Food Truck permits and licenses in California

Forming an LLC or corporation is optional in California. A sole proprietor or general partnership does not register with the Secretary of State at all, but anyone trading under a name that is not the owner's surname, or that differs from the registered entity name, must file a Fictitious Business Name statement with the county clerk within 40 days of opening and publish it in a local newspaper within 45 days. Because a truck travels, the DBA goes in the county that is your principal place of business.

Issued by

California Secretary of State (entity formation) and the county clerk where you are based (Fictitious Business Name)

Fee

$70 to file LLC Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1) or $100 for a stock corporation, then a $20 Statement of Information ($25 for a corporation) due within 90 days and on a recurring cycle. A Fictitious Business Name (DBA) is filed with the county clerk at a county-set fee, usually in the tens of dollars, plus newspaper publication.

Renewal

Entity formation is one-time; an LLC files a Statement of Information every 2 years and a corporation every year. A Fictitious Business Name renews every 5 years.

Processing

Online entity filings post within the Secretary of State's standard window; many county clerks process a DBA the same day in person

Every mobile vendor that sells taxable food or drink from a truck or cart has to hold a seller's permit and remit sales tax, exactly as a sit-down restaurant does. Hot prepared food sold to eat now is generally taxable; cold food to go generally is not, but CDTFA's 80/80 rule presumes all sales are taxable once at least 80 percent of your sales are food and at least 80 percent of that food is taxable, unless you separately track cold to-go items. The rate follows the sale, so a truck that crosses a city or county line charges the district rate in effect wherever it parks for that sale.

Issued by

California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA)

Fee

$0 (free to register). CDTFA can ask for a security deposit in some cases.

Renewal

No expiration. Update it whenever your address, ownership, or commissary changes, and close it out if you sell or shut down.

Processing

Immediate when you register online with CDTFA

Once you pay more than $100 in wages in a calendar quarter you have 15 days to register with the EDD and get an 8-digit payroll tax account number. A corporation hits this the moment its president draws over $100 in a quarter, so it is not only a question of hiring outside staff. A solo owner-operator with no employees can wait until the first hire. Registering also brings new-hire reporting to the New Employee Registry within 20 days of a start date.

Issued by

California Employment Development Department (EDD)

Fee

No registration fee. Payroll taxes (UI, ETT, SDI, and PIT withholding) begin once you register.

Renewal

One-time registration, then ongoing quarterly and annual payroll filings, all electronic

Processing

Instant through e-Services for Business; a mailed Form DE-1 takes about 10 to 14 days

Anyone who handles food has 30 days from hire to earn a card from an ANSI-accredited provider and must keep it current the whole time they work. The statewide card is honored everywhere in California except Riverside and San Bernardino counties, which kept their own pre-existing local programs and require a county card instead; San Diego County, which used to run its own, now accepts the statewide card. A certified food protection manager, temporary food facilities, certified farmers' markets, and nonprofit volunteers are exempt from the card itself.

Issued by

ANSI-accredited training providers under Health and Safety Code Section 113948 (CDPH oversees the program; it does not issue the card itself)

Fee

Capped at $15 per person for the course, exam, and card under HSC Section 113948(b)(4). Under SB 476 the employer pays this cost and pays the employee for training time.

Renewal

Every 3 years from the date issued, regardless of a job change

Processing

Same day; the course and exam run about 2.5 hours, with a 70 percent passing score

Because most trucks prepare non-prepackaged potentially hazardous food, CalCode requires at least one owner or employee, the designated person in charge, to pass an ANSI-accredited food protection manager exam. Only one certified manager is required per facility, and the certificate has to stay on file with the unit at all times. It is the same standard a fixed restaurant kitchen meets, and it is separate from the cheaper food handler card your line workers carry.

Issued by

An ANSI-accredited certification organization (ServSafe, NRFSP, Prometric, and similar) under Health and Safety Code Sections 113947 to 113947.1, enforced by your county environmental health department

Fee

Set by the accredited exam provider, not the state. Commonly $50 to $120 for the course and proctored exam; confirm the current price with your provider.

Renewal

Every 5 years by passing an accredited exam again

Processing

Exam-based; you pass with at least 70 percent and the provider issues the certificate

This is the permit that actually lets the truck open. HSC Section 114381 says no food facility may operate without a valid permit, and that applies statewide to mobile units. CalCode sorts MFFs into categories your county uses to classify and price the permit: whole-produce vehicles, prepackaged-only units, limited food preparation, full food preparation, and, since SB 972, non-motorized Compact Mobile Food Operations. The state writes the framework but each of California's roughly 62 local health agencies issues, inspects, and prices the permit, which is why the dollar figure lives on your city page. The permit is tied to one operator and one vehicle and does not transfer.

Issued by

Your county or city-and-county environmental health department, under the California Retail Food Code (Health and Safety Code, Division 104, Part 7)

Fee

Set by your county environmental health department. No statewide flat fee. See your city page for local amounts.

Renewal

Annual (the cycle and process are set locally)

Processing

Set by the county, after plan approval, build-out, and a pre-opening inspection

Before you build or remodel a truck you submit complete plans to the local enforcement agency and get them approved first. It is a statewide statutory step, but the review, the inspection, and the fee are handled county by county. Approval here does not waive zoning, fire, or other agency sign-off. Skipping it can mean tearing out finished work, so settle it before money goes into the build.

Issued by

Your county environmental health department under Health and Safety Code Section 114380; an enclosed cooking vehicle is also reviewed by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD)

Fee

Set by your county environmental health department. See your city page for local amounts. An enclosed cooking vehicle also pays a separate HCD insignia inspection fee; confirm the current amount with HCD.

Renewal

One-time per build or remodel, but a menu change or a change in how the unit operates can trigger a fresh review

Processing

Set locally; allow several weeks before you build

California does not let a truck run on its own. With narrow exceptions, every MFF has to operate in conjunction with an approved commissary, store the unit there, and report back at least once during each operating day for cleaning and servicing. The commissary has to be its own permitted food facility with food storage, utensil washing, and waste disposal. A home kitchen never qualifies, in any county, so line up the commissary before anything else and bring the signed agreement to the health department.

Issued by

Mandated by Health and Safety Code Sections 114295 and 114297; the commissary itself must be a food facility permitted by a local health department

Fee

No state fee. You pay the private commissary operator for the space, at rates that vary widely by location.

Renewal

Ongoing. A signed commissary agreement is required with each local MFF permit application and renewal.

Processing

Arrange it before you apply; the signed agreement is part of the permit packet

A motorized food truck registers with the DMV as a commercial vehicle. If it has an unladen weight of 6,001 lbs or more you file a Declaration of Gross Vehicle Weight (REG 4008) so the DMV can set the weight fee, and a truck at 10,001 lbs GVW or more falls under the heavier CVRA fees. A unit that also hauls property for compensation over the weight threshold needs a Motor Carrier Permit on top of registration. Separately, and regardless of weight, any fully enclosed truck where the operator cooks inside is a special purpose commercial modular under HSC Section 18012.5 and must pass an HCD inspection and display an HCD insignia before the county will issue the health permit. A towed trailer registers as a trailer, and a non-motorized pushcart is not a DMV vehicle at all.

Issued by

California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV); an enclosed cooking vehicle also needs an inspection and insignia from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) under HSC Section 18012.5

Fee

Standard registration plus a weight fee based on declared gross vehicle weight. A truck at 10,001 lbs GVW or more registers under the CVRA and adds a $122 CVRA fee, a $36 CHP fee, and a $3 cargo theft fee on top of the weight bracket. A Motor Carrier Permit is required for a two-or-more-axle truck over 10,000 lbs GVWR hauling for compensation; most lighter single-unit trucks are exempt. Confirm current MCP and HCD insignia amounts with the issuing agency.

Renewal

DMV registration annual; the safety/weight setup is updated when the vehicle changes

Processing

Varies by how you file (online, by mail, or in person)