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10 permits · verified 2026-09-05

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

In short

A food truck in Memphis, TN has 5 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 5 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Shelby County Health Department, Food Inspection Program charges $360 a year — a $150 local fee plus a $210 state fee for the mobile food unit permit. 3 of the 10 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-05 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a food truck in Memphis

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Mobile Food Unit PermitShelby County Health Department, Food Inspection Program$360 a year — a $150 local fee plus a $210 state feeannual2026-09-05
Mobile Food Preparation Vehicle Fire PermitMemphis Fire Prevention Bureau$50 a yearannual2026-09-05
Food Service Establishment PermitTennessee Department of Health, Environmental Health Program$30–$360 a year — $210 up to fifty seats, $360 above; $30 for a temporary establishmentannual2026-09-03
Certified Food Protection Manageronly if it applies to youTennessee Department of Health, Environmental Health ProgramNo feenot applicable — Tennessee issues no certificate2026-09-03

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

Local permits that apply to every type of business in Memphis

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Business Tax LicenseShelby County Clerk, Business Tax Division$30 combined $15 city plus $15 county remittance, per application; must register within 20 days of starting businessthe underlying state business tax return is filed annually via TNTAP2026-09-05

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

TN 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
Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youTennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable OrganizationsVaries — formula on the TN pageno expiry, but an annual report on the same per-member scale is due each year2026-09-03
For-Profit Corporation Charteronly if it applies to youTennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations$100 one-time filingno expiry, but a $20 annual report is due each year2026-09-03
Standard or Minimal Activity Business Licenseonly if it applies to youTennessee Department of Revenue$15 per jurisdiction per location — charged again by the city if it has enacted the taxannual for a standard license, renewed free when the tax return is filed2026-09-03
Annual Reportonly if it applies to youTennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable OrganizationsVaries — formula on the TN pageannual — due the first day of the fourth month after the fiscal year ends2026-09-03
Sales and Use Tax Certificate of RegistrationTennessee Department of RevenueNo feeno expiry stated2026-09-03

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 Memphis?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 10 records listed for a food truck in Memphis, TN, 5 apply to every business of this type and 5 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.

Of the 5 that always apply, 3 carry a flat fee, coming to $440.00. That is a floor, not a total. 3 of the 10 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 2 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

Food Service Establishment Permit: $30–$360 a year — $210 up to fifty seats, $360 above; $30 for a temporary establishment

The other 2 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Memphis permits page and the TN state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Memphis?

Permits for a food truck in Memphis, TN come from 6 separate offices: Shelby County Health Department, Food Inspection Program, Shelby County Clerk, Business Tax Division, Memphis Fire Prevention Bureau, Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations, Tennessee Department of Health, Environmental Health Program, Tennessee Department of Revenue. 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 Memphis that other businesses do not?

2 of the 4 permits particular to a food truck here apply to no other business type we cover in Memphis: Mobile Food Unit Permit and Mobile Food Preparation Vehicle Fire Permit.

Mobile Food Unit Permit

Confirmed directly against the county's own mobile-unit application packet, which itemizes this as "LOCAL FEE: $150.00 / STATE FEE: $210.00 / TOTAL: $360.00." The total happens to match the 51+-seat restaurant tier above by coincidence, not because the two fees are the same structure.

Mobile Food Preparation Vehicle Fire Permit

Confirmed directly against the Fire Prevention Bureau's own published fee schedule, a full clean table read verbatim from the official PDF.

Shared with other businesses in Memphis

  • Food Service Establishment Permit — Tennessee Department of Health, Environmental Health Program, $30–$360 a year — $210 up to fifty seats, $360 above; $30 for a temporary establishment, annual. Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
  • Certified Food Protection Manager — Tennessee Department of Health, Environmental Health Program, No fee, not applicable — Tennessee issues no certificate. Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.

The other 1 local permit in the tables apply to every type of business in Memphis, TN; what each one involves is set out on the Memphis permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across TN and are covered on the TN state page.

How does a food truck compare with other businesses in Memphis?

The closest match is a coffee shop, which shares 2 of these permits. A food truck also needs Mobile Food Unit Permit and Mobile Food Preparation Vehicle Fire Permit. A coffee shop needs Sign Permit and Food Establishment Permit, which a food truck does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Memphis, TN, compared with a food truck
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a food truckOnly a food truck needsOnly it needs
Coffee shops4222
Restaurants4222
Auto repair shops2042
Childcare centres2042
Contractors and trades1041
Fitness studios1041
Retail stores1041
Salons and barbers3043
Veterinary clinics2042

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. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Memphis permits page and the TN state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Shelby County Health Department — mobile food unit permit fee packetShelby County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-05
  2. City of Memphis Fire Prevention Bureau fee schedule, Memphis Code section 9-40-4Memphis Fire Prevention Bureau · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-05

Related

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