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

Food Establishment Plan Review Fee

A restaurant, coffee shop, mobile food unit, or childcare facility with its own kitchen that proposes to operate a food service facility in Prince William County pays this $40.00 Plan Review Fee to the Prince William Health District, a Virginia Department of Health field office serving both the county and the City of Manassas. The Health District's own page states directly that 'an application and $40 plan review fee are required for all submitted plan reviews.' This fee is charged separately from, and in addition to, the $40.00 Food Establishment Permit Fee recorded in the next requirement, so a new food establishment pays $80.00 total between the two.

BPOL Business License — Peddlers (Mobile Food Vendors)

A mobile food vendor, including a food truck, operating in unincorporated Prince William County is classified as a Peddler for BPOL purposes, paying a flat $500 a year rather than a percentage of gross receipts, as published on the county's current Tax Rates page and confirmed by the county's own Mobile Food Vendor Policy Requirements document, which lists 'Peddler Business License & Tax (Section 11.1-5 & 11.1-17)' as a requirement for one to four mobile food units. This BPOL fee is separate from, and in addition to, the Police-issued Peddler/Solicitor/Itinerant Vendor license and the Food and Beverage Tax, each recorded as a separate requirement; none of the three substitutes for either of the others. This fee does not apply inside the Towns of Dumfries, Haymarket, Occoquan or Quantico.

Peddler, Solicitor and Itinerant Vendor License

Any person engaged in peddling, soliciting, or acting as an itinerant vendor in Prince William County, including a mobile food vendor, must hold this license from the Police Department's Administrative Services Bureau, Licensing Section, confirmed as a requirement for food trucks by the county's own Mobile Food Vendor Policy Requirements document. The standard license costs a $20 application/processing fee plus a $5,000 cash or corporate surety bond under PWC Code §18-20; a person coordinating an event with five or more vendors instead needs an Event Sponsor Permit backed by a $15,000 surety bond under PWC Code §18-18. Issuance follows a police background check plus sign-offs from the Health Department, Zoning Administration, and Finance/Tax Administration. This license is separate from, and layered on top of, the $500 flat-fee Peddlers BPOL business license recorded as a separate requirement; neither substitutes for the other.

Shared with other businesses in Prince William County

• Food and Beverage (Meals) Tax — Prince William County Tax Administration Division, 3% of the total cost of food and beverages sold. The rate was 4% from July 1, 2022 through December 31, 2025, and dropped to 3% effective January 1, 2026, which remains the current rate., ongoing monthly filing obligation; returns and payment due on or before the 20th of the month following collection. Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.
• Food Establishment Permit Fee — Virginia Department of Health, Prince William Health District, $40 per Food Establishment Permit, as published on the Health District's own fee page, the Health District's fee page states the $40.00 dollar figure but does not state whether this fee recurs annually or is charged once at initial permitting. Also required for restaurants, coffee shops and childcare centres; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.
• Food Establishment Permit — Virginia Department of Health, Division of Food and Environmental Services, $40 a year; a new establishment also pays $40 for plan review, annual — no more than twelve months from issue. Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.
• Certified Food Protection Manager — Virginia Department of Health, Division of Food and Environmental Services, No fee, no state-set period — the certifying programme sets its own. Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.