How to get a food truck licensed in Florida

Step one is confirming which Florida agency licenses your menu

Start by matching your menu to the right agency. Cooked or assembled food goes to the Division of Hotels and Restaurants. Packaged, shelf-stable items go to agriculture.

Get this wrong and you file with an agency that cannot issue your license. A coffee cart and a taco truck look alike from the curb. They sit in different departments.

If you plan to add cooked items later, license for the menu you will actually run. Moving agencies midway means a new application.

FDACS permits mobile vendors selling foods that are not temperature controlled for safety, including ice confections, coffee, tea, soft drinks, pastry, popcorn and candies. — Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, retrieved 2026-09-27

Step two is the business, the EIN and the sales tax number

The license application asks for the business's federal EIN and its Florida sales tax number. Neither exists until the business does.

So form the entity first, if you are forming one. Then get the EIN from the IRS, which is free. Then register with the Department of Revenue for sales tax.

These three steps usually take days, not weeks. The setup sequence has the detail for each, including the state filing fees.

The Florida food service license application must require the federal employer identification number and the sales tax identification number of the applicant. — Florida Administrative Code, Rule 61C-1.002, retrieved 2026-09-27

The IRS issues an EIN online and states that you never have to pay a fee for one. — Internal Revenue Service, retrieved 2026-09-27

Step three is a commissary, unless the truck is self-sufficient

Most Florida trucks must operate from an approved commissary. The truck reports there at least daily while operating.

The commissary supplies potable water and takes liquid and solid waste. You tell the division which commissary you use on form DBPR HR-7022. That form goes in with your application or plan review.

A self-sufficient truck is exempt from the daily return. Setting up a commissary covers what to look for in the agreement.

at least dailyFlorida mobile food dispensing vehicles must operate from an approved commissary and report to it at least daily when in operation. — Florida Administrative Code, Rule 61C-4.0161, retrieved 2026-09-27

Step four is plan review for a new or remodeled truck

A newly built or remodeled truck needs its plans approved before the opening inspection. Adding, removing or moving equipment counts as remodeling.

The plans show the menu, the layout, the finishes and the equipment. You can file plan review alone on DBPR HR-7006. Or you can file it together with the license on DBPR HR-7031.

Buying a truck that was already approved, with no changes, usually skips review. Confirm that with the division before you buy.

Plans for new, remodeled or reopened establishments must be approved by the division before an opening inspection is scheduled; mobile units file on DBPR HR-7006 or HR-7031. — Florida Administrative Code, Rule 61C-1.002, retrieved 2026-09-27

Step five is the Florida license application and fee

File the mobile license application through your division online account. Pay the license fee and the new-application fee together.

For a mobile food dispensing vehicle, that is $347 for the license and $50 for the application. If you apply six months or less before your district's renewal date, the license fee is halved.

The fee breakdown explains each line of the $347.

$347 + $50The annual Florida license fee for a mobile food dispensing vehicle is $347, and a new application adds a $50 application fee. — Florida Administrative Code, Rule 61C-1.008, retrieved 2026-09-27

Step six is the opening inspection before the license issues

The division inspects the truck before issuing the license. Nothing is licensed until the truck passes.

The inspector checks the truck against the approved plans and the food rules. Have your commissary paperwork, your certified manager's details and your water and waste systems ready.

After opening, expect at least one routine inspection a year. Keep the latest inspection report on the truck, because customers may ask for it.

A new establishment must pass an opening inspection by the division before its license is issued. — Florida Administrative Code, Rule 61C-1.002, retrieved 2026-09-27

Step seven is the decal, and step eight is the fire official

Once licensed, the division sends a decal. It must be fixed to the truck where it can be seen.

The fire side is separate. Extinguishers and propane equipment must meet the Florida Fire Prevention Code as the local fire authority approves it. Book that inspection with the fire official where you will operate.

Do not treat the food license as fire clearance. Fire safety and propane covers what the fire official looks at, and food safety certification covers the staff deadlines that start once you open.

Fire extinguishing equipment and liquefied petroleum gas appliances on a mobile food vehicle must meet the Florida Fire Prevention Code as approved by the local fire authority. — Florida Administrative Code, Rule 61C-4.0161, retrieved 2026-09-27

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