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

Mobile Food Facility Health Permit

A food truck or food cart needs a Santa Barbara County mobile food facility health permit; the Mobile Food & Commissaries page says approved vehicles and carts carry 'a decal on their mobile food vehicle or on the side of a permitted food cart reflecting the Month and Year of Expiration', that 'Vehicles operating without a valid permit are subject to closure', and that 'Vehicles with permits that have lapsed for 60 days or more will need to meet current California Retail Food Code requirements, which may involve upgrades and plan submittal before a new permit is issued.' The same page says 'A health permit is not required if selling less than 25 square feet of prepackaged (and labeled), non-potentially hazardous food'. A Compact Mobile Food Operation is a pushcart, other non-motorized sidewalk vending cart or temporary stand. Amounts are from the EHS Fee Schedule effective August 1, 2026; the base fees were adopted in Resolution 25-191 on 26 August 2025 and the adopted base fees are adjusted each year by the EHS Director under the Consumer Price Index clause of the adopting resolution or ordinance, effective no earlier than July 1; the county's public notice of 27 May 2026 applies a 3.0% increase effective August 1, 2026.

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 Santa Barbara County

• County Business License (County Code Chapter 22) — County of Santa Barbara Treasurer-Tax Collector, General business license (County Code §22-73): 'a quarterly fee of twenty-five dollars' ($25 per quarter) for 'Every person conducting or carrying on a business of any kind or description anywhere in the county outside of the municipalities therein, a license for which is not otherwise provided for in this chapter or any other provision of this Code or other ordinance of the county, and who does not maintain a fixed place of business in the county'. Counter, stand or wall vending machine (§22-74): each machine $4.00 per year; operator $10.00 per year., County Code §22-26: licenses 'may be issued for any period not exceeding one year and not less than the period for which a license fee is fixed'. Also required for contractors and trades; what it involves is set out on the contractors and trades page.
• Temporary Food Facility Permit (community events) — County of Santa Barbara Public Health Department, Environmental Health Services, One Time Event (fixed fee): TFF: Booth (max 500 sf) - One Time Event $352; TFF: Booth - Low Risk (max 500 sf) - One Time Event $177; TFF: Event Coordinator - One Time Event $737. Recurring Events (annual fee): TFF: Booth (max 500 sf) - Recurring Event $496; TFF: Booth - Low Risk (max 500 sf) - Recurring Event $278; TFF: Event Coordinator - Recurring Event $973., per event for one-time events; calendar year for recurring events. 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.