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14 permits · verified 2026-10-09

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

In short

A food truck in Solano County, CA has 4 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). 6 of the 14 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-09 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a food truck in Solano County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Special / Temporary Event Food Permits (Organizer and Booth)only if it applies to youSolano County Department of Resource Management, Environmental Health DivisionEvent organizer: 2-5 booths $300; 6-10 booths $449; more than 10 booths $595; more than 20 booths $785; non-profit organizer $0. Food booth, single event (high / medium / low risk): $134 / $94 / $62. Food booth, seasonal (high / medium / low risk): $354 / $236 / $196. Applications or payments received less than 14 days before the event are assessed a 50% late fee.per event, or per season for seasonal permits2026-10-09
Catering Registration / Host Facility Permitonly if it applies to youSolano County Department of Resource Management, Environmental Health DivisionCatering registration $526; out-of-county catering registration $380; host facility $420; catering registration - veteran exemption $0.annual2026-10-09
Mobile Food Facility PermitSolano County Department of Resource Management, Environmental Health DivisionFood facility - motorized vehicle (low risk) $228; mobile food preparation vehicle $276; food preparation vehicle - high risk $321; non-motorized food cart $150; non-motorized food cart - high risk $321; non-profit and veteran $0. Event permits for a mobile unit: single event $182; seasonal mobile event $451.annual; event permits expire at the end of the event or season2026-10-09
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 Solano 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 youSolano County Department of Resource Management, Business License CoordinatorVaries — formula on the Solano County page1 year from issuance (County Code §14-24); renewed annually2026-10-09
Building Permit (commercial building or remodel)only if it applies to youSolano County Department of Resource Management, Building & Safety ServicesVaries — formula on the Solano County pageper project (one-time)2026-10-09

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 Solano County?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 14 records listed for a food truck in Solano County, CA, 4 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 4 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $15.00. That is a floor, not a total. 6 of the 14 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:

Special / Temporary Event Food Permits (Organizer and Booth): Event organizer: 2-5 booths $300; 6-10 booths $449; more than 10 booths $595; more than 20 booths $785; non-profit organizer $0. Food booth, single event (high / medium / low risk): $134 / $94 / $62. Food booth, seasonal (high / medium / low risk): $354 / $236 / $196. Applications or payments received less than 14 days before the event are assessed a 50% late fee.

Catering Registration / Host Facility Permit: Catering registration $526; out-of-county catering registration $380; host facility $420; catering registration - veteran exemption $0.

Mobile Food Facility Permit: Food facility - motorized vehicle (low risk) $228; mobile food preparation vehicle $276; food preparation vehicle - high risk $321; non-motorized food cart $150; non-motorized food cart - high risk $321; non-profit and veteran $0. Event permits for a mobile unit: single event $182; seasonal mobile event $451.

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

Which offices issue these permits in Solano County?

Permits for a food truck in Solano County, CA come from 7 separate offices: Solano County Department of Resource Management, Business License Coordinator, Solano County Department of Resource Management, Environmental Health Division, Solano County Department of Resource Management, Building & Safety Services, 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 Solano County that other businesses do not?

1 of the 5 permits particular to a food truck here applies to no other business type we cover in Solano County: Mobile Food Facility Permit.

Special / Temporary Event Food Permits (Organizer and Booth)

Selling food at a fair, festival or other community event in Solano County takes two layers of Environmental Health permit: the event organizer's permit, priced by the number of booths, and a permit for each food booth, priced by risk level for a single event or a season. Amounts are from Exhibit III-A to Resolution 2026-78 (adopted 28 April 2026, effective July 1, 2026). The county's Special Events page says that 'Applications or payments received less than 14 days prior to the event will be assessed a 50% late fee' and that applications received 72 hours before the event may not be approved; for non-profit organizers and vendors it says permits are issued 'a maximum of 4 times per calendar year not to exceed 72 hours each, and additional events after will be billed.'

Mobile Food Facility Permit

The county's Mobile Food Operations page says 'Solano County permits all types of mobile food vendors', and Environmental Health's jurisdiction covers all seven cities and the unincorporated area. The page asks applicants to allow a minimum of 20 days for review and lists a Commissary Agreement and a Restroom Agreement among the forms; it also states that 'Fees are assessed each time your mobile food facility does not pass inspection.' The annual fee depends on the unit type and risk level, per Exhibit III-A to Resolution 2026-78 (adopted 28 April 2026, effective July 1, 2026), which added the two high-risk lines as new fees; a truck working a special event also needs the single-event ($182) or seasonal ($451) mobile event permit from the same exhibit.

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 Solano County

  • Catering Registration / Host Facility Permit — Solano County Department of Resource Management, Environmental Health Division, Catering registration $526; out-of-county catering registration $380; host facility $420; catering registration - veteran exemption $0., annual. 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 Solano County, CA; what each one involves is set out on the Solano 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 Solano County?

The closest match is a restaurant, which shares 4 of these permits. A food truck also needs Mobile Food Facility Permit. A restaurant needs Retail Food Facility Health Permit and Food Facility Plan Check and Construction Inspection, which a food truck does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Solano County, CA, compared with a food truck
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a food truckOnly a food truck needsOnly it needs
Restaurants6412
Coffee shops7413
Retail stores5233
Auto repair shops1051
Childcare centres3053
Contractors and trades1051
Fitness studios1051
Salons and barbers3053
Veterinary clinics1051

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 Solano County permits page and the CA state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Resolution 2026-78 and Exhibit III-A — Environmental Health feesSolano County Board of Supervisors · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
  2. Special EventsSolano County Environmental Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
  3. Solano County Environmental Health Fee Schedule, Effective July 1, 2026Solano County Department of Resource Management · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
  4. Board of Supervisors Minute Order, 28 April 2026 — FY 2026-27 user fees (File 26-214)Solano County Board of Supervisors · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
  5. Mobile Food OperationsSolano County Environmental Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
  6. 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.