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

County Right-of-Way Vending Permit (Revocable Permit to Vend)

Required for vending within any County right-of-way, which the rules define as 'the entire width from property line to property line, including the berm, swale or shoulder of a roadway owned and/or under the jurisdiction of the County of Kaua`i.' The $100 non-refundable filing and processing fee is stated identically in the Department of Finance's adopted rules and on the Office of Economic Development's own current page. Applications are made online through the Office of Economic Development and must be submitted at least 90 calendar days before the proposed vending event; the rules state that later applications 'may not be accepted.' The applicant must notify adjacent property and business owners within a 50-foot radius and give them 30 days to comment, and an application opposed by more than fifty percent of those owners may be denied. The Director of Finance is the issuing authority and reviews with the County Engineer, Fire Department, Police Department and Planning Department. The Director may require a deposit of up to $1,000 and may add conditions such as security staff, portable toilets, lighting, traffic control and trash pickup, whose costs the permittee bears. The rules do not require this permit for activity 'exempt under Kaua`i County Code § 23-3.4, as amended' — the section behind the Parks Peddler's Permit recorded separately for Kaua'i County. Permits to vend or park cars for sale or rent in the public right-of-way are denied outright.

Peddler's Permit (County Parks and Parks-Controlled Areas)

Required only to peddle in County parks, playgrounds, beaches, roads, parking lots and other areas under the jurisdiction of the Department of Parks and Recreation, including unpaved roadway areas next to parks and the area between the ocean and the abutting property line. It is not a general license for food trucks or retail. Kaua'i County Code §23-3.4 sets the fee: 'Unless otherwise established in rules established by the Director of Parks and Recreation … the fee for a Peddler's Permit shall be one hundred dollars ($100.00) per year.' The permit is not transferable, covers only the named permittees at the locations or along the routes noted on it, must be kept on display while peddling, and requires the state General Excise Tax license. §23-4.1 keeps these peddlers out of the Department of Finance's business licensing, so the Department of Parks and Recreation issues the permit. Its Commercial Activity page states that 'At this time, DOPR is only accepting applications for' kayak vendors and surf school or stand-up paddle vendors holding state ORMA permits, and amusement equipment, portable toilet and tent vendors — so a food truck or mobile retailer cannot currently obtain a permit to sell in a County park. Vending in a County road right-of-way is covered by the County Right-of-Way Vending Permit recorded separately for Kaua'i County. Ask the Department's permits desk at (808) 241-4463 or recpermits@kauai.gov.

Food Handler Certification

No fee — the health department runs its own food handler classes at no charge at all, a genuine alternative to paying a private provider. At least one certified employee must be present at every permitted food establishment during operating hours, valid for three years once earned. A certified food protection manager credential satisfies this requirement as well and exempts its holder from needing the separate card.

Food Establishment Permit

The health department administers this through four island districts rather than one central office — Oahu, Maui covering Molokai and Lanai, Hawaii Island split between Hilo and Kona offices, and Kauai — each with its own application, though the fee schedule itself is set statewide by rule rather than varying district to district. A restaurant under a thousand square feet pays $300 a year in the top risk category; larger than that, $400. Catering is priced separately at $400, and a special event of up to five days is a flat $50. A food establishment serving the homeless is exempt from the fee outright. Plan review for a new establishment adds $200 or $300 depending on size, and renewing late costs a further twenty per cent of the annual fee on top.

Shared with other businesses in Kauai County

• Food Establishment Permit (issued by the State of Hawaii, not Kauai County) — Hawaii Department of Health, Kaua'i District Health Office, No fee, not applicable at the county layer. Also required for restaurants, coffee shops and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.