How to Get a Food Truck Permit in Ohio

Who issues food truck licenses in Ohio

Ohio does not license food trucks at the state level. The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Food Safety Program says the local health department is responsible for licensing and inspecting food service operations in its jurisdiction. ODH gives technical help on the Ohio Uniform Food Safety Code (Chapter 3717-1 of the Ohio Administrative Code), on Chapter 3717 of the Ohio Revised Code and on Chapter 3701-21 of the Administrative Code, and it trains local staff on plan review and mobile food service inspections. The Ohio Department of Agriculture says businesses that sell food mainly to consumers, such as restaurants and food trucks, generally need a retail food establishment license from the local health department.

Ohio law has two license types for a unit that moves. A mobile food service operation (ORC 3717.01 and 3717.43) is a food service operation run from a movable vehicle, portable structure or watercraft that routinely changes location. A mobile retail food establishment (ORC 3717.01 and 3717.23) is a retail food establishment run the same way. In both cases, a unit that stays at any one location for more than 40 consecutive days is no longer mobile. Ask your health district which license fits your menu.

You apply to the board of health for the health district where your business headquarters is located. If your headquarters is outside Ohio, you apply to the district where you will first operate in Ohio (ORC 3717.43). A mobile license issued by one licensor must be recognized by all other licensors in the state. Cleveland's health department adds that an operator without an annual license can buy a temporary license, but must return to the board of health at the first Ohio location to get an annual one.

• Local board of health (city or general health district): reviews your plans, inspects the unit and issues the license.
• Ohio Department of Health: supports the food safety code and trains local inspectors, and leaves licensing to the local health department.
• Ohio State Fire Marshal (Department of Commerce): publishes the Ohio Fire Code, which includes rules for mobile food units.
• Ohio Department of Taxation: issues vendor's licenses and administers sales tax.
• Your city: may require its own vending permit, fire inspection and insurance (see the city section below).

Plan review and the documents health districts ask for

Under OAC 3701-21-03, nobody may construct, equip or extensively alter a food service operation until the licensor has approved its layout and equipment specifications in writing, and the licensor must act within 30 days after it receives them. OAC 3717-1-09 says the drawings must be legible, drawn reasonably to scale and show the type of operation and foods, the plumbing fixtures and water supply, a floor plan with all fixtures and equipment, the building materials and surface finishes, and an equipment list with manufacturers and model numbers. The licensor prints the menu, the layout and any restrictions on the back of your license.

Each district has its own packet and forms, so ask for it first. Columbus Public Health says its mobile application can take up to 30 days after you turn it in, Cincinnati says it contacts applicants within 30 days, and Summit County Public Health asks you to contact it at least 10 business days before your target operating date so it can book the pre-licensing inspection. Equipment must be commercial grade. Summit County says residential equipment is not allowed, and Columbus lists NSF, UL EPH, ETL Sanitation or CSA Sanitation marks.

Health districts describe a truck or trailer as a self-contained unit with mechanical refrigeration and a plumbing system with hot water. Expect a hand sink and a three-compartment sink with hot and cold water under pressure, thermometers, and a wastewater tank at least 15 percent larger than the fresh water tank (OAC 3717-1-05.3, plus the Columbus and Summit County checklists). Columbus also requires backflow prevention (ASSE 1012 or 1024) if you hook up to a direct water line.

ORC 3717.45 lets a licensor charge a fee to review layout and equipment for food service operations other than mobile and temporary ones. Toledo-Lucas County's 2026 fee schedule prints a dash instead of an amount for mobile plan review. Ask your district before you pay a plan review fee.

• Application form from your health district (Columbus: Mobile Food Service License Application and Checklist; Summit County: New Mobile Application)
• Floor plan or overhead drawing, to scale, with all equipment labeled
• Equipment list with manufacturer and model or serial numbers
• Complete menu of food and beverage items
• Proof of ownership with an EIN (Columbus lists the IRS SS-4 letter, a bank letter and other documents)
• Person in charge food safety certificate (Columbus asks for it with the application)
• Commissary agreement, if you have a pushcart or use a licensed facility to prepare or store food
• Water supply details (Toledo-Lucas County asks whether the supply is public or private and says Ohio EPA approval may be needed)

Commissary, servicing area and base of operation rules

Ohio's rules use the term servicing area. OAC 3717-1-01 defines it as an operating base location to which a mobile unit returns regularly for things such as vehicle and equipment cleaning, discharging liquid or solid wastes, refilling water tanks and ice bins, and boarding food. Sewage and other liquid waste must be removed at an approved waste servicing area or by a sewage transport vehicle (OAC 3717-1-05.3). Columbus's commissary agreement says a licensed servicing area includes commissaries.

Whether you need a separate commissary depends on your unit and your health district. Pushcarts need one. Cleveland says pushcarts must work out of a licensed commissary and begin and end each working day there, with a commissary agreement signed by the pushcart owner and the commissary owner every year before the license is issued. Summit County and Columbus also require a commissary agreement for pushcarts. For trucks and trailers, Columbus says all food must be made on the unit unless you have a commissary agreement, and Summit County says a licensed facility is needed if you cannot wash utensils, store food or prepare food in the unit.

If the place you use is not a licensed kitchen, the Ohio Department of Agriculture may be involved. Summit County says food stored outside the unit needs an ODA cold storage or frozen food license, and food prepared outside the unit needs an ODA food processing registration. Toledo-Lucas County's planning application says a support commissary must be registered with ODA.

Home kitchens do not qualify. OAC 3717-1-06.1 says a private home, or a room used as living or sleeping quarters, may not be used for conducting food service operations. Cleveland and Summit County both say food cannot be prepared in a home and brought to the unit for sale.

• Pushcarts: a licensed commissary, a yearly commissary agreement and a start and end of each working day at the commissary (Cleveland).
• Trucks and trailers: check with your district whether the unit can do all washing, storage and preparation itself, and where you will dump waste and fill water.
• A commissary agreement is a form from the health district that both owners sign (Summit County includes one in its mobile packet; Columbus attaches a Restricted Mobile Commissary Agreement).

Propane and fire safety

The Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of State Fire Marshal, says the Ohio Fire Code sets safety rules for all mobile food units operated in the state. The official rules are in Ohio Administrative Code 1301:7-7-01 through 1301:7-7-80, and the State Fire Marshal calls the 2025 Ohio Fire Code the current version. Its mobile food unit bulletin describes the earlier section 320 (effective December 15, 2017 and amended January 5, 2019) and tells owners to check with local fire officials for additional local rules. Cincinnati Fire cites sections 105.5.32, 319.2 and 319.4.1 of the 2025 code, so ask your fire official which edition they inspect to.

A new rule affects trucks bought now. Cincinnati Fire quotes Ohio Fire Code 319.4.1: a vehicle manufactured or initially titled on or after May 1, 2026, or first modified to operate as a mobile food preparation vehicle on or after that date, may not be operated as one in Ohio unless it is protected by an automatic fire extinguishing system that is listed, labeled, installed and maintained under that section and section 904.13. Vehicles already operating may continue without a suppression system unless the cooking equipment is substantially modified on or after May 1, 2026. Columbus Fire's 2026 inspection guidelines list the same suppression requirement and say hood systems need one inspection and cleaning per calendar year.

The State Fire Marshal bulletin lists these requirements from section 320. Check them against the 2025 code with your fire official.

• One 5-pound ABC fire extinguisher in every unit, except open-air hand carts with no fossil-fuel equipment. Units with cooking equipment that uses vegetable or animal oils and fats also need a Class K extinguisher.
• At least one listed carbon monoxide detector, unless the unit has no fossil-fuel equipment and produces no carbon monoxide.
• Propane containers: no more than 200 gallons total water capacity, none on the roof, tanks secured to the rear of the vehicle at least 30 inches above the ground, and securing devices made of non-combustible material.
• A marked exterior emergency shut-off with a quarter-turn manual gas ball valve and a sign reading EMERGENCY GAS SHUT-OFF VALVE.
• While parked and operating, a unit with a generator or a fuel source other than the vehicle fuel tank must be at least 3 feet from other mobile food units and 10 feet from building entrances, exits and combustible materials.
• Generators may not be fueled while the unit is operating or while the generator is running, and not until the engine and fuel tank have cooled below the fuel's autoignition temperature. They may not be operated in the occupant space.

Inspections, renewals and keeping the license

Ohio licenses run from March 1 to the last day of February (ORC 3717.01). For a mobile unit, the renewal application must be submitted before you start operating in a new licensing period, and a licensor that charges a renewal fee must add a 25 percent penalty if you are late (ORC 3717.43). Columbus says a mobile license renewed before opening carries no late penalty, and Cincinnati says mobile licenses expire every March 1. A license first issued after December 1 runs to the end of the next licensing period.

Under OAC 3701-21-02.4, a mobile food service operation gets at least one standard inspection each licensing period, and a new food service operation gets one standard inspection within 30 days after the license is issued. Districts also inspect before they license you. At Summit County's pre-licensing inspection the unit must be fully operational and set up like your drawing, your food safety knowledge is tested and your menu is reviewed. Another Ohio district may inspect your unit when you sell in its area and send the report to the district that licensed you.

The district sorts mobile units into low risk and high risk (OAC 3701-21-02.3). Low risk covers holding or selling only prepackaged foods. Assembling or cooking foods that need time and temperature control is high risk. The low risk fee is set at 50 percent of the mobile fee (OAC 3701-21-02.1).

For a high-risk mobile unit first licensed after September 1, 2024, ODH requires at least one person on site with an Ohio person in charge (PIC) certification. An operator with several high-risk units at one event needs only one certified person for that event. The PIC course comes from an ODH-approved provider and has no proctored exam. OAC 3717-1-02.4 exempts mobile units from the manager certification required for risk level III and IV operations.

A food service license must be displayed at the licensed location at all times (ORC 3717.43), and Summit County says the original license must be on the unit because copies are never accepted. The name of the operation, the city of origin and an area code and telephone number must be on the outside of the unit, and the name and city must be lettered at least 3 inches high and 1 inch wide (OAC 3701-21-02).

The menu and layout are printed on the back of the license. Toledo says to renew the license whenever the menu, equipment or process changes, and Summit County says the menu cannot change without inspector approval. Toledo-Lucas County does not allow license transfers, so a change of ownership needs a new plan review application and a new license. OAC 3717-1-20 says existing facilities and equipment must be replaced with equipment that meets the code when an operation changes ownership, among other triggers.

A state guide prepared by ODH with the Cincinnati Health Department says a licensor may suspend a mobile license without notice when a violation is an immediate danger to public health. The district that issued the license, or the one where you operate, can suspend. Only the issuing district can revoke, and an appeal goes to the licensor that took the action.

Business registration, taxes and the vehicle

Ohio law sets the filing fee for an LLC's articles of organization at $99. To trade under a name other than your own, you can register a trade name, or report a fictitious name within 30 days of first use. Each of those filings costs $39 (ORC 111.16 and 1329.01). Columbus Public Health asks for an EIN and proof that it belongs to your entity.

Ohio law requires any person or business making taxable sales to first get a vendor's license from the Ohio Department of Taxation. A fixed-location vendor needs a license for each location. A transient vendor's license is for selling from temporary locations and is valid statewide. New applications cost $50 (up from $25 on April 9, 2025). You apply through OH|TAX eServices, where you must first create an account, or with paper Form ST 1T, which the Department says can take up to six weeks. Toledo's mobile food page says the State requires mobile food vendors to have a valid transient vendor license, while Columbus's information sheet says it is needed only if you sell taxable goods. Ask the Department which license fits your truck.

The state sales tax rate is 5.75 percent. Counties and regional transit authorities can add up to 3 percent, so the combined rate cannot exceed 8.75 percent, and the Department's Finder gives the rate for any address. Under Department release ST 2012-01, food sold for consumption on the premises is taxable and food sold to be consumed off the premises is not. A food truck that provides a seating area is treated as selling for consumption on the premises, and soft drinks are always taxable. Vendors and transient vendors file monthly by the 23rd of the following month. Those with tax liability under $1,200 per six-month period may be authorized to file semi-annually.

Ohio titles come from county Clerk of Courts title offices, not from the BMV. For a new unit from an out-of-state dealer, the title office needs the manufacturer's certificate of origin (assigned and notarized if that state requires it), a bill of sale, form BMV 3774 and sales tax on the purchase price. When you buy from an Ohio dealer, the dealer handles the title paperwork. Columbus asks trucks and trailers for the title or a bill of sale and a valid BMV commercial vehicle registration.

Cities set their own insurance minimums. Columbus requires $1,000,000 of commercial general liability coverage for trucks and trailers ($300,000 for pushcarts), Toledo requires $1,000,000 and $300,000, Akron requires $1,000,000 naming the City as additional insured, and Cleveland requires $100,000. Several cities also check city income tax compliance. Columbus asks for a letter of good standing from its Income Tax Division, Akron asks for a city income tax filing number or an exemption, and Toledo asks for a certificate of tax compliance.

City rules in Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo and Akron

The health license is recognized across Ohio, but cities add their own vending rules. Check zoning and parking rules with each city before you choose where to park and sell.

• Columbus: Columbus Public Health licenses mobile units (it asks for an ownership address in the City of Columbus or Worthington). To sell inside city limits you also need a City of Columbus mobile food vending license from the License Section at 4252 Groves Road. The steps run in order: License Section paperwork and fees, health inspection, propane pressure leak test, then the Columbus Fire inspection. The License Section asks for ID, a title or bill of sale, BMV commercial registration, insurance, a letter of good standing from the Income Tax Division, a BCI background check and, if you sell taxable goods, the state transient vendor's license. A public right-of-way permit requires a truck or trailer that is 25 feet or less. If you live outside Columbus, the health inspection comes from Franklin County Public Health or your own county health department.
• Cleveland: the Cleveland Department of Public Health licenses mobile units whose business headquarters is in the city and recognizes mobile units licensed elsewhere in Ohio. Cleveland's codified ordinances (Chapter 241) also require a mobile food shop permit from the Commissioner of Assessments and Licenses, with a $100 application fee, $100,000 of liability insurance and a copy of your food shop license. The permit expires on April 15 each year, and the ward council members are notified of your application. Location rules include staying 100 feet from a fixed food service business during its operating hours and 750 feet from a special event. On private property you need the owner's written permission, and notarized proof of your right to operate if the property is not yours.
• Cincinnati: the Cincinnati Health Department licenses mobile units and accepts a current mobile license from any Ohio board of health. Its page says applications are filed online through ezTrak (CAGIS) from late July 2026, that it contacts applicants within 30 days, and that mobile licenses expire every March 1. The Cincinnati Fire Department separately requires a mobile food preparation vehicle permit and inspection, including for units from other cities, counties or states at special events, and units without a current license and registration are ordered to shut down. The Health Department points to a separate page for where vendors may operate.
• Toledo: the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department reviews plans and licenses mobile food units. The City of Toledo then requires liability insurance ($1,000,000 for motorized trucks or trailers), an annual fire inspection after a propane pressure leak test, and a $50 registration with the Department of Finance that includes the fire inspection and needs a certificate of tax compliance. Toledo's page says vendors must apply or renew online, lists a 15-foot clean area around the truck, and says customers may not be given tables or chairs (Lucas County Health Commissioner). Selling in a city park needs permission from the Division of Parks, Recreation and Forestry.
• Akron: Summit County Public Health issues the mobile license after a pre-licensing inspection. Akron's code (Article 21B) requires a permit from the City License Division for mobile retail food establishment vendors who sell from City streets, rights-of-way or property: a $225 non-refundable application fee, $1,000,000 of liability insurance naming the City as additional insured, a copy of your mobile license and proof of city income tax filing. The permit is valid for one year. Vendors may not set up on a public sidewalk, within 200 feet of a fixed food business during its hours, within 750 feet of a park or City event, or within 1,000 feet of a school, and may operate only from 10 a.m. to midnight. A separate $1,750 permit covers the Biomedical Corridor. Ask the License Division whether a truck licensed as a mobile food service operation falls under this article.

Official fees we could confirm

Health districts base their license fees on their own costs, so amounts differ from place to place. The amounts below are as printed on each office's page or fee schedule, with revision dates where shown. They change, so confirm before you pay.

• Ohio Department of Taxation: transient vendor's license $50 (new vendor's license applications rose from $25 to $50 on April 9, 2025). A county vendor's license for a fixed location is also $50.
• Columbus Public Health, mobile food service operation license (paid before the inspection): $315 high risk, $171.50 low risk (prepackaged items only).
• City of Columbus License Section, mobile food vending (information sheet revised 8/13/26): application $20, mobile food vending license $180, BCI background check $32, public right-of-way permit $250.
• Summit County Public Health, 2026 schedule: mobile high risk $330 plus a $28 state fee, total $358; mobile low risk $165 plus $28, total $193. A late payment penalty of 25 percent of the district fee applies to a mobile operation assessed after its first day of operation in a new licensing period.
• Toledo-Lucas County Health Department, 2026 fees (effective January 1, 2026): mobile high risk $273.52, mobile low risk $150.76, prelicense reinspection $100. Mobile plan review shows no fee.
• City of Toledo: $50 annual registration with the Department of Finance, which includes the fire inspection.
• City of Cleveland: $100 application fee for the mobile food shop permit (Codified Ordinances 241.36).
• Cincinnati Fire Department: mobile food preparation vehicle permit $200, with or without fuel.
• City of Akron: $225 non-refundable application fee for the mobile retail food establishment permit, plus $1,750 for a Biomedical Corridor permit.
• Ohio Secretary of State: $99 to file LLC articles of organization and $39 for a trade name registration or fictitious name report (ORC 111.16).
• Cincinnati and Cleveland health fees: not listed here. Ask each health department for its current mobile license fee.

Before you buy a truck: checklist

Most expensive mistakes happen before the first inspection. Use this list before you pay for a truck or trailer.

• Call the health district that will license you, which is the one where your business headquarters will be. Ask for its mobile packet and plan review timeline, and whether your menu is a mobile food service operation or a mobile retail food establishment.
• Check the manufacture or first title date. A vehicle manufactured or initially titled on or after May 1, 2026 needs an automatic fire extinguishing system, and older vehicles already operating can continue without one unless the cooking equipment is substantially modified.
• Ask whether a used unit's equipment meets the code. Existing equipment must be replaced with compliant equipment when an operation changes ownership, and Toledo-Lucas County does not transfer licenses. Plan for a new plan review and license.
• Check for commercial-grade equipment (NSF, UL or similar marks), a hand sink, a three-compartment sink, hot and cold water under pressure and a wastewater tank at least 15 percent larger than the fresh water tank.
• Check the propane setup against the State Fire Marshal bulletin: no more than 200 gallons total, no tanks on the roof, rear-mounted tanks at least 30 inches above the ground and an exterior emergency shut-off. Budget for the propane pressure leak test by a licensed professional that Columbus and Toledo require.
• Plan your servicing area or commissary before you buy: where you will fill water, dump wastewater, wash equipment and store food.
• Get the title paperwork in order before you pay. A new unit needs the manufacturer's certificate of origin and a bill of sale, and the county Clerk of Courts title office can tell you what it needs for a used unit.
• Check each city where you plan to sell for its vending permit, insurance minimum, location rules and city income tax requirements.