contractors and trades | 4 | 0 | 5 | 4 |
| Fitness studios | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| Salons and barbers | 4 | 0 | 5 | 4 |
| Veterinary clinics | 8 | 0 | 5 | 8 |
Sources
Every figure for the permits explained on this page was read from one of these government pages on the date shown. Sources for the permits shared with other businesses are listed with their explanations on the coffee shops page and retail stores page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Alameda County permits page and the CA state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- ACDEH General Fee Schedule (food facility, plan check, mobile/temporary food, HMBP/CUPA, hazardous-waste generator, UST/APSA, and medical-waste generator fee tables)Alameda County Department of Environmental Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
- Mobile Food Facilities ProgramAlameda County Department of Environmental Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
- Food Safety Program — ACDEH's retail food jurisdictionAlameda County Department of Environmental Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
- Temporary Food Facility Permit or Catered Event Permit ApplicationAlameda County Department of Environmental Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
- California Health and Safety Code section 113948 — food handler card, three-year term and $15 price ceiling (amended by Senate Bill 476, effective 1 January 2024)California Legislative Information · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
Related
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.