How to Start a Food Truck in Florida

Florida is refreshingly simple here. A food truck is a Mobile Food Dispensing Vehicle (MFDV), licensed by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Division of Hotels and Restaurants. One state license, not a permit per city. Budget $347 for the full-year license plus a $50 application fee. The two things that actually trip people up are the commissary requirement and plan review.

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

The short version

Who licenses you
Florida DBPR, Division of Hotels and Restaurants
What it is called
Mobile Food Dispensing Vehicle (MFDV)
License fee
$347 (Full year. Half year is $178.50)
Application fee
$50 (New or change of ownership, on top of the license fee)
Main form
HR 7036 (Application for Mobile Food Service License)
Commissary form
HR 7022 (Commissary Notification)
Plan review
Free (Required in some cases, see step 2)

The steps, in order

  1. Create a DBPR online account

    DBPR lists four steps to a food service license: create an online account, determine whether plan review is required, apply and pay, then schedule and pass the licensing inspection. The account is where the rest of it happens.

  2. Work out whether you need plan review (it is free, so this is about time)

    Cost: $0

    Plan review is NOT required if you are buying an already-licensed vehicle and making no modifications to it. That is the fastest route into this business by a wide margin, and it is worth knowing before you commission a custom build.

    Plan review IS required if you are building or using an unlicensed vehicle, using one that has been closed more than 18 months, or using a remodeled vehicle.

    If you do need it, DBPR wants vehicle plans with labeled equipment, a sample menu, a side photograph showing the wheels and the service window, and your water and sewer or commissary details. DBPR provides plan reviews at no charge.

  3. Line up a commissary before you apply

    This is the requirement people discover too late. An MFDV must operate from either a commercial water and sewer location or a commissary. You cannot fill water tanks and empty wastewater at home.

    DBPR states that any FDACS-permitted or Hotels and Restaurants-licensed fixed food service establishment can serve as your commissary. In practice that means a restaurant, a commercial kitchen or in some cases a truck stop with the right facilities.

    You document it on Form HR 7022, the Commissary Notification, which goes in with your application.

    Get the commissary agreement in writing before you apply, and ask what they charge monthly. A verbal arrangement that falls through after you have paid your license fee is a bad week.

  4. Register the business, get your EIN and your sales tax certificate

    Separate from the food license. Check your name is free on Sunbiz, file your LLC with the Florida Division of Corporations if that is the structure you want, get a free EIN from the IRS, and register with the Florida Department of Revenue for sales and use tax, because prepared food is taxable.

    Florida has no personal income tax, which is one of the genuine advantages of running a small business here.

  5. Apply and pay: $347 plus the $50 application fee

    Cost: $347 + $50, or $178.50 + $50

    You can apply online or mail Form HR 7036 with the HR 7022 commissary form and the fees.

    On the amount: the full-year license fee is $347 and the half-year fee is $178.50. Which one you pay depends on timing. You pay the full fee if you apply during the renewal period or more than six months before the next renewal period, and the half-year fee if you apply six months or less before it. The $50 application fee is on top, for a new license or a change of ownership.

    If the arithmetic is unclear for your timing, DBPR's Customer Contact Center will tell you the correct amount: 850.487.1395.

  6. Pass the licensing inspection

    A new licensee must pass a sanitation and safety inspection before opening. You schedule it by calling the division on 850.487.1395.

  7. Sort out where you can park, and use the free advisors

    A state license is not permission to park anywhere. Vending locations, hours and distance rules are set by cities, counties, private property owners and event organizers.

    The Florida SBDC Network offers no-cost business consulting. For a food truck, where the equipment decisions are expensive and hard to undo, an hour with someone who has seen other trucks work and fail is worth taking.

    Call the city or county where you intend to operate about vending locations and zoning. DBPR's pages do not address local parking rules at all, so do not assume the state license settles it.

What it costs

ItemAmount
MFDV license, full yearHalf year is $178.50, depending on when you apply$347
Application feeNew license or change of ownership$50
Plan reviewFree, but required for a new or remodeled vehicle$0
CommissaryNegotiated with the host establishment. Get it in writing.Varies
Florida LLC filingConfirm the current amount when you fileSee Sunbiz fee schedule
Federal EINFree from the IRS. Never pay a third party for this.$0
Sales tax registrationFlorida Department of RevenueCheck current fee
The truck and the build-outThe dominant cost

Roughly $400 in state fees gets you licensed in Florida. Compare that with buying an already-licensed truck to skip plan review entirely, which is often the cheaper and much faster path in.

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 Florida plan$79 $49

Common questions

How much does a food truck license cost in Florida?

The MFDV license is $347 for a full year, or $178.50 for a half year depending on when in the renewal cycle you apply, plus a $50 application fee for a new license or change of ownership. Plan review is free.

Do I need a separate permit for each city in Florida?

The food license itself is a single state license from DBPR, not a per-city permit. Where you may park and vend is still governed locally, so call the city or county you plan to work in.

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

You need either a commercial water and sewer location or a commissary. DBPR says any FDACS-permitted or Hotels and Restaurants-licensed fixed food establishment can serve as one. You document it on Form HR 7022.

Do I need plan review for a Florida food truck?

Not if you are buying an already-licensed vehicle and not modifying it. You do need it if you are building or using an unlicensed vehicle, using one closed more than 18 months, or using a remodeled vehicle. It is free either way.

What forms do I need for a Florida food truck license?

Form HR 7036, the Application for Mobile Food Service License, and Form HR 7022, the Commissary Notification. Plan review, when required, has its own submission.

How long does it take to get licensed?

DBPR does not publish a timeline, and the honest answer is that it depends on whether you need plan review and how quickly you can get your inspection scheduled. Buying an already-licensed truck removes the slowest step.

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.

  • DBPR does not publish a processing timeline. Ask the Customer Contact Center on 850.487.1395 what they are currently quoting.
  • Which license fee applies to you depends on when in the renewal cycle you apply. Confirm the exact amount with DBPR before you send money.
  • Parking, vending zones and hours are local. DBPR's pages do not address them. Call the city or county.
  • Fire safety for propane and cooking suppression is typically enforced locally. Ask the local fire marshal 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.