Food Truck permits and licenses in Georgia

The statewide credentials every food truck needs to operate in Georgia, plus city-specific guides for the cities we cover.

State-level filing feesAbout $100 to form an LLC plus $60 a year to keep it registered; the sales tax, withholding, and unemployment accounts are free. The bigger county-set permits and the food manager course are confirmed locally.

This page covers only the Georgia statewide credentials for food trucks. Federal credentials that apply nationwide are on the Food Trucks overview, and each city layers its own permits on top.

Federal requirementsFood Trucks nationwide

The credentials below are the Georgia-wide requirements that apply to every food truck in the state. Each city and county layers its own permits, fees, and inspections on top. To see the requirements for a specific city, choose it from the Georgia cities list below.

Georgia credential overview

Credential	Level	Fee	Renewal
Georgia LLC Articles of Organization and Annual Registration	State	$100 one-time to file online ($110 by mail), then $60 a year to keep the entity registered online ($70 by mail), which is a $50 state fee plus a $10 service charge. Filing the annual registration late adds a $25 penalty.	Annual, filed between January 1 and April 1 each year after the year you form
Trade Name (DBA) Registration	State	Set by each county, so there is no single statewide figure; check with your county Superior Court clerk for the exact filing fee. You also pay the county legal newspaper to run the notice once a week for two consecutive weeks.	One-time. You only refile, and pay again, if you change the trade name.
Georgia Sales and Use Tax Certificate of Registration	State	$0 (free)	None as long as the business keeps operating under the same ownership and structure
Georgia Withholding Payroll Tax Number	State	$0 (free)	None; the account stays active as long as you have employees subject to Georgia withholding
Georgia Department of Labor Unemployment Insurance Tax Account	State	Free to register. Ongoing contributions apply on a $9,500 taxable wage base per employee per year; new employers pay a rate set by the Department of Labor, commonly around 2.7 percent. Confirm your assigned rate with GDOL.	None to register, but you file quarterly tax and wage reports
Certified Food Safety Manager (CFSM) Certification	State	Set by the private provider, not the state, so it is not a fixed government fee. The course and exam together usually run about $100 to $200; check current pricing with your chosen ANAB-accredited provider.	Every 5 years, per the ANAB-CFP accreditation
Mobile Food Service Establishment Permit (Base of Operations and Mobile Unit)	State	Set by each county Board of Health, so there is no statewide amount; the Department of Public Health does not fix the fee. Check with the Environmental Health office in your base county for the current figure, and expect a separate fee for the base of operations permit.	Annual
Authorization to Operate in Outside Counties (HB 1443 Reciprocity)	State	An administrative fee limited to what the outside county spends verifying your permit, which varies by county; some charge nothing if no extra verification is needed. Check with each outside county board of health.	Repeated for each new outside county, with the list of intended locations and dates updated as you expand
Base of Operations / Commissary Requirement	Operational	No separate government fee for the requirement itself, but standing up a qualifying base (a commercial kitchen lease, utility hookups, and the like) is a real cost that varies widely by market. The base itself carries its own food service permit, renewed annually.	Ongoing operational duty; the base of operations holds its own permit, renewed annually

Georgia cities

City and county rules stack on top of the statewide credentials.

Atlanta, GAFulton and DeKalb counties

Each food truck credential in Georgia, explained

Grouped by the level of government that issues it, broadest first. Every food truck in Georgia needs these regardless of city.

State level

8 credentials

Georgia LLC Articles of Organization and Annual Registration

Forming an LLC or corporation with the Corporations Division is what gives the business its legal standing in Georgia. It is optional, since you can run as a sole proprietor under your own legal name, but most operators form an entity for liability protection. Once formed, every LLC files an Annual Registration during the January-to-April window each following year, and missing it can get the company administratively dissolved.

Issued by: Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division
Fee: $100 one-time to file online ($110 by mail), then $60 a year to keep the entity registered online ($70 by mail), which is a $50 state fee plus a $10 service charge. Filing the annual registration late adds a $25 penalty.
Renewal: Annual, filed between January 1 and April 1 each year after the year you form
Processing: About 7 to 10 business days online or 15 by mail, with same-day expedited service for an extra $275

Trade Name (DBA) Registration

Under O.C.G.A. 10-1-490, any operator doing business under a name other than their own legal or exact registered entity name has to register that trade name. The Georgia twist is where it goes: not the Secretary of State, but the Clerk of the Superior Court in the county where the business mainly operates. After filing you publish the registration in the county legal newspaper for two straight weeks and keep the Publisher's Affidavit as proof.

Issued by: Clerk of the Superior Court of the county where the business is chiefly carried on (not the Georgia Secretary of State)
Fee: Set by each county, so there is no single statewide figure; check with your county Superior Court clerk for the exact filing fee. You also pay the county legal newspaper to run the notice once a week for two consecutive weeks.
Renewal: One-time. You only refile, and pay again, if you change the trade name.
Processing: Several weeks, depending on the county and the newspaper's publication schedule

Georgia Sales and Use Tax Certificate of Registration

Any business selling taxable goods registers as a dealer with the Department of Revenue through the Georgia Tax Center. Prepared, hot, or assembled food sold from a truck is fully taxable: the state rate is 4 percent, and local option taxes push the combined rate to roughly 6 to 8 percent depending on the county where the sale happens. Because the local share changes by county and updates quarterly, look up the exact combined rate for each place you sell using the DOR rate chart.

Issued by: Georgia Department of Revenue (via the Georgia Tax Center)
Fee: $0 (free)
Renewal: None as long as the business keeps operating under the same ownership and structure
Processing: Usually emailed within about 15 minutes of submitting online through the Georgia Tax Center

Georgia Withholding Payroll Tax Number

Only relevant once you hire. A Georgia employer registers for a withholding payroll tax number with the Department of Revenue, then withholds state income tax from wages (a flat 5.19 percent for 2026 under the DOR Employer's Tax Guide) and remits it on a monthly, quarterly, or annual schedule set by volume. Separately, every new or rehired worker has to be reported to the Georgia New Hire Reporting Center within 10 days under O.C.G.A. 19-11-9.2.

Issued by: Georgia Department of Revenue (via the Georgia Tax Center)
Fee: $0 (free)
Renewal: None; the account stays active as long as you have employees subject to Georgia withholding
Processing: Immediate online through the Georgia Tax Center

Georgia Department of Labor Unemployment Insurance Tax Account

Required once you have at least one worker and either a quarterly payroll of $1,500 or more or a worker in 20 different calendar weeks. You file Form DOL-1A to open the account, then submit tax and wage reports each quarter, due April 30, July 31, October 31, and January 31. In Georgia the employer carries the full cost of unemployment insurance; nothing is withheld from workers.

Issued by: Georgia Department of Labor
Fee: Free to register. Ongoing contributions apply on a $9,500 taxable wage base per employee per year; new employers pay a rate set by the Department of Labor, commonly around 2.7 percent. Confirm your assigned rate with GDOL.
Renewal: None to register, but you file quarterly tax and wage reports
Processing: Immediate when you register online through the GDOL employer portal

Certified Food Safety Manager (CFSM) Certification

Georgia leans on a trained manager rather than a universal worker card. Food Service Rule 511-6-1-.03(3)(b) requires at least one supervisory employee with authority over food preparation and service to be a Certified Food Safety Manager who has passed an ANAB-accredited exam, and one person can serve as the manager for only one establishment. The same rule still expects every food employee to show they understand safe food handling; some counties meet that through their own food handler cards, so confirm the worker-level requirement with your county Environmental Health office.

Issued by: An ANAB-accredited certification provider (such as ServSafe, Learn2Serve, or Prometric); the Georgia Department of Public Health requires the credential but does not issue it
Fee: Set by the private provider, not the state, so it is not a fixed government fee. The course and exam together usually run about $100 to $200; check current pricing with your chosen ANAB-accredited provider.
Renewal: Every 5 years, per the ANAB-CFP accreditation
Processing: Varies by provider, with exam results often available the same day online

Mobile Food Service Establishment Permit (Base of Operations and Mobile Unit)

This is the core operating permit, and Georgia structures it in two parts: the base of operations (your commissary) and each mobile unit. Under DPH Rule 511-6-1, the county Board of Health in the truck's county of origin, where the base of operations sits, issues both a base permit and a Mobile Food Service Unit permit for the truck. The county reviews the layout of the base and the unit before issuing anything, and the most recent inspection report has to stay posted in public view whenever you operate. The standards are statewide, but the permit and its price are county business.

Issued by: County Board of Health / Environmental Health office in the truck's home county, acting under authority delegated by the Georgia Department of Public Health (O.C.G.A. 26-2-373 and Rule 511-6-1)
Fee: Set by each county Board of Health, so there is no statewide amount; the Department of Public Health does not fix the fee. Check with the Environmental Health office in your base county for the current figure, and expect a separate fee for the base of operations permit.
Renewal: Annual
Processing: Submit to the local health authority at least 10 business days before your planned opening; the full timeline depends on plan review and the pre-opening inspection and varies by county

Authorization to Operate in Outside Counties (HB 1443 Reciprocity)

HB 1443 (signed May 2022, effective January 1, 2023, codified at O.C.G.A. 26-2-373) lets a unit permitted in its county of origin work in every other Georgia county without a separate permit in each one. It is not automatic, though. Before operating in an outside county you submit to that county's board of health a copy of your home county permit, your base of operations permit, a list of the other counties where you are authorized, and the specific locations, dates, and times you intend to operate. The permit and current inspection report ride along on the truck at all times.

Issued by: County Board of Health in each outside (non-home) county where the truck intends to operate
Fee: An administrative fee limited to what the outside county spends verifying your permit, which varies by county; some charge nothing if no extra verification is needed. Check with each outside county board of health.
Renewal: Repeated for each new outside county, with the list of intended locations and dates updated as you expand
Processing: Varies by county

Operational level

1 credential

Base of Operations / Commissary Requirement

Rule 511-6-1-.08(3) ties every mobile unit to a base of operations that supplies potable water for refilling tanks, a wastewater dump station, food storage, warewashing, and employee restrooms with handwashing. You have to return to the base daily, and two different permit holders cannot share the same base equipment or space. Georgia flatly bars using a private home or any living quarters as the base, so a home kitchen will not pass. The base does not have to sit in the same county where you vend, but it has to be close enough to make the required daily trip.

Issued by: Not a separate government permit; an ongoing requirement under Georgia Food Service Rule 511-6-1-.08(3), verified and enforced by the county Board of Health that issues the establishment permit
Fee: No separate government fee for the requirement itself, but standing up a qualifying base (a commercial kitchen lease, utility hookups, and the like) is a real cost that varies widely by market. The base itself carries its own food service permit, renewed annually.
Renewal: Ongoing operational duty; the base of operations holds its own permit, renewed annually
Processing: Not applicable; this is a continuous requirement

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

Georgia-specific things to watch for

1There is no statewide food truck license. The Department of Public Health writes the rules in Chapter 511-6-1, but the permit itself comes from the Board of Health in your base county, which sets its own fee, timeline, and application details. Applying to the state directly is the wrong door.

2Your DBA does not go to the Secretary of State. Under O.C.G.A. 10-1-490 a trade name is filed with the Clerk of the Superior Court in the county where you mainly operate, and you also have to run a notice in the county legal newspaper for two consecutive weeks at your own expense. Operators routinely assume the state handles this and skip the newspaper step.

3The statewide reciprocity from HB 1443 still takes paperwork. A home county permit is recognized everywhere, but before you work a new county you have to give its board of health your home permit, your base of operations permit, and a list of where, when, and on what dates you will operate, and that county can charge an administrative fee. The permit and current inspection report also have to stay posted on the truck.

4Georgia does not issue one statewide food handler card for every worker. The hard requirement is a Certified Food Safety Manager, the longer ANAB-accredited certification, for at least one supervisor per establishment, renewed every five years and not transferable to another business. Other workers still have to know safe food handling, and some counties enforce that with their own food handler cards, so check locally.

5Your home kitchen cannot be the base of operations. Rule 511-6-1 bars any private home or living quarters from serving as the commissary, and two permit holders cannot share the same base space or equipment. A separately permitted commercial kitchen is required, and you have to return to it every day, which catches operators who planned to run out of their own garage.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need a license to sell food from a truck in Georgia?

Yes. The main one is a Mobile Food Service Establishment permit from the Board of Health in the county where your base of operations sits, which covers both the commissary and the truck under state DPH Rule 511-6-1. You also need a free Georgia sales tax number from the Department of Revenue, and at least one supervisor must be a Certified Food Safety Manager. There is no single state-issued food truck license; it is county-issued under a statewide framework.

How much is a mobile food permit in Georgia?

The permit fee is set by each county Board of Health, not by the state, so it varies by location. You will also pay a separate fee for the base of operations permit. Contact the Environmental Health office in the county where your base will be located for the exact amounts. The clearly fixed state costs are smaller, like the $100 LLC filing and roughly $60 a year to keep it registered.

Does Georgia require a food handler card for food truck workers?

Georgia's firm statewide requirement under Rule 511-6-1-.03(3)(b) is a Certified Food Safety Manager, an ANAB-accredited certification, for at least one supervisor with authority over food preparation. Every other food worker still has to demonstrate knowledge of safe food handling, but the state does not issue a universal food handler card from a central agency. Some counties handle the worker-level rule with their own cards, so confirm with your county Environmental Health office.

Can a Georgia food truck operate in counties other than its home county?

Yes, under HB 1443 (signed May 2022, effective January 1, 2023, at O.C.G.A. 26-2-373). A truck permitted in its county of origin can work other Georgia counties without a separate permit in each. Before operating in an outside county, though, you apply for authorization with that county's board of health and hand over your home county permit, your base of operations permit, and your intended locations, dates, and times. The outside county may charge an administrative fee, and you keep your permit and current inspection report on the truck.

You just read through every credential your food truck needs in Georgia.

Each one has a different renewal date, a different fee, and a different agency. CredentiAlert tracks all of them and reminds you before any of them lapse, so you can spend your time running your business, not managing a renewal calendar.

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Official sources

Last verified 2026-06-28. Requirements change. Always confirm with the issuing department before applying.