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13 permits · verified 2026-10-23

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

In short

A food truck in Merced 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. California Secretary of State, Business Programs Division charges $20 per filing, biennial for the statement of information (llc). 5 of the 13 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-23 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a food truck in Merced County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Mobile Food Facility Health PermitMerced County Community and Economic Development Department, Division of Environmental HealthAnnual local fees, by the schedule's labels: Basic Cart (packaged non-potentially hazardous or commercially packaged frozen foods) $247; Intermediate Cart (packaged potentially hazardous food, i.e. hot food sales; sales of raw fish) $287; Advanced Cart (non-potentially hazardous food preparation, preparation of hot dogs or coffee-based drinks with milk as an ingredient) $329; Deep fat fryer and/or cooked-to-order carts $590; single operating site mobile food facility with non-potentially hazardous food $166; with potentially hazardous food $247; Mobile support unit $298; Mobile food facility (Food Preparation Unit) $816. State surcharges are added separately.annual2026-10-23
Temporary Food Facility Permitonly if it applies to youMerced County Community and Economic Development Department, Division of Environmental HealthLocal fees, by the schedule's labels: low risk single event $42/event; low risk annual fee $216/year; high risk single event $123/event; high risk annual fee $612/year; temporary food facility operating at a weekly or monthly community event less than 25 consecutive or non-consecutive days in any 90-day period $494/event. State surcharges are added separately.per event, or annual for the annual-fee options2026-10-23
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 Merced County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
County Business License (unincorporated area)only if it applies to youMerced County Community and Economic Development Department, Business LicensesVaries — formula on the Merced County page1 year (County Code §6.02.050); the annual license is 'valid for one year from the date of issue'; a temporary license covers activities of 30 days or less and is valid for 30 days from the start date2026-10-23
Building Permit (unincorporated area)only if it applies to youMerced County Community and Economic Development Department, Building & Safety DivisionVaries — formula on the Merced County pageper project (one-time)2026-10-23

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 Merced 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 Merced 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. 5 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 Health Permit: Annual local fees, by the schedule's labels: Basic Cart (packaged non-potentially hazardous or commercially packaged frozen foods) $247; Intermediate Cart (packaged potentially hazardous food, i.e. hot food sales; sales of raw fish) $287; Advanced Cart (non-potentially hazardous food preparation, preparation of hot dogs or coffee-based drinks with milk as an ingredient) $329; Deep fat fryer and/or cooked-to-order carts $590; single operating site mobile food facility with non-potentially hazardous food $166; with potentially hazardous food $247; Mobile support unit $298; Mobile food facility (Food Preparation Unit) $816. State surcharges are added separately.

Temporary Food Facility Permit: Local fees, by the schedule's labels: low risk single event $42/event; low risk annual fee $216/year; high risk single event $123/event; high risk annual fee $612/year; temporary food facility operating at a weekly or monthly community event less than 25 consecutive or non-consecutive days in any 90-day period $494/event. State surcharges are added separately.

The other 3 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Merced County permits page and the CA state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Merced County?

Permits for a food truck in Merced County, CA come from 7 separate offices: Merced County Community and Economic Development Department, Division of Environmental Health, Merced County Community and Economic Development Department, Business Licenses, Merced County Community and Economic Development Department, Building & Safety 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 Merced County that other businesses do not?

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 Merced County

  • Mobile Food Facility Health Permit — Merced County Community and Economic Development Department, Division of Environmental Health, Annual local fees, by the schedule's labels: Basic Cart (packaged non-potentially hazardous or commercially packaged frozen foods) $247; Intermediate Cart (packaged potentially hazardous food, i.e. hot food sales; sales of raw fish) $287; Advanced Cart (non-potentially hazardous food preparation, preparation of hot dogs or coffee-based drinks with milk as an ingredient) $329; Deep fat fryer and/or cooked-to-order carts $590; single operating site mobile food facility with non-potentially hazardous food $166; with potentially hazardous food $247; Mobile support unit $298; Mobile food facility (Food Preparation Unit) $816. State surcharges are added separately., annual. Also required for coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
  • Temporary Food Facility Permit — Merced County Community and Economic Development Department, Division of Environmental Health, Local fees, by the schedule's labels: low risk single event $42/event; low risk annual fee $216/year; high risk single event $123/event; high risk annual fee $612/year; temporary food facility operating at a weekly or monthly community event less than 25 consecutive or non-consecutive days in any 90-day period $494/event. State surcharges are added separately., per event, or annual for the annual-fee options. 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 2 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Merced County, CA; what each one involves is set out on the Merced 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 Merced County?

The closest match is a coffee shop, which shares 4 of these permits. A coffee shop needs Retail Food Facility Health Permit, which a food truck does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Merced County, CA, compared with a food truck
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a food truckOnly a food truck needsOnly it needs
Coffee shops5401
Restaurants4311
Retail stores3221
Auto repair shops0040
Childcare centres1041
Contractors and trades1041
Fitness studios1041
Salons and barbers2042
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 coffee shops page and retail stores page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Merced County permits page and the CA state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. 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.