9 permits · verified 2026-10-10
What permits do you need to open a food truck in Arapahoe County?
In short
A food truck in Arapahoe County, CO has 3 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 6 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Colorado Secretary of State, Business Division charges $50 one-time filing, online only for the articles of incorporation. 4 of the 9 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-10 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a food truck in Arapahoe County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile Food Unit Retail Food License (annual; food trucks, trailers and push carts) | Arapahoe County Public Health, Environmental Health | Per ACPH's Retail Establishment License Fee Schedule: mobile unit, full service $481 and mobile unit, prepackaged food $338 effective 9/1/2025; $567 and $394 effective 1/1/2027; $682 and $475 effective 1/1/2028. Amounts match C.R.S. 25-4-1607(1.1)(a) as enacted by SB25-285. | annual; the statute sets the fee for each calendar year | 2026-10-10 |
| Special Event (Temporary) Retail Food Licenseonly if it applies to you | Arapahoe County Public Health, Environmental Health | Set by Arapahoe County Public Health as the county public health agency under C.R.S. 25-4-1607(1.1)(b)(II). The amount is not published in SB25-285 or in ACPH's June 17, 2026 retail food overview; contact ACPH Environmental Health for the current special event license fee. | per special event license | 2026-10-10 |
| Retail Food Establishment License | Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Division of Environmental Health and Sustainability | $244–$1,063 a year for 2026, banded by establishment type and size; the schedule rises in 2027 and 2028 | annual | 2026-09-03 |
| Certified Food Protection Manageronly if it applies to you | Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Division of Environmental Health and Sustainability | No fee | set by the certifying programme, not by Colorado | 2026-09-03 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
CO registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | Colorado Secretary of State, Business Division | $50 one-time filing, online only | perpetual, but a periodic report is due every year | 2026-09-03 |
| General Business License — Colorado position (issued locally)only if it applies to you | Colorado Secretary of State, Business Division | No fee | set by the city or county | 2026-09-03 |
| Sales Tax License | Colorado Department of Revenue, Taxation Division | Varies — formula on the CO page | 2 years — every license expires on 31 December of an odd-numbered year | 2026-09-03 |
| Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | Colorado Secretary of State, Business Division | $50 one-time filing, online only | perpetual, but a periodic report is due every year | 2026-09-03 |
| Periodic Reportonly if it applies to you | Colorado Secretary of State, Business Division | $25 a year; $50 more if filed late | annual — due in the entity's own periodic report month | 2026-09-03 |
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 Arapahoe County?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 9 records listed for a food truck in Arapahoe County, CO, 3 apply to every business of this type and 6 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.
4 of the 9 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 Unit Retail Food License (annual; food trucks, trailers and push carts): Per ACPH's Retail Establishment License Fee Schedule: mobile unit, full service $481 and mobile unit, prepackaged food $338 effective 9/1/2025; $567 and $394 effective 1/1/2027; $682 and $475 effective 1/1/2028. Amounts match C.R.S. 25-4-1607(1.1)(a) as enacted by SB25-285.
Special Event (Temporary) Retail Food License: Set by Arapahoe County Public Health as the county public health agency under C.R.S. 25-4-1607(1.1)(b)(II). The amount is not published in SB25-285 or in ACPH's June 17, 2026 retail food overview; contact ACPH Environmental Health for the current special event license fee.
Retail Food Establishment License: $244–$1,063 a year for 2026, banded by establishment type and size; the schedule rises in 2027 and 2028
The other 1 variable fee belongs to permits that apply to every type of business here; its formula is set out on the Arapahoe County permits page and the CO state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Arapahoe County?
Permits for a food truck in Arapahoe County, CO come from 4 separate offices: Arapahoe County Public Health, Environmental Health, Colorado Secretary of State, Business Division, Colorado Department of Revenue, Taxation Division, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Division of Environmental Health and Sustainability. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- Arapahoe County Public Health, Environmental HealthIssues 2 permits on this page: Mobile Food Unit Retail Food License (annual; food trucks, trailers and push carts), Special Event (Temporary) Retail Food Licensefiles.arapahoeco.gov/Public%20Health/Health%20Protection_Response/Environmental%20Health/RFE%20Fee%20Change%20Schedule_With%20Effective%20Dates_FNL_ENG%2020250828_v2.pdf
- Colorado Secretary of State, Business DivisionIssues 4 permits on this page: Articles of Incorporation, General Business License — Colorado position (issued locally), Articles of Organization (LLC), Periodic Report1700 Broadway, Suite 550, Denver, CO 80290 · (303) 894-2200www.coloradosos.gov/pubs/business/businessHome.html
- Colorado Department of Revenue, Taxation DivisionIssues 1 permit on this page: Sales Tax License1375 Sherman Street, Denver, CO 80261 · (303) 238-7378tax.colorado.gov/sales-tax-account-license
- Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Division of Environmental Health and SustainabilityIssues 2 permits on this page: Retail Food Establishment License, Certified Food Protection Manager4300 Cherry Creek Drive South, Denver, CO 80246 · (303) 692-3645cdphe.colorado.gov/dehs/rf/licensing
What does a food truck need in Arapahoe 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 Arapahoe County: Mobile Food Unit Retail Food License (annual; food trucks, trailers and push carts).
Mobile Food Unit Retail Food License (annual; food trucks, trailers and push carts)
A food truck, trailer or push cart licensed in Arapahoe County holds an annual mobile food unit retail food license from Arapahoe County Public Health; ACPH's June 17, 2026 Retail Food Inspection and Enforcement Overview to the Board of Health reports about 300 mobile food units licensed by ACPH in 2025. ACPH's fee schedule lists two mobile categories: Mobile Unit, Full Service at $481 and Mobile Unit, Prepackaged Food at $338 effective 9/1/2025, rising to $567 and $394 on 1/1/2027 and to $682 and $475 on 1/1/2028. The figures are from Arapahoe County Public Health's "Retail Establishment License Fee Schedule" (PDF on the county's file host, files.arapahoeco.gov, file dated 2025-08-28), which states that Senate Bill 25-285 "included graduated increases in retail food establishment license fees over the next three years" and lists revised fees effective 9/1/2025, 1/1/2027 and 1/1/2028. The same amounts are set by C.R.S. 25-4-1607(1.1)(a) as enacted by SB25-285. Under 25-4-1607(1.1)(d)(II) the statutory fee is the only annual license fee a local inspection authority may charge and covers all inspections required during the annual license period.
Certified Food Protection Manager
No state fee, because Colorado runs no certification scheme of its own — it adopts the 2022 federal food code by reference and with it the certified food protection manager requirement, which took effect on 1 March 2025. The certificate comes from an accredited private programme at that programme's price and on its term. Colorado excludes four provisions of that code when adopting it, on patio dogs, preoperational inspections, the permit to operate and inspection follow-up, but the manager provision is not among the exclusions. There is no statewide food handler card — the phrase appears nowhere in the regulations — though an individual local public health agency may expect training of its own.
Shared with other businesses in Arapahoe County
- Special Event (Temporary) Retail Food License — Arapahoe County Public Health, Environmental Health, Set by Arapahoe County Public Health as the county public health agency under C.R.S. 25-4-1607(1.1)(b)(II). The amount is not published in SB25-285 or in ACPH's June 17, 2026 retail food overview; contact ACPH Environmental Health for the current special event license fee., per special event license. Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.
- Retail Food Establishment License — Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Division of Environmental Health and Sustainability, $244–$1,063 a year for 2026, banded by establishment type and size; the schedule rises in 2027 and 2028, annual. Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.
The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across CO and are covered on the CO state page.
How does a food truck compare with other businesses in Arapahoe County?
The closest match is a coffee shop, which shares 3 of these permits. A food truck also needs Mobile Food Unit Retail Food License (annual; food trucks, trailers and push carts). A coffee shop needs Retail Food Establishment License (annual; restaurants, limited food service, grocery), which a food truck does not.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a food truck | Only a food truck needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee shops | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Restaurants | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Auto repair shops | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| Childcare centres | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| Contractors and trades | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| Fitness studios | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Retail stores | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| Salons and barbers | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| Veterinary clinics | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
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 restaurants page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Arapahoe County permits page and the CO state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Retail Establishment License Fee Schedule (revised fees effective 9/1/2025, 1/1/2027 and 1/1/2028)Arapahoe County Public Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-10
- Senate Bill 25-285, signed act (amending C.R.S. 25-4-1607 and 25-4-1608: retail food establishment fees)Colorado General Assembly · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-10
- ACPH Retail Food Inspection and Enforcement Overview, Board of Health meeting, June 17, 2026Arapahoe County Public Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-10
- 6 CCR 1010-2 — Colorado retail food establishment regulations, adopting the 2022 FDA Food Code and the certified food protection manager requirement from 1 March 2025Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment · 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.