Commercial Compliance Hub
Check requirements

12 permits · verified 2026-09-27

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

In short

A food truck in Miami Dade County, FL has 5 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 7 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations charges $125 one-time filing for the articles of organization (llc). 6 of the 12 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 Miami Dade County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
DERM Fats, Oils and Grease (FOG) Discharge Control Operating PermitMiami-Dade RER, Division of Environmental Resources Management (DERM)Currently operative IO-04-42 schedule (effective 2026-06-26): FOG Generator, by facility size, $168.75/yr (up to 4,000 sq ft), $337.50/yr (4,001-20,000 sq ft), $750/yr (over 20,000 sq ft, unchanged from the prior schedule). FOG Control Device Operator (hauler/servicer side) $300/yr. Re-inspection fee (second and subsequent) $75.annual, calendar year January 1-December 31; renewal notice at least 45 days before expiration2026-09-27
Certificate of Use for Alcohol Sales (liquor / beer / wine)only if it applies to youMiami-Dade Regulatory and Economic Resources (RER), Zoning Permits Section2026 schedule (IO-04-111): restaurant with liquor and/or beer and wine $80.73; restaurant plus lounge/bar $161.45; bar/lounge $80.73; outdoor patio $234.84.one-time; alcohol use must commence within 30 days of the CU/CO's issuance or the CU becomes null and void; will not be renewed while enforcement or Nuisance Abatement Board cases are pending2026-09-27
Mobile Food Dispensing Vehicle — State Preemption under Fla. Stat. §509.102 (Miami-Dade)only if it applies to youMiami-Dade Regulatory and Economic Resources (RER), Zoning Permits SectionNo feenot applicable2026-09-27
Food Service Employee Training and Manager CertificationFlorida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Division of Hotels and RestaurantsNo feeemployee training 3 years; manager certification 5 years2026-09-03
Public Food Service Establishment LicenseFlorida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Division of Hotels and Restaurants$242–$357 per year, banded by seating, plus a $50 application feeannual, on a staggered renewal schedule2026-09-03

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 Miami Dade County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Local Business Tax Receipt (LBTR)Miami-Dade County Tax Collector, Local Business Tax SectionVaries — formula on the Miami Dade County pageannual; tax year October 1-September 30; bills mailed in July, due no later than September 30, receipts sold beginning August 12026-09-27

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

FL 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 Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youFlorida Department of State, Division of Corporations$125 one-time filingno expiry, but an annual report is due every year by 1 May2026-09-03
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youFlorida Department of State, Division of Corporations$70 one-time filingno expiry, but an annual report is due every year by 1 May2026-09-03
Annual Report (LLC)only if it applies to youFlorida Department of State, Division of CorporationsVaries — formula on the FL pageannual, due by 1 May2026-09-03
Annual Report (Corporation)only if it applies to youFlorida Department of State, Division of CorporationsVaries — formula on the FL pageannual, due by 1 May2026-09-03
Business Tax Application (Sales and Use Tax)only if it applies to youFlorida Department of RevenueNo fee — no fee to registerno fixed expiry2026-09-03
Local Business Tax ReceiptFlorida Department of State, Division of CorporationsNo feeannual — every receipt expires on 30 September2026-09-03

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 Miami Dade County?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 12 records listed for a food truck in Miami Dade County, FL, 5 apply to every business of this type and 7 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.

6 of the 12 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:

DERM Fats, Oils and Grease (FOG) Discharge Control Operating Permit: Currently operative IO-04-42 schedule (effective 2026-06-26): FOG Generator, by facility size, $168.75/yr (up to 4,000 sq ft), $337.50/yr (4,001-20,000 sq ft), $750/yr (over 20,000 sq ft, unchanged from the prior schedule). FOG Control Device Operator (hauler/servicer side) $300/yr. Re-inspection fee (second and subsequent) $75.

Certificate of Use for Alcohol Sales (liquor / beer / wine): 2026 schedule (IO-04-111): restaurant with liquor and/or beer and wine $80.73; restaurant plus lounge/bar $161.45; bar/lounge $80.73; outdoor patio $234.84.

Public Food Service Establishment License: $242–$357 per year, banded by seating, plus a $50 application fee

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

Which offices issue these permits in Miami Dade County?

Permits for a food truck in Miami Dade County, FL come from 6 separate offices: Miami-Dade RER, Division of Environmental Resources Management (DERM), Miami-Dade Regulatory and Economic Resources (RER), Zoning Permits Section, Miami-Dade County Tax Collector, Local Business Tax Section, Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations, Florida Department of Revenue, Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Division of Hotels and Restaurants. 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 Miami Dade 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 Miami Dade County: Mobile Food Dispensing Vehicle — State Preemption under Fla. Stat. §509.102 (Miami-Dade).

Certificate of Use for Alcohol Sales (liquor / beer / wine)

A restaurant, coffee shop or food truck that will sell or serve alcohol needs this county zoning-compliance Certificate of Use before it can apply for its state ABT liquor license — the County's own overview states directly that a business 'must have a Certificate of Use from Miami-Dade County or the specific municipality where the business is located' before applying for the state license. The fee depends on the type of premises: $80.73 for a restaurant serving liquor and/or beer and wine, $161.45 if the restaurant also has a lounge or bar, $80.73 for a stand-alone bar/lounge, and $234.84 for an outdoor patio. Code §33-150 bars an alcohol-sale premises within 1,500 feet of another existing alcohol-sale premises or of a church or school (a special exception is possible), and requires a certified survey showing distances to other alcohol premises within 2,000 feet and to churches/schools within 3,000 feet. Alcohol use must begin within 30 days of the CU or Certificate of Occupancy being issued, or the CU becomes null and void. The alcoholic beverage license itself is issued by the Florida DBPR's Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco, a state credential outside this county file's scope.

Mobile Food Dispensing Vehicle — State Preemption under Fla. Stat. §509.102 (Miami-Dade)

No fee applies at the county level for food-safety licensing. Florida Statutes §509.102 preempts mobile food dispensing vehicle licenses, registrations, permits and fees to the state, and bars a local government from prohibiting an MFDV from operating anywhere in its jurisdiction; the food-safety license itself is the state DBPR Mobile Food Dispensing Vehicle license. Miami-Dade County's role for a food truck is limited to zoning and location: a Certificate of Use covering a fixed or regular vending location, or a Food Truck Roundup Certificate of Use for a multi-vendor private-property event, both administered by RER; confirm any fee for those certificates with RER. The FOG discharge permit, recorded as a separate requirement, reaches a food truck's fixed commissary kitchen, not the truck itself, and is a DERM environmental permit rather than a food-safety license.

Shared with other businesses in Miami Dade County

  • DERM Fats, Oils and Grease (FOG) Discharge Control Operating Permit — Miami-Dade RER, Division of Environmental Resources Management (DERM), Currently operative IO-04-42 schedule (effective 2026-06-26): FOG Generator, by facility size, $168.75/yr (up to 4,000 sq ft), $337.50/yr (4,001-20,000 sq ft), $750/yr (over 20,000 sq ft, unchanged from the prior schedule). FOG Control Device Operator (hauler/servicer side) $300/yr. Re-inspection fee (second and subsequent) $75., annual, calendar year January 1-December 31; renewal notice at least 45 days before expiration. Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.
  • Food Service Employee Training and Manager Certification — Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Division of Hotels and Restaurants, No fee, employee training 3 years; manager certification 5 years. Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.
  • Public Food Service Establishment License — Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Division of Hotels and Restaurants, $242–$357 per year, banded by seating, plus a $50 application fee, annual, on a staggered renewal schedule. Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.

The other 1 local permit in the tables apply to every type of business in Miami Dade County, FL; what each one involves is set out on the Miami Dade County permits page. The 6 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across FL and are covered on the FL state page.

How does a food truck compare with other businesses in Miami Dade County?

The closest match is a coffee shop, which shares 4 of these permits. A food truck also needs Mobile Food Dispensing Vehicle — State Preemption under Fla. Stat. §509.102 (Miami-Dade). A coffee shop needs Restaurant/Coffee Shop Food-Safety Permit — State Preemption under Fla. Stat. §509.032 (Miami-Dade), which a food truck does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Miami Dade County, FL, compared with a food truck
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a food truckOnly a food truck needsOnly it needs
Coffee shops5411
Restaurants6412
Auto repair shops4054
Childcare centres2052
Contractors and trades3053
Fitness studios0050
Retail stores0050
Salons and barbers3053
Veterinary clinics2052

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 and coffee shops page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Miami Dade County permits page and the FL state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Implementing Order IO-04-111, RER Zoning fee schedule (Certificate of Use, sign use-permits, alcohol-use CU), ordered June 16, 2026, effective June 26, 2026Miami-Dade RER · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-27
  2. Certificate of Use for alcohol sales — overview; 'You must have a Certificate of Use from Miami-Dade County or the specific municipality where the business is located' before applying for a state liquor licenseMiami-Dade County · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-27
  3. Certificate of Use application — alcohol (form 123_01-363, rev. 4/25)Miami-Dade RER · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-27
  4. Miami-Dade County Code §33-150, 'Location of establishments' (alcohol-sale distance buffers)Municode / Miami-Dade County · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-27
  5. Florida Statutes §509.102 — state preemption of mobile food dispensing vehicle licenses, registrations, permits and feesFlorida Senate · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-27

Related

Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.