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

Mobile Food Unit (Food Cart and Food Truck) License

Food carts, food trucks and other mobile food units operating in Multnomah County are licensed by county Environmental Health Services under Multnomah County Code Chapter 21. The county's Food Cart License page describes a plan review before a new unit operates, an inspection, and a license that is 'good for one calendar year', and states that most food carts need a commissary unless they have a 3-compartment sink. The fee figures are the 2026 figures in the FY 2026 County Fee Schedule (Resolution 2025-043) and the EHS 2026 Base Fee Schedule (EHS-0001); the 2026 schedule is in effect through 31 December 2026. Resolution 2026-039, adopted 4 June 2026, sets $810 for Class I-III units, $980 for Class IV units and $845 for plan review from 1 January 2027. Coffee carts and drive-through beverage stands are mobile units under the same schedule. City zoning, fire and right-of-way permits apply in addition where the cart is sited.

Food Cart Pod License (Site Owner or Lessee)

The county's Food Cart Pod License page states that 'All food cart pods must be licensed and pass regular health inspections' and that this 'applies to anyone (owner or lessee) who allows 2 or more food carts to park continuously on a property in order to sell food or drinks.' The same page states that an individual food cart operator does not apply for this license, and that pod operators are responsible for safe drinking water, wastewater disposal and a spill control plan for the carts on the site. The fee figures are the 2026 figures in the FY 2026 County Fee Schedule (Resolution 2025-043) and the EHS 2026 Base Fee Schedule (EHS-0001); the 2026 schedule is in effect through 31 December 2026. Resolution 2026-039, adopted 4 June 2026, sets $575 for 2-9 carts, $770 for 10 or more carts and $820 for plan review from 1 January 2027.

Commissary and Warehouse License (Servicing Mobile Food Units)

The county's Food Cart License page states that if a cart must operate from a licensed commissary (commercial kitchen), the operator must apply for a commissary operator's license and pay the commissary license fee, and that food and equipment not stored in the cart or commissary 'must be stored in a licensed warehouse'. A cart owned by a restaurant, or one only dropping off and picking up dishes, still sends the county a commissary verification form, according to the same page. The fee figures are the 2026 figures in the FY 2026 County Fee Schedule (Resolution 2025-043) and the EHS 2026 Base Fee Schedule (EHS-0001); the 2026 schedule is in effect through 31 December 2026. Resolution 2026-039, adopted 4 June 2026, sets $770 for a commissary servicing mobile units and $670 for a warehouse from 1 January 2027.

Food Service Facility License

The structure is statewide and the price is not. Every county uses the same four seating brackets — up to fifteen seats, sixteen to fifty, fifty-one to a hundred and fifty, and above that — but the statute obliges the health authority to delegate licensing to the local public health authority, and that authority adopts its own fees. The spread is material: for 2026 Multnomah County charges $970, $1,150, $1,290 and $1,545 across the four bands, while Clackamas charges $876, $970, $1,065 and $1,256, so the top band differs by nearly a quarter. Limited service is $890 in Multnomah and $602 in Clackamas. Multnomah also charges $1,265 for plan review of new construction, $760 to $920 for a mobile unit, $720 for a commissary and $210 for a temporary event. Two signs confirm there is no statewide number: the state's own license directory lists no fee and tells you to contact your county, and the statewide application form leaves the amount blank for the county to fill in. Ask your county, and expect the figure to rise in January — Multnomah has already published higher 2027 bands.

Shared with other businesses in Multnomah County

• Temporary Restaurant (Food Event) License — Multnomah County Health Department, Environmental Health Services, 2026 fee: single event license (1-30 days) $210; intermittent license (30 days) $210; seasonal license (90 days) $210. Late fee $100 when payment arrives less than 2 business days (by noon) before the event. Operational plan review for a seasonal or intermittent license $140. Benevolent organization administrative fee $50 per year., single event up to 30 days; intermittent 30 days; seasonal 90 days. Also required for restaurants, coffee shops and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
• Liquor License County Recommendation to OLCC (Unincorporated Multnomah County) — Multnomah County Sheriff's Office, Law Enforcement Support Unit, County processing fee: original application $100; change in ownership, location or privilege $75; renewal $35. Checks payable to Multnomah County Sheriff., per application; processing may take 8-12 weeks according to the Sheriff's 2024 OLCC application instructions. Also required for restaurants, coffee shops and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.
• Food Handler Card — Oregon Health Authority, Foodborne Illness Prevention Program, $10 for three years; $5 to replace a lost card, 3 years. Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.