10 permits · verified 2026-09-14
What permits do you need to open a food truck in South Burlington?
In short
A food truck in South Burlington, VT has 3 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 7 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Vermont Secretary of State, Corporations Division charges $155 one-time filing for the articles of organization (llc). 2 of the 10 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-14 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a food truck in South Burlington
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peddler License (the food truck license; fee disputed between two City sources) | City of South Burlington City Manager's Office | The City's two sources disagree and both are recorded. The Planning and Zoning fee schedule adopted July 10, 2023 prices a peddlers permit at $70.00 plus $10.00 per additional person per month, and a travelling peddlers permit at $700.00 per calendar year. Code §24-81, which has not been struck, still prices a peddler using a cart or stand at $5.00 per month or $50.00 per year, a peddler using a vehicle at $25.00 for three months or $75.00 per year, a peddler's helper or employee at $5.00 for three months per person, and a peddler operating from a structure at $5.00 per month or $50.00 per year. A registered 501(c)(3) is exempt from the fee under §24-13. | under Code §24-26(a) each license is effective for one month and may be renewed for two further one-month periods in a calendar year; a license to travel and sell from a vehicle may run up to one year under §24-28(a) | 2026-09-14 |
| Food Establishment License | Vermont Department of Health, Food and Lodging Program | $105–$1,000 a year for a restaurant, banded steeply by seating from 1–25 seats up to 600 or more | 1 year from the date of the opening inspection, not prorated | 2026-09-04 |
| Certified Food Protection Manageronly if it applies to you | Vermont Department of Health, Food and Lodging Program | No fee | not applicable — a CFPM credential is one of three optional paths, not a flat requirement | 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 South Burlington
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Business License — City of South Burlington positiononly if it applies to you | City of South Burlington City Manager's Office | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-14 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
VT registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | Vermont Secretary of State, Corporations Division | $155 one-time filing | perpetual, but an annual report is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | Vermont Secretary of State, Corporations Division | $155 one-time filing | perpetual, but an annual report is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| LLC Annual Reportonly if it applies to you | Vermont Secretary of State, Corporations Division | $45 a year | annual — due within 3 months after the entity's own fiscal year end, roughly March 31 for a calendar-year filer | 2026-09-04 |
| Sales Tax Permit | Vermont Department of Taxes | No fee | no expiration — no renewal required | 2026-09-04 |
| Corporation Annual Reportonly if it applies to you | Vermont Secretary of State, Corporations Division | $60 a year | annual — due within two and a half months after the entity's own fiscal year end, roughly March 15 for a calendar-year filer | 2026-09-04 |
| General Business License — Vermont Secretary of State Fee Scheduleonly if it applies to you | Vermont Secretary of State, Corporations Division | No fee | not applicable | 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 South Burlington?
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 South Burlington, VT, 3 apply to every business of this type and 7 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.
2 of the 10 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 4 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:
Peddler License (the food truck license; fee disputed between two City sources): The City's two sources disagree and both are recorded. The Planning and Zoning fee schedule adopted July 10, 2023 prices a peddlers permit at $70.00 plus $10.00 per additional person per month, and a travelling peddlers permit at $700.00 per calendar year. Code §24-81, which has not been struck, still prices a peddler using a cart or stand at $5.00 per month or $50.00 per year, a peddler using a vehicle at $25.00 for three months or $75.00 per year, a peddler's helper or employee at $5.00 for three months per person, and a peddler operating from a structure at $5.00 per month or $50.00 per year. A registered 501(c)(3) is exempt from the fee under §24-13.
Food Establishment License: $105–$1,000 a year for a restaurant, banded steeply by seating from 1–25 seats up to 600 or more
Which offices issue these permits in South Burlington?
Permits for a food truck in South Burlington, VT come from 4 separate offices: City of South Burlington City Manager's Office, Vermont Secretary of State, Corporations Division, Vermont Department of Health, Food and Lodging Program, Vermont Department of Taxes. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- City of South Burlington City Manager's OfficeIssues 2 permits on this page: Peddler License (the food truck license; fee disputed between two City sources), General Business License — City of South Burlington position180 Market Street, South Burlington, VT 05403 · (802) 846-4107www.southburlingtonvt.gov/221
- Vermont Secretary of State, Corporations DivisionIssues 5 permits on this page, including Articles of Organization (LLC), Articles of Incorporation, LLC Annual Report128 State Street, Montpelier, VT 05633 · (802) 828-2386sos.vermont.gov/business-services
- Vermont Department of Health, Food and Lodging ProgramIssues 2 permits on this page: Food Establishment License, Certified Food Protection Manager280 State Drive, Waterbury, VT 05671 · (802) 863-7221www.healthvermont.gov/environment/food-lodging-program/retail-food-service-establishments
- Vermont Department of TaxesIssues 1 permit on this page: Sales Tax Permit133 State Street, Montpelier, VT 05633tax.vermont.gov/business/sales-and-use-tax
What does a food truck need in South Burlington that other businesses do not?
1 of the 3 permits particular to a food truck here applies to no other business type we cover in South Burlington: Peddler License (the food truck license; fee disputed between two City sources).
Peddler License (the food truck license; fee disputed between two City sources)
The City's two published sources state different fees. Code §24-27 gives the Council power to set peddler fees by resolution, which would normally mean the July 2023 schedule displaces the Code's own table — but no repealing resolution is published and §24-81 has not been struck from the codified text, so a reader consulting the Code and a reader consulting the fee schedule reach very different numbers, $50.00 a year against $700.00. An operator should confirm with the City Manager's Office before budgeting. Two constraints are clear whichever fee applies. Section 24-52(c) closes the city's main commercial corridors to peddling outright: 'No peddling is permitted on the traveled portion of the following roads: Williston Road, Dorset Street, Kennedy Drive, and Shelburne Road.' And a seasonal mobile food unit faces a separate zoning track under LDR 14.11(I), which subjects it to site plan review, requires 'a valid Commercial Caterer License from the Vermont Department of Health,' caps outdoor seating at sixteen, bars operation between 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., and limits the zoning permit to a maximum of seven months from April 1 to October 31.
Shared with other businesses in South Burlington
- Food Establishment License — Vermont Department of Health, Food and Lodging Program, $105–$1,000 a year for a restaurant, banded steeply by seating from 1–25 seats up to 600 or more, 1 year from the date of the opening inspection, not prorated. Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
- Certified Food Protection Manager — Vermont Department of Health, Food and Lodging Program, No fee, not applicable — a CFPM credential is one of three optional paths, not a flat requirement. 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 South Burlington, VT; what each one involves is set out on the South Burlington permits page. The 6 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across VT and are covered on the VT state page.
How does a food truck compare with other businesses in South Burlington?
The closest match is a coffee shop, which shares 2 of these permits. A food truck also needs Peddler License (the food truck license; fee disputed between two City sources). A coffee shop needs Food Service Establishment License — Vermont Department of Health (South Burlington) 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 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Restaurants | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Auto repair shops | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Childcare centres | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Contractors and trades | 4 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Fitness studios | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Retail stores | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Salons and barbers | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Veterinary clinics | 3 | 0 | 3 | 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 coffee shops page and restaurants page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the South Burlington permits page and the VT state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Planning and Zoning Fee Schedule, adopted July 10, 2023 — zoning permits by square foot and project cost, sign permits, certificates of occupancy and compliance, conditional use, variance, site plan, subdivision, peddler permits and the $13.00 digitization feeCity of South Burlington Department of Planning and Zoning · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-14
- 24 V.S.A. ch. 61, § 2291 (Enumeration of powers) — the statute limiting Vermont municipalities to licensing itinerant vendors and peddlers under subsection (9) and circuses, shows and paid entertainments under subsection (11)Vermont General Assembly · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-14
- Code of Ordinances, City of South Burlington, codified through the Ordinance of November 3, 2025 (Supp. No. 3) — Chapter 4 (Amusements and shows), Chapter 16 (Fire prevention and protection, including §16-30(d)(2) plan approval for changes to places of assembly), Chapter 23 (Rental registry) and Chapter 24 (Sales, including the §24-22 peddler requirement, §24-26 monthly term, §24-27 Council fee power, §24-52(c) prohibited roads and the §24-81 fee table)City of South Burlington · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-14
Related
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.