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13 permits · verified 2026-10-02

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

In short

A food truck in Kern County, CA has 4 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 9 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Kern County Planning and Natural Resources Department charges $1,352 one-time per application (code PIM-003), per the Land Development Services Fee Schedule effective 1/1/2025 for the zone variance. 4 of the 13 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-02 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a food truck in Kern County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Mobile Food Facility / Food Truck PermitKern County Public Health Services Department, Environmental Health Services DivisionMobile Food Facility: Low risk $155.00 + $175.00 = $330.00/yr; Moderate $155.00 + $665.00 = $820.00/yr; High $155.00 + $1,005.00 = $1,160.00/yr (codes MF09/10/11). Non-dedicated commissary: $155.00 + $945.00 = $1,100.00/yr (code MC01). Mobile Plan Review (one-time): $865.00 flat (code MP13). Single-event tier: $55.00-$100.00.annual2026-10-02
Temporary Food Facility / Community Event Sponsor Permitonly if it applies to youKern County Public Health Services Department, Environmental Health Services DivisionTemporary Food Facility: Low $155.00 + $205.00 = $360.00; Moderate $155.00 + $240.00 = $395.00; High $155.00 + $295.00 = $450.00 (codes TF01/02/03). Single-event tier: $65.00-$120.00. Community Event Sponsor Permit (the event organizer's own permit, separate from each vendor's permit): $515.00-$1,340.00, depending on vendor count (1-5 up to 16 or more) and event duration (codes SS09-SS17).per event2026-10-02
Food Facility PermitCalifornia Department of Public Health, Food and Drug BranchNo feeset by the local enforcement agency2026-09-03
Food Handler CardCalifornia Department of Public Health, Food and Drug Branch$15 statutory maximum for at least one accredited course3 years2026-09-03

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 Kern County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Zone Changeonly if it applies to youKern County Planning and Natural Resources DepartmentVaries — formula on the Kern County pageone-time per application2026-10-02
Zone Varianceonly if it applies to youKern County Planning and Natural Resources Department$1,352 one-time per application (code PIM-003), per the Land Development Services Fee Schedule effective 1/1/2025one-time per application2026-10-02

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

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Statement of Information (LLC)only if it applies to youCalifornia Secretary of State, Business Programs Division$20 per filing, biennialbiennial2026-09-03
Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youCalifornia Secretary of State, Business Programs Division$70 one-time filingno expiry, but a Statement of Information is due biennially2026-09-03
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youCalifornia Secretary of State, Business Programs Division$100 one-time filingno expiry, but a Statement of Information is due annually2026-09-03
Statement of Information (Corporation)only if it applies to youCalifornia Secretary of State, Business Programs Division$25 per filing, annualannual2026-09-03
Seller's Permitonly if it applies to youCalifornia Department of Tax and Fee AdministrationNo fee — no fee to applyno expiry while actively engaged in business as a seller2026-09-03
Annual LLC Tax and Minimum Franchise Taxonly if it applies to youCalifornia Franchise Tax BoardVaries — formula on the CA pageannual, until the entity is cancelled2026-09-03
General Business License — California position (city or county, not state)California Secretary of State, Business Programs DivisionNo feeset by the issuing city or county2026-09-03

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 Kern County?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 13 records listed for a food truck in Kern County, CA, 4 apply to every business of this type and 9 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 4 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $15.00. That is a floor, not a total. 4 of the 13 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: Mobile Food Facility: Low risk $155.00 + $175.00 = $330.00/yr; Moderate $155.00 + $665.00 = $820.00/yr; High $155.00 + $1,005.00 = $1,160.00/yr (codes MF09/10/11). Non-dedicated commissary: $155.00 + $945.00 = $1,100.00/yr (code MC01). Mobile Plan Review (one-time): $865.00 flat (code MP13). Single-event tier: $55.00-$100.00.

Temporary Food Facility / Community Event Sponsor Permit: Temporary Food Facility: Low $155.00 + $205.00 = $360.00; Moderate $155.00 + $240.00 = $395.00; High $155.00 + $295.00 = $450.00 (codes TF01/02/03). Single-event tier: $65.00-$120.00. Community Event Sponsor Permit (the event organizer's own permit, separate from each vendor's permit): $515.00-$1,340.00, depending on vendor count (1-5 up to 16 or more) and event duration (codes SS09-SS17).

The other 2 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Kern County permits page and the CA state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Kern County?

Permits for a food truck in Kern County, CA come from 6 separate offices: Kern County Planning and Natural Resources Department, Kern County Public Health Services Department, Environmental Health Services Division, 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.

What does a food truck need in Kern County that other businesses do not?

1 of the 4 permits particular to a food truck here applies to no other business type we cover in Kern County: Mobile Food Facility / Food Truck Permit.

Mobile Food Facility / Food Truck Permit

This countywide EHS permit, reaching every incorporated city as well as the unincorporated area under Kern County Code §8.04.020, is required of a food truck, cart or trailer before it opens for business anywhere in Kern County. The annual fee runs from $330.00 for a Low-risk unit up to $1,160.00 for a High-risk unit, with a $1,100.00/yr tier for a unit using a non-dedicated commissary, per the current Food Fees schedule's July 1, 2026 figures. A new unit also pays a one-time $865.00 Mobile Plan Review fee, and a single appearance outside normal operations can instead be covered by the $55.00-$100.00 single-event tier. A food truck also needs its commissary location to be properly zoned, though the truck itself is not a discrete zoning use under Title 19.

Temporary Food Facility / Community Event Sponsor Permit

A restaurant, coffee shop or food truck selling food at a fair, festival or other short-run event anywhere in Kern County, including inside any of the 11 incorporated cities, needs this permit for that specific engagement under EHS's countywide food program (Kern County Code §8.04.020). A vendor's own Temporary Food Facility permit runs $360.00-$450.00 by risk tier, or $65.00-$120.00 at the single-event tier, per the current Food Fees schedule's July 1, 2026 figures. Separately, the event's organizer — not each individual vendor — needs the Community Event Sponsor Permit, priced $515.00-$1,340.00 depending on how many vendors participate and how long the event runs. An operator who already holds an annual Mobile Food Facility permit still needs this separate permit for a one-off event outside that unit's normal operating pattern.

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 Kern County

The other 2 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Kern County, CA; what each one involves is set out on the Kern 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 Kern 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. A coffee shop needs Tobacco Retailer's Permit, Liquor License — Determination of Public Convenience or Necessity and Retail Food Facility Health Permit, which a food truck does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Kern County, CA, compared with a food truck
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a food truckOnly a food truck needsOnly it needs
Coffee shops6313
Restaurants6313
Retail stores5223
Auto repair shops1041
Childcare centres2042
Contractors and trades2042
Fitness studios0040
Salons and barbers5045
Veterinary clinics2042

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 retail stores page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Kern County permits page and the CA state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Food Fees schedule (Food Facility, Mobile Food Facility, Temporary Food Facility, Community Event Sponsor, Vending Machine), Published Time July 1, 2026Kern County Public Health Services Department, Environmental Health Services Division · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
  2. Kern County Code Chapter 8.04 (Environmental Health Permits and Service Fees) — §8.04.020's 'within or without an incorporated city' scope languageKern County, via Municode (Kern County Municipal Code) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
  3. 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.