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8 permits · verified 2026-10-08

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

In short

A food truck in Union County Nj, NJ has 2 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 6 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. New Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services charges $75 a year; $30 for a nonprofit for the annual report. 2 of the 8 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-08 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a food truck in Union County Nj

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Retail Food Permit on County Property (Including Temporary and Mobile Food at Union County Parks Events)only if it applies to youUnion County Office of Health ManagementFees will be determined based on application, as stated on the county's 2025 Temporary Mobile Retail Food Establishment Application; checks or money orders payable to County of Unionper event, or seasonal/annual for vendors attending several events in the year2026-10-08
Retail Food Establishment LicenseNew Jersey Department of Health, Public Health and Food Protection Program$80–$1,000 a year, set by the local board of health across more than a hundred jurisdictionsannual, usually the calendar year2026-09-03
Certified Food Protection Manageronly if it applies to youNew Jersey Department of Health, Public Health and Food Protection ProgramNo feeset by the certifying programme, not by New Jersey2026-09-03

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

NJ registrations that apply to every type of business

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Annual Reportonly if it applies to youNew Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services$75 a year; $30 for a nonprofitannual — due the last day of the entity's anniversary month2026-09-03
General Business License — New Jersey Business Action Center Positiononly if it applies to youNew Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise ServicesNo feeset by the municipality2026-09-03
Certificate of Incorporationonly if it applies to youNew Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services$100 one-time filingno expiry, but an annual report is due each anniversary month2026-09-03
Certificate of Formation (LLC)only if it applies to youNew Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services$100 one-time filingno expiry, but an annual report is due each anniversary month2026-09-03
Business Registration (Form NJ-REG)New Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise ServicesNo feeone-time registration — no renewal2026-09-03

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 Union County Nj?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 8 records listed for a food truck in Union County Nj, NJ, 2 apply to every business of this type and 6 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.

2 of the 8 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 3 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

Retail Food Permit on County Property (Including Temporary and Mobile Food at Union County Parks Events): Fees will be determined based on application, as stated on the county's 2025 Temporary Mobile Retail Food Establishment Application; checks or money orders payable to County of Union

Retail Food Establishment License: $80–$1,000 a year, set by the local board of health across more than a hundred jurisdictions

Which offices issue these permits in Union County Nj?

Permits for a food truck in Union County Nj, NJ come from 3 separate offices: Union County Office of Health Management, New Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services, New Jersey Department of Health, Public Health and Food Protection Program. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.

What does a food truck need in Union County Nj that other businesses do not?

Certified Food Protection Manager

No state fee — the Department of Health says it offers no food protection manager courses or programmes, and an accredited certifier charges what it charges. The state rule requires it only at Risk Type 3 establishments, which covers full-service restaurants, diners, commissaries and caterers; risk types 1 and 2 need only a knowledgeable person in charge. Many local health departments extend it to risk type 4 as a license condition, so check the town as well as the state. The manager need not be on the premises at all times but a person in charge must be. New Jersey requires no food handler card — the phrase does not appear in the retail food code — though individual municipalities do impose one.

Shared with other businesses in Union County Nj

  • Retail Food Permit on County Property (Including Temporary and Mobile Food at Union County Parks Events) — Union County Office of Health Management, Fees will be determined based on application, as stated on the county's 2025 Temporary Mobile Retail Food Establishment Application; checks or money orders payable to County of Union, per event, or seasonal/annual for vendors attending several events in the year. Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
  • Retail Food Establishment License — New Jersey Department of Health, Public Health and Food Protection Program, $80–$1,000 a year, set by the local board of health across more than a hundred jurisdictions, annual, usually the calendar year. Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.

The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across NJ and are covered on the NJ state page.

How does a food truck compare with other businesses in Union County Nj?

A food truck and a coffee shop in Union County Nj, NJ need exactly the same 3 permits beyond the ones every business needs.

Permits particular to each business type in Union County Nj, NJ, compared with a food truck
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a food truckOnly a food truck needsOnly it needs
Coffee shops3300
Restaurants3300
Auto repair shops2032
Childcare centres1031
Contractors and trades5035
Fitness studios0030
Retail stores0030
Salons and barbers1031
Veterinary clinics2032

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 Union County Nj permits page and the NJ state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. New Jersey Administrative Code title 8, chapter 24 — sanitation in retail food establishments, including the food protection manager ruleNew Jersey Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03

Related

Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.