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

Temporary and Multiple-Location Temporary Food Permit

Section 114.015-B requires a temporary permit for food service at a single event or celebration, valid for that event only and not more than 14 days. The fee depends on the risk level the Health Department assigns: $72 low, $108 medium, $162 high. The application and payment must arrive at least 7 days before the event or a $50 late fee applies, and the fee is doubled if the application is received 3 days or less before the event. An operator working several events can instead buy a multiple-location temporary permit, valid April 1 through October 31, at $350 (low risk) or $550 (medium risk); Appendix A states it "does not include High Risk", and it carries the same $50 late fee. Figures are per Appendix A of the Will County Food Establishment Sanitation Ordinance (County Code ch. 114), adopted June 16, 1988 and "Amended and Effective October 1, 2024", as linked from the Health Department's Ordinances page; the Department's Guide for Temporary Permits shows the same amounts. Non-profit, benevolent, charitable or community organisations pay 50% of temporary permit fees, and temporary permit fees are non-refundable.

Food Establishment Plan Review

Under §114.075-A, plans and specifications must be submitted to the Health Department for review and approval whenever a food establishment is constructed or remodeled or an existing structure is converted to food use, before the work begins, and "No building permit for any such construction or remodeling shall be issued until and unless the Health Authority has given approval in writing." The plan review fees for food service establishments are $228 for a minor plan review, $312 for 0 to 40 seats, $474 for 41 to 100 seats, $684 for 101 seats and over and $684 for commissaries and caterers; a priority review answered within 7 days costs twice the applicable fee. Figures are per Appendix A of the Will County Food Establishment Sanitation Ordinance (County Code ch. 114), adopted June 16, 1988 and "Amended and Effective October 1, 2024", as linked from the Health Department's Ordinances page. Plan review fees are non-refundable. Retail food store and mobile unit plan review fees are listed in their own records.

Mobile Unit Permit (Food Trucks and Push Carts) and Plan Review

The Health Department's Mobile Unit/Food Trucks page states that all mobile food service operators must apply for an operating permit from the Will County Health Department. Appendix A sets $250 for push carts for frozen novelties, $325 for a mobile unit without preparation and $450 for a mobile unit with preparation, per calendar year. Plan review costs $264 for a unit without preparation and $420 for a unit with preparation; the plan review row for "Push Carts for Frozen Novelties/Hot or Cold Holding Mobile food trucks" reads "N/A". Figures are per Appendix A of the Will County Food Establishment Sanitation Ordinance (County Code ch. 114), adopted June 16, 1988 and "Amended and Effective October 1, 2024", as linked from the Health Department's Ordinances page, and the current application form (EH-Form-013) prints the same amounts. The page also requires a daily return to a licensed, inspected commissary kitchen for cleaning and re-supply, a signed commissary agreement and the vehicle registration with the application, and operational supervision by a Certified Food Protection Manager.

Certified Food Protection Manager

No state fee, because the state does not run the certification — an accredited body does, and its course and exam fees are what you actually pay. Illinois food establishments must be under the supervision of a certified manager, which is a higher bar than food handler training: it needs an accredited course and a passed exam, and it lasts five years rather than three. Chicago runs its own parallel certification, so an operator inside the city must check city rules and not only state ones. The older name, food service sanitation manager certificate, still appears on some guidance.

Shared with other businesses in Will County

• Retail Food Establishment Permit — Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Food, Drugs and Dairies, No state fee — the permit and its price are set by the local health department, set by the local health department. Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.
• Food Handler Training — Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Food, Drugs and Dairies, No fee, 3 years. Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.