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

Retail Food Facility License — Seasonal Mobile Stand

A seasonal mobile food stand — a 'stick stand' operating for up to 180 consecutive days rather than year-round — pays a flat $260 fee under BCDH's current ADM-71 fee schedule, a single tier rather than the per-vehicle annual fee that applies to a full Mobile Food Facility listed separately here. This applies to a food-truck-industry seasonal stand operating anywhere within Bucks County's 54 municipalities, all of which BCDH licenses directly under one countywide fee schedule.

Retail Food Facility License (Yearly)

Any restaurant, coffee shop, or retail store preparing or serving food in Bucks County, and any food-truck operator running a fixed food-prep facility, needs this annual license from the Bucks County Department of Health (BCDH), the statutory licensor for all 54 Bucks municipalities under 3 Pa.C.S. §5702. Per the current ADM-71 Environmental Services Fee Schedule (January 2026 through December 2026), the fee is tiered by facility type and size, from $115 for a non-profit or school cafeteria/kitchen up to $1,200 for a for-profit facility over 10,000 square feet, with a $20 duplicate-license fee. A childcare facility that prepares or cooks food on-site meets 3 Pa.C.S. §5702's broad 'retail food establishment' definition and is not covered by §5703(b)'s exhaustive exemption list, so it needs this license at whichever tier fits its size and service style; a childcare facility serving only prepackaged, non-potentially-hazardous snacks is exempt under §5703(b)(2)(i) and needs no license under this program.

Shared with other businesses in Bucks County

• Farmers'/Flea Market Stand License — Bucks County Department of Health, $50–$235 seasonal stand $175; year-round farmers market stand $235; satellite stand (same product, same day as a licensed primary stand) $50, seasonal or year-round, depending on the license type selected. Also required for retail stores; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
• Temporary Food Facility License — Bucks County Department of Health, $65–$180 1 to 14 days — non-profit $65, for-profit $180; a $50 late fee applies if filed fewer than 3 business days before the event, 1 to 14 days, per event. Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.
• Certified Food Safety Manager (CFSM) Certificate — Bucks County Department of Health, $80 per 5-year certificate; $20 for a duplicate, 5 years. Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.
• Weights & Measures Commercial Device License/Permit — Bucks County Office of Consumer Protection, Weights & Measures, Bucks County Ordinance No. 165 §4 states that 'Annual license/permit fees shall be specified by resolution and adjusted from time to time as necessary by the County, in consultation with the Department.' The ordinance itself sets no dollar figure; a separate Board of Commissioners resolution does, and that resolution's amount is not published on the Weights & Measures program's web pages, its current Device Inventory Form, or its consumer-education materials., annual, per device. Also required for retail stores, auto repair shops, restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the auto repair shops page.
• Retail Food Facility License — Mobile Food Unit — Bucks County Department of Health, $50–$345 annual operating license $345 per vehicle or stand; one-time plan review $225 for a new unit, $50 for an existing unit or change of ownership, annual for the operating license; the plan-review fee is one-time, before first operating a new mobile unit or upon a change of ownership. Also required for coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
• Food Facility Plan Review — Bucks County Department of Health, $50–$1,200 general for-profit facility $335; new-construction mobile food vehicle $225; change of ownership, partial remodel, existing mobile unit, or non-profit facility $50; facility over 10,000 sq ft $1,200, one-time, before opening a new facility or upon a qualifying remodel or ownership change. Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.
• Retail Food Facility License — Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Food Safety and Laboratory Services, $82–$241 new license, renewal or change of ownership, risk-based — 24, 18, 12 or 6 months, renewed annually. Also required for restaurants, coffee shops and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
• Food Employee Certification — Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Food Safety and Laboratory Services, No fee, set by the accredited certifying programme, not by the Commonwealth. Also required for restaurants, coffee shops and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.