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18 permits · verified 2026-09-27

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

In short

A food truck in San Bernardino County, CA has 6 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 12 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). 9 of the 18 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-27 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a food truck in San Bernardino County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Mobile Food Facility Health Permit (Vehicle, Cart, or CMFO)San Bernardino County Department of Public Health, Division of Environmental Health ServicesVehicle: Low Risk $307/yr, Medium Risk $585/yr, High Risk $901/yr. Cart/CMFO: Low Risk $282/yr, Medium and High Risk both $426/yr (the fee schedule prices Medium and High Risk carts identically). Mobile Support Unit (commissary support vehicle) $358/yr. MFF-Cart/CMFO Permit-Exempt category exists at $0.annual; a decal renewal inspection is required each year during the month the permit expires2026-09-27
Mobile Food Facility Plan CheckSan Bernardino County Department of Public Health, Division of Environmental Health ServicesNew vehicle: Low Risk $815, Medium Risk $901, High Risk $928. New CMFO: Low Risk $747, Medium Risk $826, High Risk $851. Cart or vehicle remodel: Low Risk $754, Medium Risk $849, High Risk $873. Mobile Support Unit plan check: new $849, remodel $806.one-time, per unit2026-09-27
Temporary Food Facility (TFF) Permitonly if it applies to youSan Bernardino County Department of Public Health, Division of Environmental Health ServicesEvent Organizer, Annual $675.00 (or $393.00 for a single event). Prepackaged Annual TFF $429.00; single-event (up to 6 months) Prepackaged $169.00. Food Preparation Annual TFF $582.00; single-event Food Prep $237.00. Non-profit versions mirror the standard fees. Late fees: $138.00 for event organizers filing under 2 weeks before the event, or $138.00 for vendors under 48 hours before.per event, or annual for the Event Organizer and Annual TFF categories2026-09-27
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 San Bernardino County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Sign Permit — Building & Safety Construction Feeonly if it applies to youSan Bernardino County Land Use Services Department, Building & Safety DivisionVaries — formula on the San Bernardino County pageone-time, per sign2026-09-27
Home Occupation Permitonly if it applies to youSan Bernardino County Land Use Services Department, Code Enforcement DivisionVaries — formula on the San Bernardino County pagebiennial renewal2026-09-27
Sign Permit — Planning Division Land-Use Reviewonly if it applies to youSan Bernardino County Land Use Services Department, Planning DivisionVaries — formula on the San Bernardino County pageone-time per sign or sign location plan2026-09-27
Commercial Building Permit (Valuation-Based Fee)San Bernardino County Land Use Services Department, Building & Safety DivisionVaries — formula on the San Bernardino County pageone-time, per project2026-09-27
On-Site Wastewater (Septic) and Well Construction Permitsonly if it applies to youSan Bernardino County Department of Public Health, Division of Environmental Health ServicesVaries — formula on the San Bernardino County pagevaries — most fees are one-time per project; the DMA Individual Septic System Permit is biennial2026-09-27
General Business License — San Bernardino County positiononly if it applies to youSan Bernardino County Clerk of the Board of SupervisorsNo feenot applicable — per the Clerk of the Board, the County does not issue a business license covering the entire County2026-09-27

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 San Bernardino County?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 18 records listed for a food truck in San Bernardino County, CA, 6 apply to every business of this type and 12 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 6 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $15.00. That is a floor, not a total. 9 of the 18 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 3 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

Mobile Food Facility Health Permit (Vehicle, Cart, or CMFO): Vehicle: Low Risk $307/yr, Medium Risk $585/yr, High Risk $901/yr. Cart/CMFO: Low Risk $282/yr, Medium and High Risk both $426/yr (the fee schedule prices Medium and High Risk carts identically). Mobile Support Unit (commissary support vehicle) $358/yr. MFF-Cart/CMFO Permit-Exempt category exists at $0.

Mobile Food Facility Plan Check: New vehicle: Low Risk $815, Medium Risk $901, High Risk $928. New CMFO: Low Risk $747, Medium Risk $826, High Risk $851. Cart or vehicle remodel: Low Risk $754, Medium Risk $849, High Risk $873. Mobile Support Unit plan check: new $849, remodel $806.

Temporary Food Facility (TFF) Permit: Event Organizer, Annual $675.00 (or $393.00 for a single event). Prepackaged Annual TFF $429.00; single-event (up to 6 months) Prepackaged $169.00. Food Preparation Annual TFF $582.00; single-event Food Prep $237.00. Non-profit versions mirror the standard fees. Late fees: $138.00 for event organizers filing under 2 weeks before the event, or $138.00 for vendors under 48 hours before.

The other 6 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the San Bernardino County permits page and the CA state page.

Which offices issue these permits in San Bernardino County?

Permits for a food truck in San Bernardino County, CA come from 9 separate offices: San Bernardino County Land Use Services Department, Building & Safety Division, San Bernardino County Department of Public Health, Division of Environmental Health Services, San Bernardino County Land Use Services Department, Code Enforcement Division, San Bernardino County Land Use Services Department, Planning Division, San Bernardino County Clerk of the Board of Supervisors, 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 San Bernardino County that other businesses do not?

Mobile Food Facility Plan Check

A one-time plan-check fee, separate from the annual mobile food facility permit fee, required before a new vehicle, cart or CMFO may operate or before an existing one is remodeled. Figures range from $747 (a new low-risk CMFO) to $928 (a new high-risk vehicle), with lower figures for a remodel than for new construction at the same risk level, per the current EHS Fee Schedule (Data Date 6/30/2026). EHS's own guidance warns initial mobile-unit plan reviews can take 8-10 weeks.

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 San Bernardino County

  • Mobile Food Facility Health Permit (Vehicle, Cart, or CMFO) — San Bernardino County Department of Public Health, Division of Environmental Health Services, Vehicle: Low Risk $307/yr, Medium Risk $585/yr, High Risk $901/yr. Cart/CMFO: Low Risk $282/yr, Medium and High Risk both $426/yr (the fee schedule prices Medium and High Risk carts identically). Mobile Support Unit (commissary support vehicle) $358/yr. MFF-Cart/CMFO Permit-Exempt category exists at $0., annual; a decal renewal inspection is required each year during the month the permit expires. Also required for coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
  • Temporary Food Facility (TFF) Permit — San Bernardino County Department of Public Health, Division of Environmental Health Services, Event Organizer, Annual $675.00 (or $393.00 for a single event). Prepackaged Annual TFF $429.00; single-event (up to 6 months) Prepackaged $169.00. Food Preparation Annual TFF $582.00; single-event Food Prep $237.00. Non-profit versions mirror the standard fees. Late fees: $138.00 for event organizers filing under 2 weeks before the event, or $138.00 for vendors under 48 hours before., per event, or annual for the Event Organizer and Annual TFF categories. Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the restaurants 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 6 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in San Bernardino County, CA; what each one involves is set out on the San Bernardino 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 San Bernardino County?

The closest match is a coffee shop, which shares 5 of these permits. A coffee shop needs Environmental Health Services Referral Fee (component of a CUP/MUP/Tentative Tract application), Liquor License — State ABC License; County Planning Review Fee Applies (San Bernardino County), Retail Food Facility Health Permit — Snack Bar and 2 more, which a food truck does not.

Permits particular to each business type in San Bernardino County, CA, compared with a food truck
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a food truckOnly a food truck needsOnly it needs
Coffee shops10505
Restaurants8325
Retail stores6234
Auto repair shops3053
Childcare centres5055
Contractors and trades1051
Fitness studios2052
Salons and barbers1051
Veterinary clinics5055

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

  1. Environmental Health Services Fee Schedule (Data Date 6/30/2026) — food, mobile food, temporary food, medical waste, land-use referral and OWTS/well feesSan Bernardino County Department of Public Health, Environmental Health Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
  2. 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.