How to Start a Food Truck in California

The honest headline for California: there is no single statewide food truck permit and no single fee, so be wary of any article that gives you one number. Your Mobile Food Facility permit comes from your county environmental health agency, under the California Retail Food Code. What IS statewide is the law itself, the food handler card rule, and your seller's permit from CDTFA.

Every figure below is sourced to the agency that issues it.Updated October 9, 2026

The short version

Who permits you
Your county environmental health agency (Not a single state agency)
The governing law
California Retail Food Code (CRFC) (State law, locally enforced)
What it is called
Mobile Food Facility (MFF)
Permit fee
Set by your county (No statewide figure exists. See step 1.)
Food handler card
Within 30 days of hire (Valid 3 years, ANSI-accredited provider)
Seller's permit
Required (Free to register with CDTFA)
Permit on premises
Required (HSC s. 114381)

The steps, in order

  1. Find your county environmental health agency, because they set everything

    This is step one and there is no way around it. Retail food facilities must maintain a valid permit on the premises to operate, and permits are issued at the local county environmental health agency level. The California Retail Food Code sets the standards statewide, but your county issues the permit, inspects you and sets the fee.

    So the single most useful thing you can do today is call your county's environmental health department and ask for their mobile food facility packet. They will tell you their fee, their plan check process and their commissary rules, and those are the numbers that actually apply to you.

    Be skeptical of any guide, including a national one, that quotes you one California food truck permit fee. Fees differ substantially between counties, and a number from the wrong county is worse than no number.

    Ask your county three things: the MFF permit fee, whether plan check is required for your vehicle, and what they accept as a commissary. Get it in writing if you can.

  2. Understand what the state requires regardless of county

    The CRFC's stated purpose is to safeguard public health and to provide consumers with food that is safe, unadulterated and honestly presented, through science-based standards. Those standards are the same everywhere in California even though the permit is local.

    Health and Safety Code section 114381 requires a valid permit to be kept on the premises to operate. That means in the truck, not in a drawer at home.

  3. Get food handler cards for everyone

    A food handler hired on or after 1 June 2011 must obtain a food handler card within 30 days of hire, and must keep a valid card for the whole time they work as a food handler.

    Cards are valid for three years from the date of issuance, and they stay valid even if the person changes employers in that time.

    The card must come from an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) accredited training provider meeting ASTM International E2659-09. A card from a provider that is not ANSI-accredited does not satisfy the law, which is a cheap mistake to avoid.

  4. Register the business and get your seller's permit

    Separate from the health permit. Check your name and file with the California Secretary of State if you are forming an LLC, get a free EIN from the IRS, and register with the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration for a seller's permit, because prepared food sales are taxable.

    The seller's permit is free to register for. Do it before you start taking money, not after.

    California also charges an annual LLC franchise tax that catches new owners by surprise. Ask a California CPA or the Franchise Tax Board what applies to your structure before you pick one.

  5. Line up a commissary and a plan check

    Most counties require a commissary or equivalent commercial support facility for water, waste and storage, and most require a plan check of the vehicle before they will permit it. Both are county-level decisions, which is why this page does not state a rule that would be wrong for half of California.

    Do this before you buy a truck. A vehicle that cannot pass your county's plan check is an expensive object with no permit attached to it.

    Commissary requirements and plan check are set by your county. Confirm what yours requires BEFORE you buy or commission a vehicle, not after.

  6. Work out where you can legally vend, then use the free advisors

    Parking and vending locations are governed by city ordinance, private property owners and event organizers, on top of your county health permit. In the bigger California cities this is the hardest part of the business, not the permit.

    California's SBDC network offers no-cost business advising, funded in part by the SBA. For a thin-margin business with expensive, permanent equipment decisions, take the free hour.

What it costs

ItemAmount
Mobile Food Facility permitNo statewide figure. Call your environmental health agency.Set by your county
Plan checkOften required before permittingVaries by county
Food handler cardMust be ANSI-accredited. Valid 3 years.Low, varies by provider
CDTFA seller's permit$0 to register
Federal EINFree from the IRS. Never pay a third party for this.$0
California LLC filing and annual franchise taxThe annual tax surprises peopleConfirm with the Secretary of State and FTB
CommissaryMonthly, negotiatedVaries
The truck and the build-outThe dominant cost

We deliberately are not giving you a single California permit cost, because there is not one. The number that matters is your county's, and it is one phone call away.

This guide is the overview. A plan is the whole thing.

Everything above is free and it is the state-level picture. An Offramp plan is built around you: your city, your budget, the licenses that apply to your specific setup, the people near you to call, and the order to do it in so nothing stalls.

Build my California plan$79 $49

Common questions

How much does a food truck permit cost in California?

There is no statewide figure. Mobile Food Facility permits are issued by your county environmental health agency, which sets its own fee. Call your county for the real number and be wary of any article that quotes a single statewide amount.

Who issues food truck permits in California?

Your county environmental health agency, under the California Retail Food Code. The standards are statewide, but the permit, the inspection and the fee are local. Health and Safety Code section 114381 requires the valid permit to be kept on the premises.

Do I need a food handler card for a food truck in California?

Yes. A food handler hired on or after 1 June 2011 must get a card within 30 days of hire and keep it valid throughout employment. Cards last three years and stay valid across employers. It must come from an ANSI-accredited training provider.

Do I need a commissary for a food truck in California?

Most counties require a commissary or equivalent commercial support facility, but this is set at county level rather than statewide, so confirm with your county before you commit to a facility or buy a vehicle.

Do I need a seller's permit for a food truck in California?

Yes. Prepared food sales are taxable, so register with the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. Registration is free.

Can I operate my California food truck in more than one county?

Permits are county-issued, so operating across county lines generally means dealing with more than one environmental health agency. Ask both counties what they require before you plan routes or events outside your home county.

What to confirm yourself

We would rather tell you what we don’t know than make it up. These are the parts that are local, that change, or that the agency does not publish.

  • The permit fee, plan check requirement and commissary rules all come from your county environmental health agency. Nothing statewide will answer these, so call before you spend money on a vehicle.
  • Operating in multiple counties may require dealing with multiple agencies. Confirm with each county you intend to work in.
  • California's annual LLC franchise tax catches new business owners out. Confirm with the Franchise Tax Board or a California CPA what applies to your structure.
  • Parking, vending zones and sidewalk vending rules are city-level and have changed in recent years in several California cities. Call the city you intend to work in.
  • Fire safety for propane and cooking suppression is typically enforced locally. Ask the local fire authority what they want to see.

Sources

Related guides

Offramp is not a law firm, an accountant or a government agency, and nothing here is legal, tax or financial advice. Fees and requirements change. Confirm with the agency before you file or pay. See all guides.