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13 permits · verified 2026-10-02

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

In short

A food truck in Gwinnett County, GA has 6 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 7 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Gwinnett County Fire Marshal's Office charges $100 per Fire Certificate of Occupancy for a tenant building, per the Dept. of Planning & Development's Fee Schedule, Fire section for the gwinnett county fire certificate of occupancy (countywide). 6 of the 13 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-02 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a food truck in Gwinnett County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Fire / Life-Safety Permitsonly if it applies to youGwinnett County Fire Marshal's OfficeBurn Permit $500.00; Site Plan Review $100.00; Commercial Kitchen Hood/Duct $100.00 per hood; Shell Fire Permit and Interior Finish Fire Permit scaled by square footage and sprinkler status — for example, a sprinklered Business/Mercantile/Day Care/Educational Occupancy up to 10,000 square feet costs $200.00. Other specialty fire permits on the same schedule range from $64.00 up to $1,280.00 for a high-rise building, all from the Dept. of Planning & Development's Fee Schedule, 'Fire Fees' section, effective July 1, 2024.Per permit, tied to construction, remodeling, or a specific activity such as an open burn.2026-10-02
Food Service Establishment Health PermitGwinnett County Health Department, Environmental Health Section (Gwinnett, Newton & Rockdale Public Health District)Annual permit fee by inspection Risk Type and seating, per the GNR Environmental Health Fee Schedule, Rev. 082625, adopted August 25, 2025: Risk Type 1, under 30 seats $260.00 / 30 or more seats $360.00; Risk Type 2, under 30 seats $500.00 / 30 or more seats $700.00; Risk Type 3, under 30 seats $750.00 / 30 or more seats $1,050.00. New or change-of-ownership plan review: under 30 seats $350.00 / 30 or more seats $550.00. Temporary Food Service Permit: 1-4 days $150.00, 5-14 days $375.00. Pop-up Facilitator Plan Review $150.00; Pop-up Authorization for Vendor $150.00. HACCP Plan Review $200.00. Food Service Manager Course $150.00. A mobile food unit whose base of operation is permitted in Gwinnett, Newton, or Rockdale County is billed under this same schedule; the current fee schedule's full category list has no separate 'Mobile Food Unit' line, and the Mobile Unit Food Service Permit Application states that all plan review and permitting fees under this standard schedule apply to it.Annual permit; New/Change-of-Ownership Plan Review and HACCP Plan Review are one-time charges.2026-10-02
Food Service PermitGeorgia Department of Public Health, Environmental Health Section$240–$1,050 a year, set by the county board of health — no state fee, floor or ceilingthe permit is valid until suspended or revoked, but counties bill an annual fee2026-09-03
Certified Food Safety Manageronly if it applies to youGeorgia Department of Public Health, Environmental Health SectionNo feeset by the certifying organisation, not by Georgia2026-09-03

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 Gwinnett County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Business/Occupation Tax CertificateGwinnett County Licensing & Revenue Office, Dept. of Planning & DevelopmentVaries — formula on the Gwinnett County pageAnnual; renewal due February 15. A $25.00 late fee applies after the deadline, with an additional 10% penalty after March 31 plus 1.5% monthly interest.2026-10-02
Gwinnett County Fire Certificate of Occupancy (Countywide)Gwinnett County Fire Marshal's Office$100 per Fire Certificate of Occupancy for a tenant building, per the Dept. of Planning & Development's Fee Schedule, Fire sectionPer occupancy, required before a commercial business opens or changes tenancy.2026-10-02
Rezoning / Special Use Permit / Zoning Varianceonly if it applies to youGwinnett County Dept. of Planning & Development, Building & Development DivisionsVaries — formula on the Gwinnett County pagePer application.2026-10-02
Certificate of Occupancy / Tenant Name Change PermitGwinnett County Dept. of Planning & Development, Building & Development DivisionsVaries — formula on the Gwinnett County pagePer occupancy; a Tenant Name Change Permit is required in place of a new Certificate of Occupancy when there is no construction.2026-10-02

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

GA 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
Sales and Use Tax Certificate of RegistrationGeorgia Department of Revenue, Taxpayer Services DivisionNo feeno renewal — valid until cancelled, suspended or revoked2026-09-03
General Business License — Georgia state position (local occupation tax certificate)only if it applies to youGeorgia Secretary of State, Corporations DivisionNo feeset by the issuing city or county, usually annual2026-09-03
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youGeorgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division$110 one-time — $100 filing fee plus a $10 service chargeno expiry, but an annual registration is due each year2026-09-03
Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youGeorgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division$110 one-time — $100 filing fee plus a $10 service chargeno expiry, but an annual registration is due each year2026-09-03
Annual Registrationonly if it applies to youGeorgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division$60 a year — $50 plus a $10 service charge; $40 for a nonprofitannual — filed between 1 January and 1 April2026-09-03

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 Gwinnett County?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 13 records listed for a food truck in Gwinnett County, GA, 6 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.

Of the 6 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $100.00. That is a floor, not a total. 6 of the 13 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:

Fire / Life-Safety Permits: Burn Permit $500.00; Site Plan Review $100.00; Commercial Kitchen Hood/Duct $100.00 per hood; Shell Fire Permit and Interior Finish Fire Permit scaled by square footage and sprinkler status — for example, a sprinklered Business/Mercantile/Day Care/Educational Occupancy up to 10,000 square feet costs $200.00. Other specialty fire permits on the same schedule range from $64.00 up to $1,280.00 for a high-rise building, all from the Dept. of Planning & Development's Fee Schedule, 'Fire Fees' section, effective July 1, 2024.

Food Service Establishment Health Permit: Annual permit fee by inspection Risk Type and seating, per the GNR Environmental Health Fee Schedule, Rev. 082625, adopted August 25, 2025: Risk Type 1, under 30 seats $260.00 / 30 or more seats $360.00; Risk Type 2, under 30 seats $500.00 / 30 or more seats $700.00; Risk Type 3, under 30 seats $750.00 / 30 or more seats $1,050.00. New or change-of-ownership plan review: under 30 seats $350.00 / 30 or more seats $550.00. Temporary Food Service Permit: 1-4 days $150.00, 5-14 days $375.00. Pop-up Facilitator Plan Review $150.00; Pop-up Authorization for Vendor $150.00. HACCP Plan Review $200.00. Food Service Manager Course $150.00. A mobile food unit whose base of operation is permitted in Gwinnett, Newton, or Rockdale County is billed under this same schedule; the current fee schedule's full category list has no separate 'Mobile Food Unit' line, and the Mobile Unit Food Service Permit Application states that all plan review and permitting fees under this standard schedule apply to it.

Food Service Permit: $240–$1,050 a year, set by the county board of health — no state fee, floor or ceiling

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

Which offices issue these permits in Gwinnett County?

Permits for a food truck in Gwinnett County, GA come from 7 separate offices: Gwinnett County Licensing & Revenue Office, Dept. of Planning & Development, Gwinnett County Fire Marshal's Office, Gwinnett County Dept. of Planning & Development, Building & Development Divisions, Gwinnett County Health Department, Environmental Health Section (Gwinnett, Newton & Rockdale Public Health District), Georgia Department of Revenue, Taxpayer Services Division, Georgia Department of Public Health, Environmental Health Section, Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division. 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 Gwinnett County that other businesses do not?

Fire / Life-Safety Permits

Beyond the Fire Certificate of Occupancy listed separately here, the Gwinnett County Fire Marshal's Office charges a range of other fire and life-safety fees under the Dept. of Planning & Development's Fee Schedule: a $500.00 Burn Permit, a $100.00 Site Plan Review, $100.00 per Commercial Kitchen Hood/Duct (relevant to any restaurant, coffee shop, or food-truck commissary with a cooking hood), and Shell and Interior Finish Fire Permits scaled by square footage and sprinkler status, with a sprinklered Business/Mercantile/Day Care/Educational Occupancy up to 10,000 square feet costing $200.00. The broader specialty-permit range on the same schedule runs from $64.00 up to $1,280.00 for a high-rise building. These fees apply to the Fire Marshal's construction-plan-review and specific-activity permitting function, separate from the countywide Fire Certificate of Occupancy requirement listed elsewhere here.

Certified Food Safety Manager

No state fee: under rule 511-6-1-.03 the certificate comes from an accredited programme rather than from the state, and the department links straight out to the accreditation directory. At least one employee with supervisory and management authority must hold it, designated to a single establishment. Three exemptions sit in the rule: a mobile unit that does not process food, an establishment serving only food that needs no temperature control and limited preparation, and a temporary establishment. A sixty-day grace period runs from a new permit, a change of ownership or the loss of your certified manager, and the original certificate must be posted in public view. The food service rules (chapter 511-6-1) set no food handler card requirement for ordinary staff — the words do not appear in them; the model instead is that the person in charge demonstrates knowledge to the inspector.

Shared with other businesses in Gwinnett County

  • Food Service Establishment Health Permit — Gwinnett County Health Department, Environmental Health Section (Gwinnett, Newton & Rockdale Public Health District), Annual permit fee by inspection Risk Type and seating, per the GNR Environmental Health Fee Schedule, Rev. 082625, adopted August 25, 2025: Risk Type 1, under 30 seats $260.00 / 30 or more seats $360.00; Risk Type 2, under 30 seats $500.00 / 30 or more seats $700.00; Risk Type 3, under 30 seats $750.00 / 30 or more seats $1,050.00. New or change-of-ownership plan review: under 30 seats $350.00 / 30 or more seats $550.00. Temporary Food Service Permit: 1-4 days $150.00, 5-14 days $375.00. Pop-up Facilitator Plan Review $150.00; Pop-up Authorization for Vendor $150.00. HACCP Plan Review $200.00. Food Service Manager Course $150.00. A mobile food unit whose base of operation is permitted in Gwinnett, Newton, or Rockdale County is billed under this same schedule; the current fee schedule's full category list has no separate 'Mobile Food Unit' line, and the Mobile Unit Food Service Permit Application states that all plan review and permitting fees under this standard schedule apply to it., Annual permit; New/Change-of-Ownership Plan Review and HACCP Plan Review are one-time charges.. Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
  • Food Service Permit — Georgia Department of Public Health, Environmental Health Section, $240–$1,050 a year, set by the county board of health — no state fee, floor or ceiling, the permit is valid until suspended or revoked, but counties bill an annual fee. Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.

The other 4 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Gwinnett County, GA; what each one involves is set out on the Gwinnett County permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across GA and are covered on the GA state page.

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

The closest match is a coffee shop, which shares 4 of these permits. A coffee shop needs Building Permit, Alcoholic Beverage License (County Layer, Unincorporated Gwinnett) and Individual Alcohol (Pouring) Permit, which a food truck does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Gwinnett County, GA, compared with a food truck
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a food truckOnly a food truck needsOnly it needs
Coffee shops7403
Restaurants7403
Retail stores2131
Childcare centres3132
Fitness studios3132
Auto repair shops2042
Contractors and trades3043
Salons and barbers3043
Veterinary clinics1041

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. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Gwinnett County permits page and the GA state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Gwinnett County Dept. of Planning & Development, Fee Schedule (Revised 05/23/2024, effective July 1, 2024)Gwinnett County Dept. of Planning & Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
  2. Georgia Comp. R. & Regs. chapter 511-6-1 — food service, including the permit requirement and the certified food safety manager ruleGeorgia Department of Public Health · 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.