10 permits · verified 2026-09-10
What permits do you need to open a food truck in Des Moines?
In short
A food truck in Des Moines, IA has 3 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 7 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City of Des Moines, City Clerk's Office charges $100 annual for the premise permit. 2 of the 10 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-10 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a food truck in Des Moines
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile Food Vendor License | City of Des Moines, City Clerk's Office | Annual Application Fee $570 (only $50 is retained if the application is denied); Des Moines Fire Department Inspection $100 (refundable if no inspection occurs; free on subsequent renewals of the same vehicle); Cash Bond $200 (refundable on request 120 days after the license expires); Meter Hood $1,180 each, two required if the vehicle needs two parking spaces; Meter Hood Deposit $35 (refundable on return). First-year total is $2,085 for a single-space vehicle rising to roughly $3,265 for a two-hood vehicle; subsequent-year renewals total $1,750 (single hood) with no new bond or deposit. | annual — valid March 1 through February 28 | 2026-09-10 |
| Premise Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Des Moines, City Clerk's Office | $100 annual | annual | 2026-09-10 |
| Food Establishment License | Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing | $150 a year for gross sales under $100,000, rising to $300 and then $400 as sales climb | annual | 2026-09-04 |
| Certified Food Protection Manageronly if it applies to you | Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing | No fee | not stated in Iowa's own rule text | 2026-09-04 |
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 Des Moines
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Business License — City of Des Moines positiononly if it applies to you | City of Des Moines, City Clerk's Office | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-10 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
IA registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | Iowa Secretary of State, Business Services Division | $50 one-time filing | perpetual, but a biennial report is due every two years | 2026-09-04 |
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | Iowa Secretary of State, Business Services Division | $50 one-time filing | perpetual, but a biennial report is due every two years | 2026-09-04 |
| Sales Tax Permit | Iowa Department of Revenue | No fee | no expiration — stays effective until cancelled or revoked | 2026-09-04 |
| General Business License — Iowa positiononly if it applies to you | Iowa Economic Development Authority, Business License Information Center | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-04 |
| Biennial Reportonly if it applies to you | Iowa Secretary of State, Business Services Division | Varies — formula on the IA page | an LLC files between 1 January and 1 April of every odd year; a corporation files in the same window of every even year | 2026-09-04 |
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 Des Moines?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 10 records listed for a food truck in Des Moines, IA, 3 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 3 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $150.00. That is a floor, not a total. 2 of the 10 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 4 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:
Mobile Food Vendor License: Annual Application Fee $570 (only $50 is retained if the application is denied); Des Moines Fire Department Inspection $100 (refundable if no inspection occurs; free on subsequent renewals of the same vehicle); Cash Bond $200 (refundable on request 120 days after the license expires); Meter Hood $1,180 each, two required if the vehicle needs two parking spaces; Meter Hood Deposit $35 (refundable on return). First-year total is $2,085 for a single-space vehicle rising to roughly $3,265 for a two-hood vehicle; subsequent-year renewals total $1,750 (single hood) with no new bond or deposit.
The other 1 variable fee belongs to permits that apply to every type of business here; its formula is set out on the Des Moines permits page and the IA state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Des Moines?
Permits for a food truck in Des Moines, IA come from 5 separate offices: City of Des Moines, City Clerk's Office, Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing, Iowa Secretary of State, Business Services Division, Iowa Department of Revenue, Iowa Economic Development Authority, Business License Information Center. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- City of Des Moines, City Clerk's OfficeIssues 3 permits on this page: Mobile Food Vendor License, Premise Permit, General Business License — City of Des Moines position1200 Locust Street, Des Moines, IA 50309 · (515) 283-4209www.dsm.city/departments/city_clerk/business_licenses_permits.php
- Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and LicensingIssues 2 permits on this page: Food Establishment License, Certified Food Protection Manager6200 Park Avenue, Suite 100, Des Moines, IA 50321 · (515) 281-3425dial.iowa.gov
- Iowa Secretary of State, Business Services DivisionIssues 3 permits on this page: Certificate of Organization (LLC), Articles of Incorporation, Biennial Report321 East 12th Street, Des Moines, IA 50319 · (515) 281-5204sos.iowa.gov/business
- Iowa Department of RevenueIssues 1 permit on this page: Sales Tax Permit1305 East Walnut Street, Des Moines, IA 50319 · (515) 281-3114revenue.iowa.gov/permits-licensing/business-permit-registration
- Iowa Economic Development Authority, Business License Information CenterIssues 1 permit on this page: General Business License — Iowa position1963 Bell Avenue, Suite 200, Des Moines, IA 50315 · (515) 348-6200opportunityiowa.gov/business/small-business-entrepreneurs/small-business-resources/business-license-information-center
What does a food truck need in Des Moines that other businesses do not?
2 of the 4 permits particular to a food truck here apply to no other business type we cover in Des Moines: Mobile Food Vendor License and Premise Permit.
Mobile Food Vendor License
Requires $1,000,000 automobile liability and $1,000,000 commercial general liability insurance, a copy of the state-issued Mobile Food Unit License and, if applicable, the food establishment license covering any commissary kitchen (both issued directly by Iowa DIAL, recorded at the state layer), a Certified Food Protection Manager on staff, and a copy of the applicant's driver's license. This is the city's vehicle-as-a-business license for operating at one of the four designated on-street Mobile Vendor Zones downtown; a vendor operating instead from private commercial or industrial property needs the separate Premise Permit recorded below rather than the meter-hood fees. Fire inspections run walk-in on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month, 8–11 a.m., at Fire Department Administration (2715 Dean Avenue).
Premise Permit
Only needed when a mobile food vendor or transient merchant sets up on private property rather than at one of the four downtown on-street Mobile Vendor Zones — the permit is issued to the property owner, who must be in a commercial or industrial zone (never residential), and only one licensed vendor may operate on the premises at a time. Applied for through the same City Clerk's Office that issues the Mobile Food Vendor License recorded above.
Shared with other businesses in Des Moines
- Food Establishment License — Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing, $150 a year for gross sales under $100,000, rising to $300 and then $400 as sales climb, annual. Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
- Certified Food Protection Manager — Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing, No fee, not stated in Iowa's own rule text. 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 Des Moines, IA; what each one involves is set out on the Des Moines permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across IA and are covered on the IA state page.
How does a food truck compare with other businesses in Des Moines?
The closest match is a coffee shop, which shares 2 of these permits. A food truck also needs Mobile Food Vendor License and Premise Permit. A coffee shop needs Sign Permit, 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 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Restaurants | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Auto repair shops | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Childcare centres | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| Contractors and trades | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Fitness studios | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| Retail stores | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| Salons and barbers | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| Veterinary clinics | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
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 and restaurants page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Des Moines permits page and the IA state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Mobile Food Vendor Application — fee table (Annual Application Fee, Fire Department Inspection, Cash Bond, Meter Hood and Meter Hood Deposit) and required-documentation checklistCity of Des Moines, City Clerk's Office · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-10
- Transient Merchant & Mobile Food Vendor Permit Facts and Information — fee summary for the Transient Merchant, Mobile Vendor and Premise Permit licensesCity of Des Moines, City Clerk's Office · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-10
Related
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.