Food Truck permits in Los Angeles, California

The city and county permits, taxes, and inspections a food truck needs in Los Angeles (Los Angeles County), on top of the statewide California and federal credentials covered on their own pages.

Local feesAbout $1,500 to $2,500 in first-year county fees for a high-risk truck (a $741 plan check plus a $761 health permit), with the City business tax usually $0 under the small-business exemptionCountyLos Angeles County

This page covers only the Los Angeles city and county permits for food trucks. The statewide California credentials and the federal credentials every food truck needs are on their own pages.

All California requirementsFood Trucks in California Federal requirementsEvery food truck nationwide

What you need to run a food truck in Los Angeles

Credential	Level	Fee	Renewal
LA County Mobile Food Facility (MFF) Public Health Permit	County	Scales by vehicle type and risk category (effective March 6, 2024). Motorized trucks and trailers (MFF): Low Risk $325 (such as a prepackaged ice cream or produce truck), Moderate Risk $598 (such as a soft-serve, smoothie, or precooked-meat sandwich truck), High Risk $761 (such as a taco, BBQ, or raw-meat truck). Non-motorized carts (CMFO): $126 Low, $299 Moderate, $592 High. Mobile Support Unit $313. Dependent Food Operator $309.	Annual
LA County Mobile Food Facility Plan Check (New Construction or Remodel)	County	Truck or trailer (MFF) plan submittal: $544 for Low or Moderate Risk, $741 for High Risk (raw meat, poultry, or seafood handled on board). Mobile Support Unit $441. Cart (CMFO) plan submittal: $439 prepackaged, $633 unpackaged. A pre-approved Standard Plan final evaluation runs $246 prepackaged or $285 unpackaged.	One-time per new build or remodel
LA County Annual Certification Inspection, Letter Grade, and Decal	County	No charge beyond the annual health permit fee above. Confirm any standalone inspection or decal charge with the county Mobile Food Program.	Annual
LA County Commissary Agreement and Permit Linkage	County	No fee for the contract itself. The commissary must independently hold its own LA County Public Health Permit and pays its own facility fee.	Annual; resubmit a commissary contract dated within the last 30 days
City of Los Angeles Business Tax Registration Certificate (BTRC)	City	Not a flat fee. Food truck sales usually fall under the Retail Sales classification, taxed at $1.27 per $1,000 of gross receipts. A Small Business Exemption zeroes the tax if worldwide gross receipts are $100,000 or less for the prior year and the renewal is filed on time. A brand-new business is also exempt in its first year if it registers by the end of the second calendar month after starting, and a second-year exemption can apply if first-year taxable receipts were under $500,000.	Annual; renewal is due by March 2 each year to keep the Small Business Exemption
LAFD Operational Permit for a Mobile Food Preparation Vehicle (Propane and Cooking)	City	Set by the LAFD. The City fire permit fee table does not list a clear mobile food line item, so confirm the current amount with the LAFD Fire Prevention Bureau.	Confirm the renewal cycle with the LAFD Fire Prevention Bureau.
LAMC Section 80.73 Catering Truck Operating Rules	City	No permit fee. The rules are enforced by citation: $100 for a first infraction, $200 for a second, and $250 for each later violation within one year.	Not applicable; an ongoing operating rule, not a permit

A typical food truck in Los Angeles, California needs 17 separate credentials to operate legally, and that is for one location. Federal, statewide, and local Los Angeles requirements all stack on the same food truck, each with its own renewal date, fee, and issuing agency.

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Each food truck credential in Los Angeles, explained

Grouped by the level of government that issues it, county then city. Every credential here is specific to operating a food truck in Los Angeles, California.

County level

4 credentials

LA County Mobile Food Facility (MFF) Public Health Permit

This is the state Mobile Food Facility permit as Los Angeles County prices and issues it. The county overhauled both the names and the fees in early 2024: carts became Compact Mobile Food Operations and trucks and trailers became Mobile Food Facilities, with the permit priced by how risky the menu is. A prepackaged or produce truck sits at the low end and a taco, BBQ, or raw-meat truck at the high end. Keep the permit posted inside the vehicle at all times.

Issued by: Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Environmental Health Division (Mobile Food Program)
Fee: Scales by vehicle type and risk category (effective March 6, 2024). Motorized trucks and trailers (MFF): Low Risk $325 (such as a prepackaged ice cream or produce truck), Moderate Risk $598 (such as a soft-serve, smoothie, or precooked-meat sandwich truck), High Risk $761 (such as a taco, BBQ, or raw-meat truck). Non-motorized carts (CMFO): $126 Low, $299 Moderate, $592 High. Mobile Support Unit $313. Dependent Food Operator $309.
Renewal: Annual
Processing: Several weeks to a few months, longer when a plan check or new construction is also in play

LA County Mobile Food Facility Plan Check (New Construction or Remodel)

Before you build or remodel a truck, the county reviews the plumbing, equipment, ventilation, and layout against the California Retail Food Code and the County Code, and the health permit will not issue until the plans pass. Since 2024 a builder or manufacturer can work from a single pre-approved Standard Plan to turn out multiple carts at the lower evaluation fee.

Issued by: Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Environmental Health Division (Plan Check Program)
Fee: Truck or trailer (MFF) plan submittal: $544 for Low or Moderate Risk, $741 for High Risk (raw meat, poultry, or seafood handled on board). Mobile Support Unit $441. Cart (CMFO) plan submittal: $439 prepackaged, $633 unpackaged. A pre-approved Standard Plan final evaluation runs $246 prepackaged or $285 unpackaged.
Renewal: One-time per new build or remodel
Processing: Several weeks to months, depending on workload and how many revisions your plans need

LA County Annual Certification Inspection, Letter Grade, and Decal

Every truck has to pass an annual certification inspection by the County Health Officer, who issues a certification sticker good for the matching fiscal year. The truck then displays its letter grade (A, B, C, or the numeric score if it falls below 70 percent) and the certification decal on the outside of the vehicle, under County Code Title 8 Section 8.04.595. You also file a Mobile Food Facility route sheet with the Mobile Food Program and update it whenever your route or schedule changes.

Issued by: Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Environmental Health Division (Mobile Food Program / Vehicle Inspection Program)
Fee: No charge beyond the annual health permit fee above. Confirm any standalone inspection or decal charge with the county Mobile Food Program.
Renewal: Annual
Processing: Scheduled after your permit application and any plan check approval; confirm the lead time with the Mobile Food Program

LA County Commissary Agreement and Permit Linkage

Los Angeles County will not issue the truck's permit until it has verified your commissary. You operate out of a county-approved commissary, mobile support unit, or other approved facility, and you submit a signed commissary contract (or shared food facility agreement) dated within the past 30 days. Storing the truck or your food at home is not allowed, apart from a narrow home storage endorsement for certain carts. Under County Code Section 8.04.785 the commissary also has to give the Health Officer a current list of every truck it services.

Issued by: Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Environmental Health Division (Mobile Food Program)
Fee: No fee for the contract itself. The commissary must independently hold its own LA County Public Health Permit and pays its own facility fee.
Renewal: Annual; resubmit a commissary contract dated within the last 30 days
Processing: Verified as part of your overall permit application

City level

3 credentials

City of Los Angeles Business Tax Registration Certificate (BTRC)

Anyone doing business inside the City of Los Angeles for seven or more days a year registers for a Business Tax Registration Certificate, even a truck that never opens a storefront in the city. Despite the name it works as a gross-receipts tax rather than a flat license, so most small trucks register, claim the exemption, and owe nothing as long as they file on time.

Issued by: City of Los Angeles Office of Finance
Fee: Not a flat fee. Food truck sales usually fall under the Retail Sales classification, taxed at $1.27 per $1,000 of gross receipts. A Small Business Exemption zeroes the tax if worldwide gross receipts are $100,000 or less for the prior year and the renewal is filed on time. A brand-new business is also exempt in its first year if it registers by the end of the second calendar month after starting, and a second-year exemption can apply if first-year taxable receipts were under $500,000.
Renewal: Annual; renewal is due by March 2 each year to keep the Small Business Exemption
Processing: The permanent certificate is mailed about 4 to 6 weeks after you register

LAFD Operational Permit for a Mobile Food Preparation Vehicle (Propane and Cooking)

If your truck has cooking equipment that throws smoke or grease-laden vapors, or runs on propane or CNG, the fire code calls for an operational permit. The setup behind it is enforced: a kitchen exhaust hood, an automatic fire-suppression system over the cooking line, portable extinguishers, and gas appliances secured and connected to standard. The county plan check guideline also wants that suppression system certified every six months. Confirm the current fee and renewal cadence directly with the LAFD Fire Prevention Bureau.

Issued by: Los Angeles Fire Department, Fire Prevention Bureau
Fee: Set by the LAFD. The City fire permit fee table does not list a clear mobile food line item, so confirm the current amount with the LAFD Fire Prevention Bureau.
Renewal: Confirm the renewal cycle with the LAFD Fire Prevention Bureau.
Processing: Confirm with the LAFD Fire Prevention Bureau.

LAMC Section 80.73 Catering Truck Operating Rules

Where and how long a truck can sit on a public street is set by the municipal code, not by your health permit. A catering truck cannot vend within 100 feet of an intersection, within 200 feet of certain named parks or freeway ramps, or within 500 feet of a school. In a residential area it gets 30 minutes in one spot and then cannot return within two blocks for four hours; in a commercial area total time at one location or within a half-mile is capped at one hour before the truck must move at least half a mile away for another hour. The code also wants a backup alarm audible at 100 feet, a marked litter can, service only from the sidewalk side, and trash picked up within 50 feet before you leave.

Issued by: City of Los Angeles (Los Angeles Municipal Code, enforced by LADOT and LAPD)
Fee: No permit fee. The rules are enforced by citation: $100 for a first infraction, $200 for a second, and $250 for each later violation within one year.
Renewal: Not applicable; an ongoing operating rule, not a permit
Processing: Not applicable

See how other food trucks in Los Angeles are managing every permit, license, and renewal in one place with CredentiAlert.

Los Angeles-specific things to watch for

1The letter grade is a separate step from paying for the permit. Every truck passes an annual certification inspection by the County Health Officer and must physically display its A, B, or C grade (or the numeric score if under 70 percent) and a certification decal on the outside of the vehicle, tied to the Mobile Food Program rather than to the permit fee alone.

2Where you park on a public street is tightly scripted by LAMC 80.73, not by your health permit. A truck gets 30 minutes per spot in residential areas and a combined one hour at a commercial location before it has to move at least half a mile away, on top of fixed setbacks from schools, certain parks, and intersections, all enforceable by escalating fines.

3The StreetsLA Sidewalk and Park Vending Program does not cover food trucks. It is built around the SB 946 definition of a non-motorized cart, and the County itself states the program does not apply to anything with a motor. A truck's on-street operation runs through LAMC 80.73 instead, so do not buy a sidewalk vending permit expecting it to legalize a truck.

4The City business tax is a gross-receipts tax, not a flat license fee. It runs $1.27 per $1,000 of receipts under the Retail Sales class, but a truck with $100,000 or less in worldwide gross receipts owes nothing as long as it registers and files the renewal by the March 2 deadline. Miss the filing and you lose the exemption.

5Propane or grease-producing cooking can trigger a separate LAFD operational permit and a twice-yearly certified inspection of the fire-suppression system, both distinct from and on top of the LA County health permit. Budget for the suppression-system service even if the permit fee itself takes a call to the Fire Prevention Bureau to pin down.

6Your commissary has to hold its own LA County health permit, and a contract dated within the last 30 days goes in with your application. Storing the truck or food at home is prohibited except for a narrow cart endorsement. Also note that Long Beach, Pasadena, and Vernon run their own health departments, so a truck working those cities deals with a different agency than the County.

How long does it take?

Plan on about 3 to 6 months for a new build, from submitting plans to LA County plan check through the final certification inspection and your letter grade, assuming no major plan revisions. Line up the commissary agreement and register for the City business tax in parallel; the business tax certificate itself is mailed in about 4 to 6 weeks.

Frequently asked questions

How much is a food truck permit in Los Angeles?

The LA County Department of Public Health Mobile Food Facility permit runs from $325 a year for a low-risk truck to $761 a year for a high-risk one such as a taco or BBQ truck, under the fee schedule effective March 2024. A new or remodeled truck also pays a one-time plan check fee of $544 to $741.

Do food trucks need a health permit in LA County?

Yes. A truck operating in most of Los Angeles County, outside Long Beach, Pasadena, and Vernon, which run their own health departments, must hold a current LA County Public Health Permit, pass an annual certification inspection, and display a letter grade and certification decal on the vehicle.

Where can food trucks park legally in Los Angeles?

Under LAMC Section 80.73 a catering truck cannot vend within 100 feet of an intersection, 200 feet of certain named parks, or 500 feet of a school, and is limited to 30 minutes per spot in residential areas or a combined one hour at a commercial location before moving at least half a mile away for another hour. Private-property vending generally needs the owner's permission and compliance with any posted restrictions.

Does a food truck need a City of LA business license?

Yes, in the form of a Business Tax Registration Certificate from the Office of Finance. It works as a gross-receipts tax under the Retail Sales class ($1.27 per $1,000) rather than a flat fee, with a full Small Business Exemption if worldwide gross receipts are $100,000 or less and the renewal is filed by the City deadline.

Official sources

Last verified 2026-06-13. Requirements change. Always confirm with the issuing department before applying.