Food Truck Permits in Pennsylvania
Last verified against official sources on by Amrit. How we verify
Yes. Every food truck in Pennsylvania needs a retail food facility licence before it sells food. In most of the state the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) issues it. But Philadelphia, Allegheny County and several other counties and towns run their own health departments, and they license trucks there instead. Most local health departments will not accept a PDA licence, and they do not accept each other's, so plan on a licence from each health department area you sell in.[1][3][4][6]
At a glance
| Permit needed | Yes, a retail food facility licence for the truck[3] |
|---|---|
| Who issues it | PDA in most of the state. Your county or city health department where one exists (Philadelphia, Allegheny, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Erie, Montgomery and some towns).[1][3][4] |
| State fee (PDA areas) | New licence: $103 if the owner runs the truck and it has under 50 seats, otherwise $241. Trucks selling only prepackaged food that doesn't need refrigeration (Type 1) pay nothing. $82 a year to renew.[1][5] |
| Local fees | Set by each county or city health department[1] |
| Plan review | Yes, for every truck in PDA areas. Send it at least 60 days before you open.[5][3] |
| Food manager certificate | Yes, one certified food manager if you prepare or cook food (PDA Types 3 and 4)[5] |
| Commissary | Often required. The inspector may let a self-contained truck skip it.[5] |
| Sales tax licence | Yes. You must show you have one (or have applied) before the food licence is issued.[1] |
| Renewal | Every year[3] |
Step by step
Do these in order. Each step links to the official form or page.
Find out who licenses you
Look up the address where your truck will be based (your commissary or home base) with PDA's food safety jurisdiction search. If it falls under a county or city health department, apply there, not to PDA. If you plan to sell in more than one health department's area, contact each one separately.[4][5]
Get a Pennsylvania sales tax licence
Register with the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue through myPATH, its online system. The food licence can't be issued until you show the sales tax licence or proof you applied. PDA's application asks for a copy.[7][1][6]
Get a certified food manager
If your truck prepares, cooks or serves unpackaged food (PDA Types 3 and 4), someone in a supervisory role must pass an accredited food protection manager exam. The law gives you three months after licensing, but PDA's application asks you to attach the certificate, so it is easier to have it ready. In Philadelphia you need a City of Philadelphia Food Safety Certificate instead.[5][2][6][8]
Line up your commissary and water supply
A commissary is your base kitchen. Your truck goes back to it every day to clean, dump waste water, fill water tanks and store food. It cannot be your home kitchen. If you use someone else's kitchen, its operator signs a shared kitchen agreement. A fully self-contained truck may not need a commissary; the inspector decides at plan review. You also need proof that your water comes from an approved supply, such as a copy of a municipal water bill.[5][3][6]
Send your application and plans
Fill in PDA's Application Packet for Mobile Food Facilities. Include your menu, a floor plan of the truck and an equipment list. Add plans for the commissary too if you use one. Email it to PDA at least 60 days before you plan to open. Don't send money yet.[3][6]
Wait for plan approval
PDA reviews your plans and tells you if they are approved within 15 business days. If they are not, you get a letter explaining why, and you can fix the plans and send them again.[3]
Pass the opening inspection and pay the fee
After your plans are approved, an inspector schedules a visit to your truck. Once it passes, you pay the licence fee and get your Retail Food Facility Licence. The fee is $103 if you own and run the truck and it has under 50 seats, or $241 otherwise. Type 1 trucks (prepackaged food that doesn't need refrigeration only) pay no fee. Make checks payable to "Commonwealth of Pennsylvania". Post the licence where customers can see it.[3][1][5]
Check local zoning and fire rules
PDA's licence is not the only approval you may need. Other offices, such as zoning, building codes and the fire marshal, may also have to approve you. Ask the municipality where you plan to park and sell.[5]
Renew every year
PDA sends you a renewal notice about 45 days before your licence expires. You can also renew online. Renewal costs $82 a year, starting the year after you are licensed.[3][1]
Local rules
These places add their own requirements on top of the state rules.
- Philadelphia: The Philadelphia Department of Public Health, not PDA, reviews your truck. Plan review costs $150 and the inspection costs $190. You need a City of Philadelphia Food Safety Certificate, and someone certified must be there whenever you are open. After the inspection you get a License Eligibility Report, and then you apply to the Department of Licenses and Inspections for a Food Establishment Retail, Non-Permanent Location License. That licence costs $179, and renewing costs $179. You also need a Commercial Activity License and a Business Income and Receipts Tax ID.[8][9]
- Allegheny County (including Pittsburgh): The Allegheny County Health Department issues an annual health permit for the truck and a separate one for its commissary. Every truck must report to a commissary and keep a log of its visits. One county permit lets you sell anywhere in the county, but Pittsburgh and other towns may add their own vending rules. Under the county's fee schedule effective January 1, 2024, a Class IV truck (one that cools, reheats or hot-holds food that needs temperature control) pays a $75 application review fee and a $150 annual permit fee.[10][11]
- Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Erie and Montgomery counties: These counties have their own health departments. Apply to the county for your licence, not to PDA. Each sets its own fees.[3][1]
- Cities, boroughs and some townships with their own health departments: Some cities, boroughs, incorporated towns and townships outside those counties run their own food licensing. If yours does, it issues your licence instead of PDA. Use PDA's jurisdiction search to check.[1][4]
What it costs
| Step | Fee |
|---|---|
| Send your application and plans | Free |
| Pass the opening inspection and pay the fee | $0 to $241 (one of: $0 (Type 1), $103 (owner-operated, under 50 seats) or $241; PDA areas only) |
| Total if every fee applies to you | $0 to $241 |
Frequently asked questions
Does my PDA licence let me sell in Philadelphia or Pittsburgh?
Usually not. There is no reciprocity, which means one licence isn't automatically accepted in place of another. Most local health departments won't accept a PDA licence, and local health departments don't accept each other's licences, so plan on a licence from each health department whose area you sell in. Going the other way, PDA will often honor a local health department licence; ask your PDA regional office.[6]
Do I need a separate licence to sell at a festival or fair?
Not in PDA areas. A truck with a full-year PDA licence can serve at a temporary event without a separate permit. If the event is inside a local health department's area, contact that department first.[5]
Can I use my home kitchen as my commissary?
Not for cooking or prepping perishable food. A commissary can't be a personal kitchen. PDA may accept a separate storage area at home for commercially prepackaged food, if it is fully separate from your living space and gets inspected. For shelf-stable foods you make at home, you need a separate limited food establishment licence.[3][5]
Does every worker on my truck need a food safety certificate?
No. State law requires at least one certified employee. That person must be on the truck or immediately reachable whenever you are open. Philadelphia is stricter: someone certified must be there whenever you are open.[2][8]
How long does it take to get licensed?
Plan for about two months. PDA asks for your application at least 60 days before you open. It answers on your plans within 15 business days, and then an inspector schedules your opening inspection.[3]
I only sell prepackaged snacks and canned drinks. Do I still need a licence?
In PDA areas you pay no licence fee, but you must still apply and be inspected. State law says a place that sells only prepackaged food that doesn't need temperature control is exempt from the licence itself, but it stays subject to inspection.[5][1]
What sales tax do I collect?
Pennsylvania's sales tax is 6 percent. It is 7 percent in Allegheny County and 8 percent in Philadelphia, because of local add-ons. Food that is not ready-to-eat is exempt, but ready-to-eat food is not on that exempt list. Check the Department of Revenue's Retailer's Information Guide (REV-717) for your menu.[7]
Sources
- Title 3 Pa.C.S. Chapter 57, Subchapter A: Retail Food Facility Safety Act, Pennsylvania General Assembly. Checked October 24, 2026.
- Title 3 Pa.C.S. Chapter 65: Food Employee Certification Act, Pennsylvania General Assembly. Checked October 24, 2026.
- Mobile Food Facilities, Fairs and Temporary Events, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. Checked October 24, 2026.
- Retail Food, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. Checked October 24, 2026.
- Mobile Food Facility Operation Guide (Rev. 03/2022), Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. Checked October 24, 2026.
- Application Packet - Mobile Food Facilities (Rev. 10/2024), Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. Checked October 24, 2026.
- Sales, Use and Hotel Occupancy Tax, Pennsylvania Department of Revenue. Checked October 24, 2026.
- Apply for a plan review for a mobile food business, City of Philadelphia. Checked October 24, 2026.
- Get a Food Establishment Retail, Non-Permanent Location License, City of Philadelphia. Checked October 24, 2026.
- Mobile Food Facilities, Allegheny County Health Department. Checked October 24, 2026.
- Food Safety Program Fee Schedule (Effective January 1, 2024), Allegheny County Health Department. Checked October 24, 2026.
Related
- Cottage Food Laws in Pennsylvania
- Food Truck Permits in New York
- Food Truck Permits in Ohio
- 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 Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Food Safety and Laboratory Services or your local health department. Spotted something wrong or out of date?Report it and we will check it.