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

Mobile Food Establishment License

A food truck, trailer or cart operating on a route in Wayne County needs an annual Mobile Food Establishment License from Environmental Health: $354 a year for a unit with no food preparation, or $424 for a unit that prepares food, under the 2024 EH Fee Schedule. Before licensing, the unit must have a Commissary Verification Form on file for the commissary that services it and a Mobile Route Sheet showing where it operates; Environmental Health checks the unit against that route sheet during inspection. A new mobile unit also pays a separate, one-time plan review fee of $590 if it prepares food or $400 if it serves only prepackaged food. This license is distinct from the Special Transitory Food Unit and Temporary Food Establishment licenses recorded separately, which cover a unit operating at a single semi-fixed location or at a one-off event rather than on a mobile route.

Special Transitory Food Unit (STFU) License

A Special Transitory Food Unit (STFU) — a food unit that operates at a single semi-fixed location, distinct from a full mobile-route operation — must be licensed through Wayne County Environmental Health, with a Notice of Intent filed at least four business days before the unit begins serving. The 2024 EH Fee Schedule prices the standard license, which already bundles in a $39 state fee and a $5 education fee, at $155; a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization pays $116, and a veteran who provides documentation pays $5. A separate STFU Operational Inspection is $90 and an STFU Plan Review is $253. This license category is distinct from the Mobile Food Establishment License, which covers a unit operating on a route rather than at one semi-fixed location, and from the Temporary Food Establishment permit, which covers a one-off event.

Temporary Food Establishment (TFE) License

A restaurant, coffee shop or food truck vending food at a one-off event — a festival, fair or similar temporary gathering — needs a Temporary Food Establishment (TFE) permit from Wayne County Environmental Health, with the application submitted at least 10 days before the event start date. The 2024 EH Fee Schedule prices the standard permit, bundling in a $4 state fee and a $5 education fee, at $249; a 501(c)(3) school, athletic or religious organization pays $126 with no state fee, and a veteran who provides documentation pays $246, also with no state fee. Filing less than 10 days before the event adds a $72 late fee, and vending at an event with no application filed at all adds a $96 fee. This permit is separate from the Special Transitory Food Unit license, which covers a semi-fixed single location rather than a one-off event, and from the Mobile Food Establishment License, which covers a unit operating on an ongoing route.

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 Wayne County

• Food Service Establishment Plan Review — Wayne County Department of Health, Human & Veterans Services (HHVS), Environmental Health Section, New construction: 0-30 seats $700, 31-50 seats $849, 51-100 seats $917, over 100 seats or commissary $1,015. Preconstruction review: 0-30 seats $257, over 30 seats $514. Revised plans (extensive resubmission) $1,000. Field review/report $289. Equipment added (up to three pieces) $564. Water heater added $296 — all one-time, per project (2024 EH Fee Schedule)., one-time, per project. Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.
• 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.