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

Temporary Food License (events up to 14 days)

A temporary food license lets a group or individual serve food at a set location for up to 14 days. The county's temporary food license page states that a license is required if food is prepared (cooked, heated, cooled or assembled) at a site that is not already licensed, including licensed facilities doing additional preparation on site at an event. The fee is $287 with 7 business days' notice, $214 for a 501(c)(3) organisation and $218 for another non-profit; an application less than 7 days before the event adds $50, and one 1 business day before adds $100. The figures are from the county Department of Public Health's official Environmental Public Health fee page, effective October 1, 2026 (the Board of Commissioners action adopting these figures is not published online), and the temporary food license page, updated as of October 1, 2026, lists the same amounts. An Environmental Health specialist or technician inspects on the first day of food service, and the license must be displayed where the public can see it.

Mobile Food License and Transitory Food Unit (TFU) License

A food truck licensed by Ottawa County as a mobile food establishment pays $340 a year for the Mobile License (and $340 for a Mobile Commissary License); the county's Transitory Food Unit (TFU) License is $251, and a paid TFU inspection is $90. The figures are from the county Department of Public Health's official Environmental Public Health fee page, effective October 1, 2026 (the Board of Commissioners action adopting these figures is not published online). To apply for a TFU or mobile license, the operator submits a completed plan review with the required fee, a specialist reviews it within 30 days, and the operator then pays the license fee and schedules a pre-opening inspection; contact Ottawa County Department of Public Health Environmental Public Health at (616) 393-5645 or eph@miottawa.org for the plan review amount. The county's food trucks page states that a notice of intent to operate must be submitted at least 4 business days before serving food or attending an event, that a food truck must be inspected twice each licensing year to stay in compliance and renew its license, and that within Ottawa County inspections must be spaced at least 30 calendar days apart, with only one inspection per unit permitted during April.

Retail Food Establishment License

This is the state license that does exist, and it is not the restaurant one. A retail food establishment, a limited wholesale processor or a food warehouse pays $186; an extended retail food establishment — a shop serving unpackaged food with seating — pays $471; a mobile food establishment or its commissary pays $192; a temporary establishment $73; a transitory food unit $159 plus a first-year $197 plan review and a $90 inspection. Widely republished figures of $135 are out of date. One oddity is recorded rather than explained: every published amount runs exactly $3 above the figure in the statute, and while the law permits a convenience fee, no source confirms that is what the $3 is. Licenses do not transfer to a new owner or a new location.

Shared with other businesses in Ottawa County Mi

• Food Service Establishment License — Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, $338–$1,333 a year, set by the local health department; the state's embedded share is $30, annual — expires 30 April. Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
• Certified Food Safety Manager — Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, No fee, certificates are typically valid five years, set by the certifying provider. Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.