10 permits · verified 2026-09-09
What permits do you need to open a food truck in Salt Lake City?
In short
A food truck in Salt Lake City, UT has 6 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 4 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code charges $59 one-time filing for the articles of incorporation. 4 of the 10 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-09 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a food truck in Salt Lake City
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile Food Business License | City of Salt Lake City Finance Department, Business Licensing Division | Standard mobile food business: $103/year per vehicle, in addition to the base Commercial license and employee fees. Reciprocal mobile food business (a truck or trailer already licensed by another Utah city under the state's reciprocal mobile-vending framework): $103/year per vehicle, with no base license fee required. | annual (renewal cycle not stated in the published fee schedule) | 2026-09-09 |
| Mobile Food Service (Food Truck) Permit | Salt Lake County Health Department, Environmental Health Division (Food Protection Bureau) | Food Truck Permit Tier 1: $350/year; Tier 2: $500/year. A new or remodeled mobile unit separately owes a $755 plan review fee (Mobile Food Cart, Truck, Trailer). A separate Food Cart Permit (for carts and shaved-ice stands rather than trucks/trailers) is priced by risk level instead: Risk Level 1 $230, Level 2 $275, Level 3 $385. | annual | 2026-09-09 |
| Food Handler Card | Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, Regulatory Services Division | Food handler permit fee of no more than $15, uniform statewide, paid to the local health department under rule R392-103; the approved training provider may also charge its own reasonable training fee, and may collect both at once | 3 years, valid statewide (rule R392-103) | 2026-09-04 |
| Food Service Establishment Permit (local, not state) | Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, Regulatory Services Division | No fee | set locally | 2026-09-04 |
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 Salt Lake City
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Business License | City of Salt Lake City Finance Department, Business Licensing Division | Varies — formula on the Salt Lake City page | annual (renewal cycle not stated in the published fee schedule) | 2026-09-09 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
UT registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales and Use Tax License | Utah State Tax Commission | No fee | ongoing — no fixed expiration, with a filing frequency the state assigns and can revisit | 2026-09-04 |
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code | $59 one-time filing | perpetual, but a renewal is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| Certificate of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code | $59 one-time filing | perpetual, but a renewal is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| General Business License — Utah State Position (Entity Registration)only if it applies to you | Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code | No fee | set by the city or county | 2026-09-04 |
| Annual Renewalonly if it applies to you | Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code | $18 a year; a late renewal adds $10 | annual — due in the calendar month tied to the entity's own formation anniversary | 2026-09-04 |
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 Salt Lake City?
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 Salt Lake City, UT, 6 apply to every business of this type and 4 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.
4 of the 10 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:
Mobile Food Business License: Standard mobile food business: $103/year per vehicle, in addition to the base Commercial license and employee fees. Reciprocal mobile food business (a truck or trailer already licensed by another Utah city under the state's reciprocal mobile-vending framework): $103/year per vehicle, with no base license fee required.
Mobile Food Service (Food Truck) Permit: Food Truck Permit Tier 1: $350/year; Tier 2: $500/year. A new or remodeled mobile unit separately owes a $755 plan review fee (Mobile Food Cart, Truck, Trailer). A separate Food Cart Permit (for carts and shaved-ice stands rather than trucks/trailers) is priced by risk level instead: Risk Level 1 $230, Level 2 $275, Level 3 $385.
Food Handler Card: Food handler permit fee of no more than $15, uniform statewide, paid to the local health department under rule R392-103; the approved training provider may also charge its own reasonable training fee, and may collect both at once
The other 1 variable fee belongs to permits that apply to every type of business here; its formula is set out on the Salt Lake City permits page and the UT state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Salt Lake City?
Permits for a food truck in Salt Lake City, UT come from 5 separate offices: City of Salt Lake City Finance Department, Business Licensing Division, Salt Lake County Health Department, Environmental Health Division (Food Protection Bureau), Utah State Tax Commission, Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, Regulatory Services Division, Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- City of Salt Lake City Finance Department, Business Licensing DivisionIssues 2 permits on this page: General Business License, Mobile Food Business License451 South State Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84111 · (801) 535-6644www.slc.gov/Finance/business-licensing
- Salt Lake County Health Department, Environmental Health Division (Food Protection Bureau)Issues 1 permit on this page: Mobile Food Service (Food Truck) Permit788 East Woodoak Lane (5380 South), Murray, UT 84107 · (385) 468-3845www.saltlakecounty.gov/health/food-protection
- Utah State Tax CommissionIssues 1 permit on this page: Sales and Use Tax License210 North 1950 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84134 · (801) 297-2200tax.utah.gov
- Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, Regulatory Services DivisionIssues 2 permits on this page: Food Handler Card, Food Service Establishment Permit (local, not state)4315 South 2700 West, Taylorsville, UT 84129 · (385) 332-1499ag.utah.gov/regulatory-services/retail-food-regulatory-program
- Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial CodeIssues 4 permits on this page: Articles of Incorporation, Certificate of Organization (LLC), General Business License — Utah State Position (Entity Registration), Annual Renewal160 East 300 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84111 · (801) 530-4849corporations.utah.gov
What does a food truck need in Salt Lake City 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 Salt Lake City: Mobile Food Business License and Mobile Food Service (Food Truck) Permit.
Mobile Food Business License
A background check on the owner/driver and a certificate of insurance are both required. Operation is limited to specific zoning districts (M-1, M-2, D-1 through D-4, and G-MU) within the public right-of-way, capped at two hours per location unless a Transportation Division permit extends it. This is the city's license to operate the vehicle as a business; the Salt Lake County Health Department's own separate Food Truck Permit (recorded below) additionally licenses the food-safety side and is required on top of this one.
Mobile Food Service (Food Truck) Permit
Requires attending a Mobile Food Service Class, a signed Commissary Agreement (a residential kitchen is not allowed), and a Restroom Agreement, all completed before the plan review stage. This is the food-safety half of Salt Lake City's food-truck requirements; the city's own separate Mobile Food Business license (recorded above, from the Finance Department) additionally licenses the vehicle as a business and is required on top of this county permit.
Food Service Establishment Permit (local, not state)
No state fee, because a food establishment engaged primarily in service for immediate consumption is placed by the state agriculture department's own published guidance under the jurisdiction of the local health department where it operates, not under the state's own retail food registration. Utah has thirteen local health department jurisdictions, each setting its own fee under a shared statewide minimum sanitation standard. Confirm the figure with the specific local health department rather than assuming a statewide number, because none exists.
Shared with other businesses in Salt Lake City
- Food Handler Card — Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, Regulatory Services Division, Food handler permit fee of no more than $15, uniform statewide, paid to the local health department under rule R392-103; the approved training provider may also charge its own reasonable training fee, and may collect both at once, 3 years, valid statewide (rule R392-103). Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.
The other 1 local permit in the tables apply to every type of business in Salt Lake City, UT; what each one involves is set out on the Salt Lake City permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across UT and are covered on the UT state page.
How does a food truck compare with other businesses in Salt Lake City?
The closest match is a coffee shop, which shares 2 of these permits. A food truck also needs Mobile Food Business License and Mobile Food Service (Food Truck) Permit. A coffee shop needs Place of Assembly Permit (Fire), Food Establishment Permit, Business License Add-On — Restaurants/Cafeterias and Sign Permit, which a food truck does not.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a food truck | Only a food truck needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee shops | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Restaurants | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Auto repair shops | 5 | 0 | 4 | 5 |
| Childcare centres | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| Contractors and trades | 5 | 0 | 4 | 5 |
| Fitness studios | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| Retail stores | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| Salons and barbers | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| Veterinary clinics | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
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 restaurants page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Salt Lake City permits page and the UT state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Salt Lake City Consolidated Fee Schedule, Amended 06/16/2026 by Ordinance 2026-29 (business license columns 'Effective Sept '26') — business licensing, building/electrical/plumbing/sign permit, zoning and fire fee tablesCity of Salt Lake City · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
- Mobile Food Business — license requirements, per-vehicle fee statement, zoning restrictions and health department cross-referenceCity of Salt Lake City, Finance Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-09
- Salt Lake City Food Truck Guide — combined city, county and state requirements for mobile food vendorsCity of Salt Lake City, Department of Economic Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-09
- Salt Lake County Health Department Fee Schedule, published September 1, 2026Salt Lake County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-30
- Mobile Food Service — Food Protection, application sequence, commissary requirement and inspection checklistSalt Lake County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
- Utah Department of Agriculture and Food — retail food regulatory program, splitting jurisdiction between the state and local health departmentsUtah Department of Agriculture and Food · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
Related
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.