LegalToOpen

Food Truck Permits in Tennessee

Last verified against official sources on by Amrit. How we verify

Yes. A food truck in Tennessee needs a food service establishment permit from the health department before it opens. In most counties you apply through the Tennessee Department of Health at your local health department, but Davidson, Hamilton, Knox, Madison and Shelby counties run their own permitting. Expect plan review, a pre-opening inspection and a yearly permit fee, usually $210: the state rule has no separate line for trucks, and health departments charge them the rate for 0 to 50 seats. Shelby County (Memphis) adds a $150 local fee. For fire safety you can choose an optional $300 state fire permit that every city and county must accept, or follow each local fire marshal's rules instead. You also register for sales tax with the Department of Revenue.[19][1][7][4][5][17]

At a glance

Permit neededYes. A food service establishment permit from the health department, one for each truck[1][6]
Who issues itThe Tennessee Department of Health through your local health department. In Davidson (Nashville), Hamilton (Chattanooga), Knox (Knoxville), Madison (Jackson) and Shelby (Memphis) counties, the county health department[7]
Health permit fee$210 a year in most places. The state fee rule has no separate line for food trucks, so a truck pays the food service rate for 0 to 50 seats; Shelby County (Memphis) charges mobile units that $210 state fee plus a $150 local fee, $360 in total, and Nashville charges food pushcarts $210 a year. The 2026 rule kept the amounts the old law set; the law now lets the state raise them by up to 3% a year. A renewal paid more than 30 days late adds a penalty of half the fee[1][17][11][2][3]
Permit yearJuly 1 to June 30. Every permit expires on June 30[7][6]
Plan reviewYes. Send scale plans of the truck, your menu and equipment list before you build or convert it[1][9]
CommissaryDepends on your menu and equipment. Without a commissary you need a servicing area[8][9]
TrainingNo certificate is required by law. The person in charge must show food safety knowledge, and a certified food protection manager certificate is one way to do that[1]
Fire safetyOptional state fire permit: $300, good for 365 days, and every city and county must accept it. Without it, local fire permits and inspections apply[4][5]
AgencyTennessee Department of Health, Environmental Health Program, (615) 741-7206[7]

Step by step

Do these in order. Each step links to the official form or page.

  1. Find the health department that will permit your truck

    Most of Tennessee is covered by the Tennessee Department of Health, whose environmental health specialists work out of every local health department. Five counties run their own food permits instead: Davidson (Nashville), Hamilton (Chattanooga), Knox (Knoxville), Madison (Jackson) and Shelby (Memphis). Call the office for the county where your truck will be based before you buy or build anything. Knox County, for example, issues mobile unit permits by the owner's address or the address of the approved commissary, and sends operators who live elsewhere to the Department of Health's application. A truck that sells only prepackaged food is not a "food establishment" under these health rules. The Tennessee Department of Agriculture takes applications for mobile food establishments in its retail food program (NewFood.Business@tn.gov, (615) 837-5193). Its page does not say which trucks that covers, so if you sell only prepackaged food, ask it whether you need its permit.[18][21][7][8]

    Time: One phone call

  2. Design the truck to the state food rules

    Your truck has to stay readily movable. Its wastewater (sewage) tank must be 15 percent bigger than the fresh water tank, and waste must be removed at an approved servicing area or by a sewage transport vehicle, without creating a health hazard or nuisance. Local health departments can ask for more: Hamilton County, for example, wants a hand sink the operator can always reach, a pressurized water system, and a three-compartment sink if your menu needs one.[1][9]

  3. Line up a commissary or a servicing area

    A commissary is a permitted food business that services your truck. A servicing area is an operating base where the truck goes back to be cleaned, empty its waste and fill its water tanks. Whether you need a full commissary depends on your menu and the equipment on board. If you don't need one, you still need a servicing area. The health department will ask for a signed agreement with the owner of the place you use.[1][8][9]

  4. Submit plans for review

    Before you build or convert the truck, send the health department plans drawn to scale. Include your menu, how much food you expect to store and sell, a written description of how food moves from storage to serving (including cooling), a floor plan with all equipment and sinks, and an equipment list.[1][9]

  5. Apply for the permit and pay the fee

    Apply at least 15 days before you plan to open, on the health department's form, and pay the permit fee when you apply. The state fee rule has no separate line for food trucks, so a truck pays the rate for a food service establishment with 0 to 50 seats: $210 a year. Shelby County applies that $210 state fee to mobile units and adds a $150 local fee there; other contract counties may set their own, so confirm the amount when you apply. Outside the five contract counties you can request the application through the Department of Health's online permit survey. If you apply after January 1, ask whether the fee is prorated; the department's page confirms this only for farmers market food units.[1][7][17][11]

    Fee: $210 (per year; the state rate for 0 to 50 seats, which is what trucks are charged. Shelby County adds a $150 local fee)Time: At least 15 days before opening

  6. Pass the pre-opening inspection

    The health department inspects the truck to check it was built to the approved plans and meets the food rules. Once the application, fee, plan approval and inspection are all done, you get your permit.[1]

  7. Sort out fire safety: state fire permit or local fire permits

    You can apply to the State Fire Marshal's Office (Department of Commerce and Insurance) for a state fire permit. You give your plate number and VIN, your cooking equipment and fuel, and where you plan to operate. After a passed inspection, every city and county must accept it instead of its own fire permit and inspection. A failed inspection costs $150 for each re-inspection, and adding or changing cooking equipment means a new permit. The state permit is optional: without it, each local government can require its own fire permit and inspection.[4][5]

    Fee: $0 to $300 (optional: $300 for the state fire permit (non-refundable, lasts 365 days), or $0 here if you use local fire permits instead, whose fees are set locally and not included)

  8. Register for sales tax

    Register with the Tennessee Department of Revenue for sales and use tax. A truck that sells at different spots around the state registers one primary business location, which can be your home or your central kitchen. Charge the state and local sales tax rate for that location and report every sale, wherever you made it, on that location's return. Returns and payments are filed online through the Tennessee Taxpayer Access Point (TNTAP). If you only sell at flea markets, follow the Department's flea market guidance instead.[19][20]

  9. Display your permits and renew every year

    Post your health permit where customers can see it. If you have the state fire permit, display it so it can be seen from outside the truck. The health permit expires every June 30, so renew it before then: a fee paid more than 30 days late carries a penalty of half the fee. The state fire permit lasts 365 days and is not renewed; you apply for a new one.[6][4][3]

Local rules

These places add their own requirements on top of the state rules.

What it costs

StepFee
Apply for the permit and pay the fee$210 (per year; the state rate for 0 to 50 seats, which is what trucks are charged. Shelby County adds a $150 local fee)
Sort out fire safety: state fire permit or local fire permits$0 to $300 (optional: $300 for the state fire permit (non-refundable, lasts 365 days), or $0 here if you use local fire permits instead, whose fees are set locally and not included)
Total if every fee applies to you$210 to $510

Recent changes

Frequently asked questions

Does my health permit let me sell in every Tennessee county?

No official source we found says this either way. Your permit comes from the health department where you're based: Knox County, for example, issues it by the owner's address or the commissary's address. The five contract counties (Davidson, Hamilton, Knox, Madison and Shelby) run their own permits and inspections, so call them before selling there. Elsewhere, ask the local health department that issued your permit whether it covers the county you plan to visit. City street-vending permits, like Nashville's and Chattanooga's, are separate again.[18][13][14][7]

Do I need a fire inspection in every city I sell in?

Not if you hold the state fire permit. Cities and counties must accept it and can't make you get a local fire permit or pass a local fire inspection. Without it, each place can require its own.[5]

Do I need a commissary kitchen?

It depends on your menu and the equipment on your truck, and the health department decides at plan review. If you don't need a commissary you still need a servicing area to clean the truck, empty waste and refill water. In Nashville every truck needs one or the other.[8][9][12]

Do I need a ServSafe or food manager certificate?

Not by law. A person in charge must be on the truck whenever it is open and must be able to show food safety knowledge. Passing an accredited food protection manager exam is one way. The others are having no priority violations at inspection or answering the inspector's questions correctly.[1]

I only sell at farmers markets from a tent. Do I need a truck permit?

Tennessee has a separate farmers market food unit permit for vendors who prepare and serve food at farmers markets using improvised equipment instead of permanent facilities for things like handwashing, food prep and dishwashing. It costs $300 a year, or $150 if you apply after January 1.[7]

Do I need a separate sales tax account for every city I park in?

No. The Department of Revenue says a food truck selling at different temporary spots registers one primary business location, such as your home or central kitchen, charges that location's state and local rate, and reports all sales on that one return.[19]

When do I renew?

Health permits run July 1 to June 30, so renew before July 1. Pay more than 30 days late and you owe a penalty of half the fee. The state fire permit lasts 365 days from the day it is issued and is not renewed; you apply for a new one.[7][6][4][3]

Sources

  1. Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1200-23-01, Food Service Establishment (June 2026 revision), Tennessee Secretary of State. Checked October 25, 2026.
  2. Emergency rule filing 12-33-25: rule 1200-23-01-.09, Permit Fees (filed December 19, 2025), Tennessee Secretary of State. Checked October 25, 2026. Scanned filing; the text is OCR and has a few misread letters. The permanent rule (effective June 14, 2026) has the same fee schedule.
  3. Public Chapter No. 400 (2025), Senate Bill 1282: permit fees set by rule (T.C.A. 68-14-713), Tennessee Secretary of State. Checked October 25, 2026. Session law as enacted. Section 5 rewrote T.C.A. 68-14-713, effective January 1, 2026. The codified section was not fetched.
  4. Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0780-02-02, Codes and Standards (rule 0780-02-02-.07, Mobile Food Units), Tennessee Secretary of State. Checked October 25, 2026.
  5. Public Chapter No. 390 (2023), House Bill 814: fire safety for mobile food units, Tennessee Secretary of State. Checked October 25, 2026. Session law as enacted, codified at T.C.A. 68-102-123 (per rule 0780-02-02-.07). The codified section was not fetched.
  6. Tennessee Food Safety Act, T.C.A. 68-14-701 et seq., Tennessee Department of Health. Checked October 25, 2026. The Department of Health's copy of the Act, printed from the 2014 code. Later amendments are not shown; check the current code before verifying.
  7. Environmental Health, Tennessee Department of Health. Checked October 25, 2026.
  8. TN Mobile Food Establishment Matrix, Tennessee Department of Health, Environmental Health. Checked October 25, 2026. A state Department of Health document, read from the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department's copy. The tn.gov original was not found.
  9. Apply for Food Service Establishment, Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department. Checked October 25, 2026.
  10. Mobile Food Units Plan Review and Permitting Process (2023), Metro Public Health Department, Nashville. Checked October 25, 2026.
  11. Mobile Food Vending Pushcart Regulations (2022), Metro Public Health Department, Nashville. Checked October 25, 2026.
  12. What is a Commissary? What is a Servicing Area? Why do I need one?, Metro Public Health Department, Nashville. Checked October 25, 2026.
  13. Mobile Food Vendor Pilot Program, Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure. Checked October 25, 2026.
  14. Mobile Food Unit (MFU) Zone Policy and Procedure, City of Chattanooga. Checked October 25, 2026.
  15. Environmental Health & Food Safety Program, Shelby County Health Department. Checked October 25, 2026.
  16. Mobile Unit Guidance, Shelby County Health Department. Checked October 25, 2026. Undated packet on the county's current site. Parts of it cite the pre-2015 rule numbering and a July 1, 2009 deadline, so the fee page may be old. Check the current fee with the county.
  17. Mobile Unit Requirements and Preliminary Inspection Checklist, Shelby County Health Department. Checked October 25, 2026. PDF created January 18, 2024 (file metadata), under Health Director Michelle A. Taylor and Mayor Lee Harris.
  18. Steps to Obtaining a Food Service Permit for a Mobile Unit, Knox County Health Department. Checked October 25, 2026.
  19. SUT-20 - Food Trucks - Sales Tax Reporting, Tennessee Department of Revenue. Checked October 25, 2026.
  20. Sales and Use Tax: Registration, Filing and Payment, Tennessee Department of Revenue. Checked October 25, 2026.
  21. Mobile Food Establishments, Tennessee Department of Agriculture. Checked October 25, 2026.

This page is general information, not legal advice. Rules and fees change. Before you apply or start selling, confirm the details with Tennessee Department of Health, Environmental Health Program (through your local health department) or your local health department. Spotted something wrong or out of date?Report it and we will check it.