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9 permits · verified 2026-09-08

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

In short

A food truck in Denver, CO has 4 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 5 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Denver Fire Department, Fire Prevention Division charges $250 a year for the fire permit — mobile food vending. 2 of the 9 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-08 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a food truck in Denver

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Fire Permit — Mobile Food VendingDenver Fire Department, Fire Prevention Division$250 a yearannual2026-09-08
Retail Food Establishment LicenseColorado 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 2028annual2026-09-03
Certified Food Protection Manageronly if it applies to youColorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Division of Environmental Health and SustainabilityNo feeset by the certifying programme, not by Colorado2026-09-03

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 Denver

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Sales/Use/Lodger's Tax LicenseCity and County of Denver, Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection$50 per location, every 2 years; a Special Event Retail Sales License is $5/event2 years2026-09-08

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

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youColorado Secretary of State, Business Division$50 one-time filing, online onlyperpetual, but a periodic report is due every year2026-09-03
General Business License — Colorado position (issued locally)only if it applies to youColorado Secretary of State, Business DivisionNo feeset by the city or county2026-09-03
Sales Tax LicenseColorado Department of Revenue, Taxation DivisionVaries — formula on the CO page2 years — every license expires on 31 December of an odd-numbered year2026-09-03
Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youColorado Secretary of State, Business Division$50 one-time filing, online onlyperpetual, but a periodic report is due every year2026-09-03
Periodic Reportonly if it applies to youColorado Secretary of State, Business Division$25 a year; $50 more if filed lateannual — due in the entity's own periodic report month2026-09-03

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 Denver?

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 Denver, CO, 4 apply to every business of this type and 5 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, 2 carry a flat fee, coming to $300.00. That is a floor, not a total. 2 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:

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 Denver permits page and the CO state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Denver?

Permits for a food truck in Denver, CO come from 5 separate offices: Denver Fire Department, Fire Prevention Division, City and County of Denver, Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection, 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.

What does a food truck need in Denver that other businesses do not?

1 of the 3 permits particular to a food truck here applies to no other business type we cover in Denver: Fire Permit — Mobile Food Vending.

Fire Permit — Mobile Food Vending

Confirmed directly from the department's own current (dated July 23, 2026) fee schedule.

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 Denver

  • 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 other 1 local permit in the tables apply to every type of business in Denver, CO; what each one involves is set out on the Denver permits 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 Denver?

The closest match is a coffee shop, which shares 2 of these permits. A food truck also needs Fire Permit — Mobile Food Vending. A coffee shop needs Sign Permit and Retail Food License, which a food truck does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Denver, CO, compared with a food truck
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a food truckOnly a food truck needsOnly it needs
Coffee shops4212
Restaurants4212
Auto repair shops3033
Childcare centres2032
Contractors and trades3033
Fitness studios1031
Retail stores1031
Salons and barbers2032
Veterinary clinics3033

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 Denver permits page and the CO state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Denver Fire Department — Permit Fee Schedule (dated July 23, 2026)Denver Fire Department, Fire Prevention Division · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-08
  2. 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.