Food Truck Permits in Montana
Last verified against official sources on by Amrit. How we verify
Yes. Every food truck, trailer or cart in Montana needs an annual retail food license from the state health department (DPHHS), but you apply through the environmental health office in the county where your truck is based. That office reviews your plans, inspects the truck before you open and signs off the license. The license costs $150 if you have up to two workers at peak hours or $225 for three or more, plus a plan review fee set by the county. You will usually also need a servicing area (a fixed base where you clean the truck, fill water and restock) and local fire and business approvals.[2][10][3][6]
At a glance
| Permit needed | Yes. An annual state retail food license for a mobile food establishment, one per truck, applied for through your county health office[2][12] |
|---|---|
| State license fee | $150 for a small truck (up to 2 workers at peak hours) or $225 for a large truck (3 or more). Your county collects it for DPHHS; Yellowstone and Cascade counties take it at the pre-opening inspection, by check made out to DPHHS[3][1][16][12] |
| Plan review fee | Set by your county. For example, $250 or $350 in Yellowstone County (Billings) and $180 to $450 in Cascade County (Great Falls)[14][16] |
| License lasts | Until December 31, then you renew. Renewing late costs an extra $25[5][3][8] |
| Servicing area (commissary) | Usually required. Your local health office decides at plan review, and can waive it. You can't use a home kitchen[11] |
| Training | Where the food rules require a certified food protection manager, a new licensee has 90 days from getting the license to have one[9] |
| Fire safety | Since May 1, 2024 the State Fire Marshal enforces 2021 fire code rules for food trucks, including a hood and fire suppression system over cooking that makes grease-laden vapors. Cities may also inspect[18] |
| Sales tax | None. Montana has no general sales tax[19] |
Step by step
Do these in order. Each step links to the official form or page.
Call the environmental health office in the county where your truck will be based
In Montana the state issues the license, but your county or city-county health department runs the process: plan review, the pre-opening inspection and the yearly inspections. Ask them for their mobile food plan review application before you buy or build a truck. The state license only becomes valid once the local health officer in the county where your business is located signs it.[10][15][6]
Line up a servicing area, or ask for a variance
A servicing area is a fixed base your truck returns to for cleaning, dumping wastewater, filling water tanks and restocking. It can't be another temporary or mobile unit, and if food is stored or prepared or dishes are washed there, it needs its own state license. Your county may want a signed agreement with the servicing area: Yellowstone County requires one if your truck can't hold all the cold storage and dry storage you need. If your truck is fully self-sufficient, the local health office may grant a variance so you don't need one. Trucks that travel long distances may need extra approved servicing areas.[11][14]
Submit your plans and pay the plan review fee
Send the county your plan review application. Yellowstone County, for example, wants your full menu, a floor plan showing every piece of equipment, and a plumbing layout. Don't start building or remodeling until you get an approval letter. The fee is set by each county and paid to the county, not the state. Apply at least 30 days ahead: Cascade County charges extra for rush reviews.[11][14][16][15]
Build the truck to the state food rules
Every truck needs a water tank. The minimum size depends on what you do: 10 gallons for handwashing if you only serve drinks or food or reheat processed food, 5 gallons on a pushcart, and 40 gallons if you prepare food or drinks on board. The wastewater tank must be 15% bigger than the fresh water tank. You need a handwashing sink with water at 100°F or hotter unless everything you sell is commercially prepackaged. Equipment must keep cold food at 41°F or below and hot food at 135°F or above.[9][11]
Meet the fire code and get local approvals
Montana adopted the 2021 International Fire Code in 2023, which has rules for mobile food vehicles. If your cooking makes grease-laden vapors, you need an exhaust hood and an automatic fire suppression system. The State Fire Marshal began enforcing these rules on May 1, 2024. Your state food license does not replace building, fire, zoning or business license rules, so check with the city or county where you park. Great Falls, for example, requires a yearly fire inspection and a city license.[17][18][9]
Pass the pre-opening inspection and pay the state license fee
When the truck is finished, book the pre-opening inspection with your county (Yellowstone County asks for 7 days' notice). Have everything running: power, hot and cold water with no leaks, and fridges at 41°F or below. Bring a check made out to DPHHS for the license fee. The county sends your application and fee to the state; DPHHS doesn't accept applications directly from you.[14][13][12]
Get a certified food protection manager if you need one
A certified food protection manager is someone who has passed an accredited food safety exam. Montana's food rules build on the FDA Food Code's rule for these managers, and a new licensee that is required to have one has 90 days from getting the license. Whether your truck needs one depends on your menu. Cascade County, for example, requires one at every food business but can exempt very low-risk (risk category 1) operations. Ask your county.[9][15]
Post your license, keep up inspections and renew by December 31
Post the license in the truck. Expect at least one inspection a year. Every license ends on December 31. You'll get a renewal application in November, and the renewal fee is the same $150 or $225. Paying after the license expires adds a $25 late fee.[9][13][3]
Local rules
These places add their own requirements on top of the state rules.
- Yellowstone County (Billings): RiverStone Health runs mobile food plan review and inspections. Plan review costs $250 for 2 or fewer workers or $350 for 3 or more, paid to RiverStone Health. Contact the city's business licensing, building, planning and fire offices before you build.[14][13]
- Cascade County (Great Falls): The City-County Health Department charges $180 to $450 for plan review depending on risk category, and more if you apply less than 30 days before opening. Inside Great Falls you also need a city license and a yearly fire inspection by Great Falls Fire Rescue. If you park the truck at home you may need a home occupation permit.[16][18][15]
What it costs
| Step | Fee |
|---|---|
| Submit your plans and pay the plan review fee | Set by each county health department, e.g. $250 (up to 2 workers) or $350 (3 or more) in Yellowstone County; $180 to $450 by risk category in Cascade County |
| Meet the fire code and get local approvals | Set by each city or county |
| Pass the pre-opening inspection and pay the state license fee | $150 to $225 ($150 with up to 2 workers at peak hours, $225 with 3 or more; paid to DPHHS) |
| Total if every fee applies to you | $150 to $225 |
Not included in the total because the fee is set locally: Submit your plans and pay the plan review fee; Meet the fire code and get local approvals.
Recent changes
- : HB 853 was signed into law. It set the mobile food license fee at $150 for small trucks (up to 2 workers at peak hours) and $225 for large trucks (3 or more), the first change in fees in 16 years.[8][7]
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a separate license for every county I sell in?
State law ties your license to the county where your truck is based, whose health officer signs it, and doesn't say whether other counties must accept it. Some counties may want to inspect you or approve an extra servicing area if you travel far. Call the health department in each county before you sell there.[6][11]
Can I prep food or store supplies at home?
No. You can't store or prepare food or ice at home or anywhere else that isn't regulated. Cottage food (homemade food sold under Montana's cottage food law) can't be sold from a food truck either.[11]
Can the county charge me its own inspection fee on top of the state license?
Not for routine inspections. State law bars a county or city from adding an inspection fee to the license fee unless a violation still isn't fixed after two inspections. Plan review fees are separate and set by each county.[3]
I bought a used food truck that already has a license. Can I keep using it?
No. Montana licenses can't be transferred. A new owner needs a new license. Some counties also want a new plan review: Cascade County requires one after a change of ownership.[4][15]
Do I need a sales tax permit?
No. Montana has no general sales tax, so there is no sales tax permit to get.[19]
Does my food truck need a fire suppression system?
If you cook anything that makes grease-laden vapors (frying, for example), yes. The 2021 fire code Montana adopted requires an exhaust hood and an automatic fire suppression system over that equipment. Great Falls also requires at least one all-purpose fire extinguisher; ask your local fire department what it requires.[18][17]
How is a food truck different from a temporary food stand?
A temporary food establishment works at one event for no more than 21 days a year and gets a permit from the county. A food truck has no limit on days or events, so it needs the full annual license.[9][11]
Sources
- Montana Code Annotated 2025, 50-50-102. Definitions, Montana Legislature. Checked October 25, 2026.
- Montana Code Annotated 2025, 50-50-201. License or permit required, Montana Legislature. Checked October 25, 2026.
- Montana Code Annotated 2025, 50-50-205. License fee, late fee, preemption of local authority, Montana Legislature. Checked October 25, 2026.
- Montana Code Annotated 2025, 50-50-206. License not transferable, Montana Legislature. Checked October 25, 2026.
- Montana Code Annotated 2025, 50-50-207. Expiration date of license, Montana Legislature. Checked October 25, 2026.
- Montana Code Annotated 2025, 50-50-214. Notification of and validation by local health officer, Montana Legislature. Checked October 25, 2026.
- HB 853 (2025), enrolled bill: Generally revising licensed establishment fees (Chapter 737, Laws of 2025), Montana Legislature. Checked October 25, 2026.
- Licensed Establishment Fee Increases, Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. Checked October 25, 2026.
- Rule for Retail Food Establishments, ARM Title 37, Chapter 110, Subchapter 2, Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. Checked October 25, 2026. DPHHS's own compilation of the rules effective 1/1/15, not the official Administrative Rules of Montana site. Check against the current ARM at rules.mt.gov before verifying.
- Retail Food Establishments, Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. Checked October 25, 2026.
- Mobile Guidance Information for Local Sanitarians (Version 1, 18 Sep 2015), Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. Checked October 25, 2026.
- Mobile Food License Application (EHFS 2026), Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. Checked October 25, 2026. Beaverhead County's copy of the DPHHS form; no copy on the DPHHS site was found.
- Mobile Food, RiverStone Health (Yellowstone County health department). Checked October 25, 2026.
- Plan Review Application for Mobile Food Establishments (version 11/20/2025), RiverStone Health (Yellowstone County health department). Checked October 25, 2026.
- Frequently Asked Questions: Food Establishments and Food Safety, Cascade County, Montana. Checked October 25, 2026.
- Mobile Retail Food Plan Review Application and Fee Schedule (as of 2/10/2026), Cascade City-County Health Department. Checked October 25, 2026. Served from the county's CivicPlus document host (mt-cascadecounty.civicplus.com) rather than cascadecountymt.gov.
- Great Falls Fire Rescue Mobile Food Vendor and Temporary Cooking Operation Requirements, Great Falls Fire Rescue (posted by Cascade County). Checked October 25, 2026.
- Letter to all mobile food vendors: Mobile Food Units and Temporary Cooking Operations (March 4, 2024), Great Falls Fire Rescue (posted by Cascade County). Checked October 25, 2026.
- Sales Tax Guidance for Montana Business and Residents, Montana Department of Revenue. Checked October 25, 2026.
Related
- Cottage Food Laws in Montana
- Food Truck Permits in Idaho
- Food Truck Permits in North Dakota
- Food Truck Permits in South Dakota
- Food Truck Permits by State
This page is general information, not legal advice. Rules and fees change. Before you apply or start selling, confirm the details with Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS), Environmental Health and Food Safety Section, through your county environmental health office or your local health department. Spotted something wrong or out of date?Report it and we will check it.