Food truck permit requirements vary sharply by city. The figures below show how many vendors and licenses New York City reported, how municipal fees differ from plan-check and fire charges, and how timing and location rules affect mobile food operators. Fiscal-year amounts are identified by their fiscal period, while announced future allocations and transitions are not completed outcomes.
Contents
- New York City permit capacity
- New York City fees and inspection windows
- San Francisco mobile-food fees
- Los Angeles County fee levels
- Austin permit and inspection charges
- Boston approval timing and locations
- Seattle route and fire-permit rules
New York City permit capacity
New York City reported more than 5,800 food vendors with permits to operate on March 13, 2026. That figure describes permitted vendors, not necessarily the number of trucks operating on a particular day. The same announcement counted approximately 1,300 vendors with supervisory licenses. NYC Health, “New Mobile Food Vending Waiting List Applications for U.S. Veterans and People With Disabilities”
The city also reported specialized access figures. About 120 food-vending permits had been issued for veterans and people with disabilities by that date. Approximately 100 supervisory licenses were held by U.S. veterans and people with disabilities. These categories overlap with the wider permit and license system, so they should not be added to the overall vendor count.
New York City announced a planned allocation of 2,200 supervisory licenses each year for five years beginning July 1, 2026. The city said 300 additional veterans and people with disabilities could join the supervisory-license waiting list in the announced intake. These are planned or announced figures for the 2026–2030 period, not a record of completed future issuances.
New York City recognizes five mobile-food vending permit classifications. Its application guide limits a pushcart to 5 feet in width and 10 feet in length. Those measurements matter because a cart, truck, processing unit, and non-processing unit can fall into different administrative categories. NYC Health, “Documentation Checklist for a New Mobile Food Vending Permit”
New York City fees and inspection windows
New York City’s listed fees distinguish between full-term and seasonal permits and between processing and non-processing units. A full-term permit for an on-site processing unit costs $200 for two years. A full-term permit for a non-processing unit costs $75 for two years. Seasonal permits cost $35 for a processing unit and $15 for a non-processing unit.
The city lists a $75 permit for a Green Cart selling fresh fruits and vegetables when the cart is a non-processing unit. The Mobile Food Vendor Food Protection Course costs $53. These amounts come from New York City permit documentation accessed in 2026 and are not a nationwide estimate. NYC Health, “Documentation Checklist for a New Mobile Food Vending Permit”
| New York City item | Listed amount | Duration or condition |
|---|---|---|
| Full-term processing-unit permit | $200 | Two years |
| Full-term non-processing-unit permit | $75 | Two years |
| Seasonal processing-unit permit | $35 | Seasonal |
| Seasonal non-processing-unit permit | $15 | Seasonal |
| Green Cart, non-processing unit | $75 | Fresh fruits and vegetables |
| Food Protection Course | $53 | Course fee |
The listed seasonal mobile-food permit period runs from April 1 through October 31. A mobile-food unit application must pass inspection within six months of its application date. Renewal instructions are mailed 90 days before a mobile-food permit expires. These timing rules describe administrative windows; they do not promise that an application will be approved within six months. NYC Business, “Mobile Food Vending Unit Permit (Full-Term)”
San Francisco mobile-food fees
San Francisco’s FY 2025–26 schedule separates plan-check fees by Mobile Food Facility class. Class 1 costs $376. Classes 2 and 3 each cost $627, while Classes 4 and 5 each cost $879. The schedule also lists a $427 permit-to-operate application fee with initial inspection.
The same fiscal-year schedule lists an environmental-health inspector rate of $251 per hour and an environmental-health technician rate of $229 per hour. A fire-department referral costs $153, and a zoning referral costs $192. These are separate fee categories, so a facility’s total administrative cost depends on which approvals and services apply.
| San Francisco FY 2025–26 item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Class 1 plan check | $376 |
| Class 2 or 3 plan check | $627 |
| Class 4 or 5 plan check | $879 |
| Permit-to-operate application with initial inspection | $427 |
| Environmental-health inspector, hourly | $251 |
| Environmental-health technician, hourly | $229 |
| Fire-department referral | $153 |
| Zoning referral | $192 |
San Francisco also lists a $1,284 mobile-caterer permit filing fee and a $302 additional-stop filing fee for FY 2025–26. For annual special events, the application fee is $401 for both low-potential-hazard and high-potential-hazard food operators. The annual special-events permit fee is $353 for low-potential-hazard operators and $588 for high-potential-hazard operators. San Francisco, “Fee Schedule - Application, License, and Other Fees” San Francisco, “Fee Certification - FY 2025-26”
The FY 2025–26 schedule lists a $188 food-safety manager training, classes, and exam fee. These San Francisco amounts are fiscal-year fees, not permanent prices, and the city’s categories include plan checks, referrals, inspections, special events, and mobile catering rather than one universal “food truck permit” charge.
Los Angeles County fee levels
Los Angeles County’s FY 2025–26 fee schedule prices mobile food facilities by risk level. A low-risk mobile food facility costs $325, a moderate-risk facility costs $598, and a high-risk facility costs $761. The risk categories are administrative fee classifications; the figures do not establish that one business type always belongs in one category.
Additional mobile-food amounts include a $127 food-vehicle independent-delivery fee, a $313 mobile-support-unit fee, and a $421 mobile-food-facility OII fee. A food-vehicle billable re-inspection costs $145. Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, “FY 2025-2026 Public Health and Financial Management Fee Schedule”
Commissary fees are also separated by the number of mobile food facilities served. A commissary preparing food for 1–10 mobile food facilities costs $678. The fee for preparation serving 11 or more mobile food facilities is $779. These amounts show why a mobile operator’s permit budget can include shared preparation infrastructure in addition to the vehicle or cart fee.
Austin permit and inspection charges
Austin’s fees effective October 1, 2025 list a $309 mobile food vendor restricted or unrestricted permit. The on-site inspection fee is $740, and the mobile food establishment re-inspection fee is $134. A mobile food vendor on-site re-inspection costs $230.
Fire-related charges are listed separately. Austin’s mobile food vendor fire inspection fee is $222, while the on-site fire inspection fee is $592. A subsequent mobile food vendor on-site fire inspection costs $296, based on a minimum of two hours at $148 per hour. Austin Public Health, “Environmental Health Services Retail Program Changes”
| Austin item | Amount | Measurement period or basis |
|---|---|---|
| Restricted/unrestricted mobile food vendor permit | $309 | Fees effective October 1, 2025 |
| On-site inspection | $740 | Listed fee |
| Establishment re-inspection | $134 | Listed fee |
| Vendor on-site re-inspection | $230 | Listed fee |
| Vendor fire inspection | $222 | Listed fee |
| On-site fire inspection | $592 | Listed fee |
| Subsequent on-site fire inspection | $296 | Minimum two hours at $148/hour |
Austin Public Health said state administration of mobile-vending permits would begin July 1, 2026. That is an announced transition date, not evidence that the transition had already occurred. The fee figures above are tied to the schedule effective October 1, 2025.
Boston approval timing and locations
Boston’s food-truck permit has a $500 annual application fee. The city asks applicants to allow two weeks for food-truck permit approval. Boston identifies three food-truck location types: public, private, and special sites. The city’s mobile-food-truck ordinance also sets a $500 application fee for a permit or renewal. City of Boston, “How to Get a Food Truck Permit” City of Boston, “Ordinance”
The two-week figure is an instruction to allow time, not a guaranteed processing result. The location categories are important because a permit’s fee and approval path do not by themselves identify where a truck may operate. Public, private, and special sites can involve different site permissions even when the annual application amount is the same.
Seattle route and fire-permit rules
Seattle route-vending permits are issued for one year. Seattle route vending is prohibited within 1,000 feet of a public or private K–12 school. Those figures describe the route-vending framework and a location restriction, not a count of permitted trucks. Seattle Department of Transportation, “AG 1089D: Vending from a Traveling Cart or Vehicle Along an Approved Route”
Seattle’s current fire fee table lists annual LPG or open-flame permits for mobile food trucks. The annual permit costs $408 when the truck has a regional inspection report and $490 when it has a Seattle Fire Department inspection. A single-event LPG or solid-fuel permit for a mobile food truck costs $273. Seattle Fire Department, “Search all Permits”
The Seattle figures demonstrate the difference between an annual operating-related approval and an event-specific fire permit. Across the cities in this comparison, fee schedules may cover permits, plan checks, inspections, referrals, re-inspections, training, fire approvals, or commissary services. Municipal definitions differ: New York City reports vendors and supervisory licenses, while the other schedules price specific regulatory services and mobile-food categories.