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

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 9 records listed for a food truck in Spokane County, WA, 4 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 4 that always apply, 2 carry a flat fee, coming to $60.00. That is a floor, not a total. 3 of the 9 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 1 has no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

Mobile Food Service Unit Permit (annual): $340–$630 a year per unit (2026 fee schedule): $630 with an approved kitchen, $340 with a supplemental kitchen; each additional mobile unit under a common commissary $120

Temporary Food Establishment (TFE) Permit and Large-Event Organizer Fee: 2026 fee schedule, per permit by food-handling level and duration (21 days or less): Level 1 — 1 day $120, 2 to 4 days $140, 5 to 21 days $160, annual/recurring $180. Level 2 — 1 day $325, 2 to 4 days $350, 5 to 21 days $375, annual/recurring $400, repeat/additional $300. Level 3 — 1 day $400, 2 to 4 days $425, 5 to 21 days $450, recurring $520, repeat/additional $400. Event organizer fee per event: $500 for 20 to 39 food vendors; $1,250 for 40 or more food vendors.

Food Establishment Permit: $240–$1,386 a year, set by the local health jurisdiction — there is no state fee

Permits for a food truck in Spokane County, WA come from 4 separate offices: Spokane Regional Health District, Food Safety Program, Washington Secretary of State, Corporations and Charities Division, Washington State Department of Revenue, Business Licensing Service, Washington State Department of Health, Food Safety Program. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.

• Spokane Regional Health District, Food Safety ProgramIssues 2 permits on this page: Mobile Food Service Unit Permit (annual), Temporary Food Establishment (TFE) Permit and Large-Event Organizer Fee1101 W. College Ave., Spokane, WA 99201 · 509-324-1560 ext. 2 (Food Safety); 509-324-1601 (card payments)srhd.org/programs-and-services/foodsafety/fees
• Washington Secretary of State, Corporations and Charities DivisionIssues 3 permits on this page: Articles of Incorporation, Certificate of Formation (LLC), Annual ReportPO Box 40234, Olympia, WA 98504-0234 · (360) 725-0377www.sos.wa.gov/corporations-charities/business-entities
• Washington State Department of Revenue, Business Licensing ServiceIssues 2 permits on this page: Reseller Permit, Washington State Business LicensePO Box 9034, Olympia, WA 98507-9034 · (360) 705-6705dor.wa.gov/open-business/apply-business-license
• Washington State Department of Health, Food Safety ProgramIssues 2 permits on this page: Food Establishment Permit, Food Worker Card(360) 236-4700doh.wa.gov/community-and-environment/food

1 of the 4 permits particular to a food truck here applies to no other business type we cover in Spokane County: Mobile Food Service Unit Permit (annual).

The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across WA and are covered on the WA state page.

The closest match is a coffee shop, which shares 3 of these permits. A food truck also needs Mobile Food Service Unit Permit (annual). A coffee shop needs Food Establishment Permit (annual), which a food truck does not.