Food Truck Permits in New Hampshire
Last verified against official sources on by Amrit. How we verify
Yes. In most of New Hampshire you need an annual Mobile Food Unit license from the state health department (DHHS Food Protection Section): $225 for a truck that cooks or prepares food or sells refrigerated food (Class D), or $150 for a hot-dog pushcart or a unit that serves only packaged food and food that doesn't need refrigeration (Class F). The 15 cities and towns that do their own food inspections license food businesses themselves: Manchester, Nashua, Concord and Portsmouth each require their own city license for any food truck operating there, so contact each such town before you sell in it. You also need a Meals and Rentals operator's license from the Department of Revenue Administration before you sell taxable meals.[1][2][8][11][13][17][10][18]
At a glance
| Permit needed | Yes. A state Mobile Food Unit license from DHHS, renewed every year. If you operate in one of the 15 self-inspecting cities and towns, contact that town for its licensing too[1] |
|---|---|
| License classes | Class D: a fully enclosed truck that cooks or prepares food, or sells refrigerated food. Class F: a pushcart (hot dogs and packaged food) or other unit serving only packaged or non-perishable food[2] |
| State fees | Class D: $225 a year, plus a $75 plan review fee for a new truck. Class F: $150 a year. Paid by check or money order to "Treasurer, State of New Hampshire", or online[2][1][7] |
| License lasts | A 90-day provisional license after your first inspection, then a final license valid for one year[5] |
| Commissary | Not always under the state license: a hand sink on board and a three-bay sink on board or at a licensed servicing area. Nashua and Portsmouth require a licensed commissary[2][11][18] |
| Training | Class D trucks need at least one Certified Food Protection Manager (an accredited manager exam), within 45 days of the first licensing inspection. Class F pushcarts and packaged-only units are exempt[3] |
| Cooking outside the truck | Not allowed. Grills, smokers and tanks must be part of the unit[2] |
| Meals tax | Get a Meals and Rentals operator's license from the Department of Revenue Administration before you open, and collect the 8.5% meals tax[8] |
| Agency | NH DHHS Food Protection Section, (603) 271-4589, foodprotection@dhhs.state.nh.us[1] |
Step by step
Do these in order. Each step links to the official form or page.
Check whether your town licenses you itself
Fifteen cities and towns run their own food licensing: Bedford, Berlin, Claremont, Concord, Derry, Dover, Exeter, Keene, Manchester, Merrimack, Nashua, Plaistow, Portsmouth, Rochester and Salem. DHHS says to contact these towns directly for licensing if you operate in them, so call the health officer in each one where you plan to be based or to sell. Manchester, Nashua, Concord and Portsmouth each say a food truck needs the city's own license to operate within city limits; the other 11 towns' rules were not checked. DHHS doesn't say whether you also need the state license if you only ever sell in one of these towns; ask Food Protection. Everywhere else, you deal with DHHS Food Protection.[1][5][10][11][13][18]
Work out your license class
A truck or trailer that cooks or prepares food, or sells refrigerated food, is a Class D mobile cook unit and must be fully enclosed. A pushcart limited to steamed hot dogs and packaged refrigerated food, or a unit that serves only packaged food and food that doesn't need refrigeration (like a packaged ice cream truck), is Class F. If you are unsure, call Food Protection before you apply: picking the wrong class delays your application.[2][5]
Get your truck's plans approved before you build
For a new Class D truck, send DHHS a floor plan review application with your menu and a layout of the unit, plus the $75 review fee, at least 45 days before you build or convert it. Any vehicle can be turned into a food truck, but it needs a hand sink on board, and the department checks that the equipment fits your menu. Pushcarts don't need plan review. For other Class F units, ask Food Protection: the application form asks for a floor plan from Class D only, but the rule exempts only pushcarts.[1][2][7]
Set up a servicing area if you need one
If your truck doesn't have a three-bay sink big enough for your largest equipment, you need access to one at a licensed servicing area (commissary), where you also fill water, dump waste and clean. All food must be prepared on the truck or in a licensed food establishment, never at home. Food that needs refrigeration must be kept in mechanical refrigeration, not on ice.[5][7][2]
Apply to DHHS for a Mobile Food Unit license and pay
Once your application is processed, DHHS emails you your inspector's contact details. The rule says to arrange the licensing inspection no later than 30 days after you send your application and fee, and DHHS asks you to call the inspector 7 to 10 days before you plan to open. Your report from this first inspection is your provisional license, good for 90 days. The inspector comes back unannounced during that time, and if there are no outstanding priority violations you get a final license.[1][7][2][5]
Pass the licensing inspection
Once your application is processed, DHHS emails you your inspector's contact details. Call 7 to 10 days before you plan to open. Your report from this first inspection is your provisional license, good for 90 days. The inspector comes back unannounced during that time, and if there are no outstanding priority violations you get a final license.[5]
Get a Certified Food Protection Manager
A Class D truck needs at least one Certified Food Protection Manager, someone who has passed an accredited, proctored manager exam. A food handler card doesn't count. A new truck must have one within 45 days of its first licensing inspection. With 5 or fewer food workers on duty, the manager must be available but doesn't have to be on the truck. Class F pushcarts and packaged-only units are exempt, but someone must still be in charge whenever you are open.[3][9]
Get a Meals and Rentals operator's license
Before you start selling taxable meals, register with the NH Department of Revenue Administration for a Meals and Rentals operator's license through its Granite Tax Connect portal. You collect the 8.5% meals tax and file by the 15th of each month. Post the license where customers can see it. Licenses expire on June 30 of odd-numbered years and renew automatically if your taxes are up to date. Catering at other locations needs a separate license.[8][9]
Check with each town where you sell
The state license doesn't settle where you can park. DHHS recommends checking with the local authorities in each city or town for their own rules, and in a self-inspecting town you need that town's license. Some cities also require a hawkers and peddlers (street vendor) permit: Nashua charges $100 a year for one, and Concord combines it with its food license. Fire safety is handled locally too: Nashua requires a Fire Marshal's inspection of every food truck and trailer, and Concord says a truck's hood system must meet Fire Department requirements. Ask the local fire department whether it inspects food trucks, especially if you cook with propane.[2][10][11][14][16]
Renew every year
The final license runs for one year from the month your provisional license was issued. DHHS sends a renewal notice about two months before it expires. Renewal fees are not stated separately from the license fees above; ask Food Protection. Send fresh water test results with each renewal if you use a private water supply.[5][1]
Local rules
These places add their own requirements on top of the state rules.
- Manchester: Manchester licenses its own food trucks. You need a Mobile Food Service Permit from the Manchester Health Department to operate a food truck, trailer or pushcart anywhere in the city: $365 for a food truck or trailer (Class II-M) and $220 for a pushcart or a canteen truck selling only packaged and non-perishable food (Class III-M). Submit floor plans and a mobile plan review application first, then get city sign-offs, which may include the Fire Department, City Clerk and Parks and Recreation. Show your license number on two sides of the unit, and renew every year.[10]
- Nashua: Nashua is one of the 15 self-inspecting cities and licenses its own food trucks. To operate a mobile food unit in the city you need a Nashua Mobile Food Service License from the Environmental Health Department ($125 one-time plan review, then $200 a year) and a Hawkers and Peddlers Permit from the City Clerk ($100 a year), issued once you have the food license. Food trucks and trailers also need a Fire Marshal's fire safety inspection. Every food truck must be serviced at a licensed commissary kitchen, and you file a signed commissary agreement with your application. A grill or anything else outside the unit needs a separate temporary vendor application.[11][12]
- Concord: Concord requires a City of Concord food service license and peddler license for any food truck operating in the city: $350 on the combined Food Truck & City Peddler License application, or $65 a day for a temporary food/peddler license to sell at an event. Trucks may only operate in non-residential zones, from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., and need at least one staff member with a ServSafe or other ANSI-accredited Food Protection Manager certificate. If you occupy a parking space or operate outside a licensed special event, you may only use legal parallel parking spaces and must serve to the sidewalk; a metered or time-limited space needs a parking encumbrance permit from the Police Department. The application form also says to book dates on the city's Food Truck Calendar at least a week ahead, no more than three days in a row, and not to operate outside your booked dates and times unless you are part of a licensed special event. Trucks must be fully self-contained, with no external generator, and may not idle for more than 5 minutes.[13][14][15]
- Portsmouth: Portsmouth requires a Mobile Food Service Permit from its Health Department for every food truck, wherever it operates. The truck must work from a licensed, inspected commissary and be serviced there every day it operates, and all equipment must be commercially made and NSF-certified, with no home-built or aftermarket changes. Annual permits run October 1 to September 30. You can't vend from ordinary parking spaces: one or two spaces on State and Hanover Streets are let by annual bid (minimum $5,000, April 15 to November 15). Selling from any public property also needs a $250 Vendor's License from the City Clerk and $1,000,000 of insurance naming the city, and on public property (including streets and sidewalks) you may not vend within 1,000 feet of a school (from an hour before to an hour after start and dismissal), within 1,000 feet of a hospital, within 50 feet of a public assembly building in use, or in front of the North Church. Food trailers are not allowed on city sidewalks or parking spaces. Private property is allowed for seasonal sales of prepared food in the zones the Zoning Ordinance permits, and special events are another option. Show the business name in letters at least 4 inches high on both sides and the rear of the truck.[17][18]
- Bedford, Berlin, Claremont, Derry, Dover, Exeter, Keene, Merrimack, Plaistow, Rochester and Salem: These towns also do their own food licensing and inspections. Their mobile food rules were not checked for this page. Contact the local health officer for the license, fees and rules, including whether you need a Certified Food Protection Manager.[1][3]
What it costs
| Step | Fee |
|---|---|
| Get your truck's plans approved before you build | $75 (plan review, new Class D trucks) |
| Apply to DHHS for a Mobile Food Unit license and pay | $150 to $225 (per year: $225 for Class D (cook unit), $150 for Class F (pushcart or packaged food)) |
| Check with each town where you sell | Set by each city or town |
| Total if every fee applies to you | $225 to $300 |
Not included in the total because the fee is set locally: Check with each town where you sell.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a state license to sell from my truck at fairs or farmers markets?
Not if that's all you do. A unit that only works at a fair, carnival or similar event, at one spot for up to 2 weeks, is a temporary food service establishment. A unit that serves food no more than 4 days in any 30-day period is an occasional food service establishment. Both are exempt from the state food license. Any part of a day counts as a full day. If you sell more often than that, you need the Mobile Food Unit license.[2][3]
Can I prep food in my home kitchen for the truck?
No. All food must be prepared on the truck or in a licensed food establishment, and home-canned foods are not allowed.[2]
Can I set up a grill or smoker next to my truck?
No. There can be no cooking equipment or other accessories outside the unit. Everything you use, including storage tanks, must be part of the truck.[2]
Can I keep food cold on ice?
Only customer drinks that don't need refrigeration. Any food that needs refrigeration must be in mechanical refrigeration on the truck. Pushcarts are the exception.[2]
I have a state license. Do I need another one in Manchester or Nashua?
Yes, in those cities. The 15 self-inspecting cities and towns license food businesses themselves, and DHHS says to contact them directly for licensing if you operate there. Manchester requires its own Mobile Food Service Permit, and Nashua its own Mobile Food Service License plus a Hawkers and Peddlers Permit, for any food truck operating in the city. Concord and Portsmouth also require their own licenses. Check with each self-inspecting town before you sell there.[1][10][11][13][18]
Does a food handler card count as the manager certificate?
No. The Certified Food Protection Manager course must be an accredited manager program with a proctored exam. A food handler certificate or a Serving It Safe class doesn't meet the requirement. The fine for not complying can be $250.[3]
Sources
- Application for Annual Mobile Food Unit License (Form MFAPP August 2019), New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, Food Protection Section. Checked October 25, 2026. Internet Archive copy (captured 2025-10-31) of https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt476/files/documents/2021-11/fp-mfus-appl.pdf; the live dhhs.nh.gov site returned HTTP 403 to the fetcher. Check the live form before verifying.
- Mobile Food Units and Services: Frequently Asked Questions (June 2022), New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, Food Protection Section. Checked October 25, 2026. Internet Archive copy (captured 2026-07-13) of https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt476/files/documents/2021-11/fp-mfus-faq.pdf; the live dhhs.nh.gov site returned HTTP 403 to the fetcher. Check the live PDF before verifying.
- Food Protection Section: Certified Food Protection Manager FAQ, New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, Food Protection Section. Checked October 25, 2026. Internet Archive copy (captured 2025-10-31) of https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt476/files/documents/2021-11/fp-cfpm-faqs.pdf; the live dhhs.nh.gov site returned HTTP 403 to the fetcher. Check the live PDF before verifying.
- New Hampshire Self-Inspecting Cities & Towns, New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, Food Protection Section. Checked October 25, 2026. Internet Archive copy (captured 2025-11-11) of https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt476/files/documents/2021-11/fp-selfinspect.pdf; the live dhhs.nh.gov site returned HTTP 403 to the fetcher. Check the live PDF before verifying.
- Food Safety Training Resources (Food Licensing 101: Obtaining a Food License, video transcript), New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, Food Protection Section. Checked October 25, 2026. Internet Archive copy (captured 2025-10-31) of https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/programs-services/environmental-health-and-you/food-protection/food-safety-training-resources; the live dhhs.nh.gov site returned HTTP 403 to the fetcher. Quotes come from the page's auto-generated video transcript (lowercase, some transcription errors). Check the live page before verifying.
- Food Protection, New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. Checked October 25, 2026. Internet Archive copy (captured 2026-10-01) of https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/programs-services/environmental-health-and-you/food-protection; the live dhhs.nh.gov site returned HTTP 403 to the fetcher. Check the live page before verifying.
- He-P 2300 Sanitary Production and Distribution of Food (adopted rule, 2/21/24), New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. Checked October 25, 2026. Internet Archive copy (captured 2025-10-31) of https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt476/files/inline-documents/sonh/he-p2300adoptedrule.pdf; the live dhhs.nh.gov site returned HTTP 403 to the fetcher. This PDF holds only the sections readopted in 2024, not all of He-P 2300. Check the live rule before verifying.
- Meals & Rooms (Rentals) Tax, New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration. Checked October 25, 2026. Internet Archive copy (captured 2026-08-31) of https://www.revenue.nh.gov/taxes-glance/meals-rooms-rentals-tax; the live revenue.nh.gov site returned HTTP 403 to the fetcher. Check the live page before verifying.
- Frequently Asked Questions: Meals & Rooms (Rentals) Tax, New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration. Checked October 25, 2026. Internet Archive copy (captured 2026-09-02) of https://www.revenue.nh.gov/resource-center/frequently-asked-questions/meals-rooms-rentals-tax; the live revenue.nh.gov site returned HTTP 403 to the fetcher. Check the live page before verifying.
- Mobile Food Units, City of Manchester Health Department. Checked October 25, 2026.
- Mobile Food Service Vendors, City of Nashua Environmental Health Department. Checked October 25, 2026.
- Environmental Health Food Service Fees (NRO 170-4, updated 08/09/2022), City of Nashua Division of Public Health & Community Services. Checked October 25, 2026.
- Food Truck Information: Rules for Mobile Food Service Vendors/Food Trucks, City of Concord Code Administration, Health & Licensing Services. Checked October 25, 2026.
- Application for Food Truck & City Peddler License (rev. 5/10/22), City of Concord Code Administration, Health Services. Checked October 25, 2026.
- Application for Temporary Food/Peddler License (rev. 5/10/22), City of Concord Code Administration, Health Services. Checked October 25, 2026.
- Mobile Food Concession Trailers/Units: Basic Requirements (revised 10/16/12), City of Concord Code Administration, Health and Licensing. Checked October 25, 2026.
- Food Truck Regulations, City of Portsmouth Health Department. Checked October 25, 2026.
- Mobile Vending Permits, City of Portsmouth Health Department. Checked October 25, 2026.
Related
- Cottage Food Laws in New Hampshire
- Food Truck Permits in Maine
- Food Truck Permits in Massachusetts
- Food Truck Permits in Vermont
- 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 New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Food Protection Section or your local health department. Spotted something wrong or out of date?Report it and we will check it.