Food Truck Permits in Utah
Last verified against official sources on by Amrit. How we verify
Yes. Each food truck in Utah needs an annual health department permit from the local health department where most of its business happens, and every other local health department in Utah must accept that permit. You may also need a city or county business license and a fire safety inspection, but other Utah cities must honor a current license and a passed fire inspection from another city, so you don't repeat them in each town.[1][12]
At a glance
| Permit needed | Yes. An annual health department permit for each truck, from the local health department where most of your business happens[1][12] |
|---|---|
| Works statewide | Yes. Every local health department in Utah must accept a food truck health permit issued by another one[1][12] |
| Health permit fee | The state rule says permit fees must be the same across Utah and cover only the cost of the program, with a lower fee for Tier One (lower-risk) trucks. For example, Utah County and Davis County both charge $350 (Tier One) or $500 (Tier Two) a year. Plan review fees differ: Utah County charges $570 and Davis County $550[12][1][13][5] |
| Business license | One city or county business license is enough. Other Utah cities must accept it, and can charge only what it costs them to process a license[1] |
| Fire safety | Your city's fire inspector checks your truck against state fire rules (gas detector, secured appliances, no customers inside). A pass in one Utah city counts in the others for the same calendar year[10][1] |
| Commissary | Required unless your health department exempts you. It can't require one for a Tier One truck that uses no temperature-controlled foods, keeps no prepared food overnight, does all its food work and cleaning on board, and fills water and dumps waste at approved places. A home kitchen can't be used[12][4][5] |
| Training | Every food worker needs a Utah food handler permit, good for three years anywhere in the state. At least one worker must be a certified food safety manager, unless the local health officer exempts the truck under the state's criteria for the lowest-risk businesses. Davis and Tooele counties excuse some low-risk (Tier 1) trucks[12][2][6][7] |
| Sales tax license | Required before you start selling. Free from the Utah State Tax Commission[3] |
Step by step
Do these in order. Each step links to the official form or page.
Ask your city if your kind of truck is allowed, and pick your home health department
Your health permit comes from the local health department covering the area where most of your truck's business will happen. That department reviews your plans, approves your commissary and inspects you. Salt Lake County suggests you first ask the business licensing office of the city where you want to sell whether it allows your type of business.[12][1][5][4]
Get your sales tax license
If you sell taxable food in Utah, you need a sales and use tax license from the Utah State Tax Commission before you start. There is no fee. The Commission may ask for a bond only in limited cases, such as an earlier unpaid sales tax debt.[3]
Get your food safety training
Everyone who works with unpackaged food needs a food handler permit. They must finish an approved food handler course within 14 days of starting and get the permit from a local health department within 30 days. The permit is good for three years anywhere in Utah. At least one person working on the truck must also be a certified food safety manager: someone who has passed a state-approved exam and registered it with the health department. The state food truck rule lets the local health officer exempt a truck that meets the state's criteria for the lowest-risk businesses, and some counties excuse low-risk trucks: Davis County asks for one from Tier 2 trucks only, and Tooele County says some Tier 1 trucks don't need one. Ask your health department which tier your menu puts you in.[12][2][6][7][13]
Sign a commissary agreement
A commissary is a licensed kitchen where you prep, store and clean, and where you fill fresh water and empty wastewater. The state food truck rule requires one unless the local health officer exempts you. A health officer can't require a commissary if your truck meets all of these: your health department has designated it Tier One; it uses no temperature-controlled foods (foods that must be kept hot or cold to be safe); it doesn't keep prepared food from one operating day to the next; all food work, including cleaning and sanitizing, happens on the truck or cart; and you fill your water tanks, and get rid of wastewater, used cooking oil and other trash, at places and in ways the health officer approves. Other trucks can still ask for an exemption. Each health department runs its own process: Utah County, for example, asks you to apply and wait for written approval. You can't store food or equipment at home, in a storage unit or in a garage. If you use a commissary, you sign an agreement with its owner and the health department must approve it. Some counties, such as Utah County, want a log of each visit, and some also want a restroom agreement with a nearby business.[12][14][15][4][6][7]
Submit your plan review
Before the health department issues a permit, it reviews your truck's design: floor plan, equipment, plumbing, menu and how the inspector can find where you are selling. Do this before you buy or build a truck if you can. A truck usually needs a hand sink and a three-compartment sink for washing dishes. Under the state rule, an onboard fresh-water tank must hold at least 30 gallons, and the wastewater tank must be 15% bigger than the water supply tank.[4][7][13][5][6][12]
Get a business license
Apply for a business license with your city (or your county, if you are outside city limits). One license is enough: other Utah cities must accept it while it is current, as long as you also hold a health permit and a passed fire inspection where your business needs them. A city can charge only what it costs to process the license, and can't charge per employee.[1]
Pass a fire safety inspection
Cities inspect food trucks for fire safety using criteria set by the Utah Fire Prevention Board, and only a certified inspector may do it. To pass, customers can't come inside the truck or sit in it, gas appliances must be fixed to the truck, and you need a listed propane (LPG) gas detector at floor level near the cooking equipment. The State Fire Marshal's inspection form also checks propane tanks and piping, a hood with an automatic fire-extinguishing system over cooking that gives off grease vapors (serviced every 6 months), and fire extinguishers: at least one 2-A:10-B:C, plus a Class K if you cook with vegetable or animal oils and fats or with solid fuel. When you pass, you get a state sticker to put inside the rear-most door; the rule says it is valid for one year from the inspection. Other Utah cities must accept that approval if it was issued in the same calendar year.[1][10][11]
Apply for the health permit and pass the pre-opening inspection
Send the permit application and fee to your health department. The fee depends on your tier: Tier One (lower risk) is for menus with fewer than three foods that need temperature control and no raw animal products, and it costs less than Tier Two. The state rule says these fees must be the same across Utah. Then book a pre-opening inspection. You can't open until you pass it. The permit is annual, so you renew it each year. Keep copies of your business license, health permit and fire approval on the truck, because cities can ask to see them.[4][7][1][5][13][12]
Local rules
These places add their own requirements on top of the state rules.
- Salt Lake City: You need a Salt Lake City business license, with a separate fee for each vehicle. The city's fee schedule lists mobile businesses at its standard base license fee; the commercial base fee is $198 from September 2026. Confirm the per-vehicle amount with Business Licensing. If you already hold a license from another Utah city, apply for the city's reciprocal food truck permit with that license, a current fire inspection and a current Utah health permit. On public streets, trucks may operate only in the M-1, M-2, D-1, D-2, D-3, D-4 and G-MU zones, only one truck per block face, with the service window facing the sidewalk, and for no more than two hours in one spot without a Transportation Division permit. On private property, you may operate only in certain zones, with the owner's permission, and for no more than 12 hours in any 24. (The city's page asks for written permission, but state law bars a city from making you file or carry the owner's written consent.)[16][18][17][8]
- Utah County: The Utah County Health Department charges $350 (Tier One, low-risk foods) or $500 (Tier Two, high-risk foods) for a food truck permit, plus $570 for plan review, and finishes plan reviews within 30 business days. Opening without a permit costs double. A food handler permit is $15 for three years. You must log each commissary visit. Simple, self-sufficient trucks (for example soda, smoothie, soft-serve, kettle corn or hot dog trucks) can apply for a commissary exemption, but must wait for written approval.[13][15][14]
- Salt Lake County: Before applying, you must register for and attend a Mobile Food Service Class, where you get the plan review application. You also need a commissary agreement and a restroom agreement with a local business, and you must register your certified food safety manager with the health department.[4]
- Davis County: The Mobile Food Business permit costs $350 (Risk 1) or $500 (Risk 2), plus a $550 plan review, and expires on December 31 of the year it is issued. Applications are reviewed within 5 business days. Your truck needs at least a 30-gallon fresh-water tank, and you must give the health department a route schedule or another way to track where you operate.[5][6]
- Tooele County: Your commissary must be permitted by the Tooele County Health Department, keep daily sign-in and sign-out records, and be renewed every year. You must return to it as often as the health department sets. If your commissary loses its permit, your truck's permit is suspended too.[7]
What it costs
| Step | Fee |
|---|---|
| Get your sales tax license | Free |
| Get your food safety training | Food handler permit fee set by each local health department (Utah County: $15 for 3 years); manager exam fees set by the exam provider |
| Submit your plan review | Set by each local health department (Utah County: $570; Davis County: $550) |
| Get a business license | Set by each city or county, limited to its processing cost |
| Apply for the health permit and pass the pre-opening inspection | The state rule says fees must be uniform statewide and limited to cost (Utah County and Davis County: $350 for Tier One or $500 for Tier Two, per year) |
| Total if every fee applies to you | $0 |
Not included in the total because the fee is set locally: Get your food safety training; Submit your plan review; Get a business license; Apply for the health permit and pass the pre-opening inspection.
Recent changes
- : S.B. 242 (2026) amended the mobile business law so a city or county may keep food trucks off a street, and the sidewalk next to it, while that street is closed for a large gathering or other special event. The other limits on city rules stay the same.[9][8]
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a new health permit or business license for every Utah city I sell in?
No. Every local health department must accept a health permit from another Utah health department, and every city must accept a current business license from another Utah city. A city may still ask you to keep copies of your license, health permit and fire approval on the truck.[1][12]
Can a Utah city stop me from parking near a restaurant?
No. State law says a city can't ban food trucks within a set distance of a restaurant, can't limit how many days a year you operate, and can't make you report your dates and times. A city can still set rules on how and where food trucks operate, and can keep trucks off streets closed for a special event.[1]
Do I need a city permit to cater a private event or wedding?
No, not from the city. A city can't charge you a fee or require its own permit to sell at an event on private property. A county health department can still require a permit for a temporary mass gathering: 500 or more people for two hours or more a day, or an event whose nature creates health or safety risks that need a closer review.[1]
Can I park on private property, like a business parking lot?
Yes, with the owner's permission, where your city's zoning allows food businesses. If you have the owner's consent, the city can't limit how many days you park there or make you keep the owner's written consent on file, and it can't ask for a site plan if you're there less than 10 hours a week.[1]
Can a city require a background check for my food truck license?
No, unless you run an ice cream truck. A city may require a yearly background check for each employee who drives an ice cream truck, but not for other food trucks.[1]
Can I stay in one spot for a multi-day festival?
Yes, for up to five days in a row at a large multi-day gathering, as long as you keep things sanitary and follow the same rules as the other vendors there.[1]
Can I prep food at home for my truck?
No. The state food truck rule says food made in a private home can't be used or sold on a food truck, and you can't store food or equipment at a home, storage unit or garage. Prep at your approved commissary, or on the truck itself if your health department has exempted you.[12][6][4]
Sources
- Utah Code Title 11, Chapter 56, Mobile Business Licensing and Regulation Act (11-56-102 to 11-56-106), Utah State Legislature. Checked October 25, 2026.
- Utah Code Title 26B, Chapter 7 (26B-7-410, 26B-7-412 and 26B-7-413: food safety managers and food handlers), Utah State Legislature. Checked October 25, 2026.
- Utah Code 59-12-106, Sales and use tax license requirements, Utah State Legislature. Checked October 25, 2026.
- Mobile Food Service permits, Salt Lake County Health Department, Food Protection Bureau. Checked October 25, 2026.
- Mobile Food Businesses (food trucks), Davis County Health Department. Checked October 25, 2026.
- Pre-Opening Requirements: Mobile Food Businesses, Davis County Health Department. Checked October 25, 2026.
- Mobile Plan Review packet (2024): Helpful Information for New Food Trucks/Carts, Tooele County Health Department. Checked October 25, 2026.
- Utah Code 11-56-106, Mobile business operation (effective 5/6/2026), Utah State Legislature. Checked October 25, 2026.
- S.B. 242 Transportation Amendments, 2026 General Session (enrolled copy), Utah State Legislature. Checked October 25, 2026.
- Utah Admin. Code R710-14, Food Truck Licensing and Regulation, Utah State Fire Marshal. Checked October 25, 2026.
- Food Truck Fire Safety Inspection Form, Utah State Fire Marshal. Checked October 25, 2026.
- Utah Admin. Code R392-102, Mobile Food Business Sanitation (effective November 13, 2025), Utah Office of Administrative Rules (rule of the Utah Department of Health and Human Services). Checked October 25, 2026. Read in a browser on 2026-10-25 because adminrules.utah.gov did not serve rule text to the automated fetcher in earlier sessions; quotes were copied from the rendered page. On 2026-10-25 check:quotes did fetch the page and found every quote, but if it later reports this source as "could not fetch" or not found, check the quotes by hand on the live page.
- Fee Schedule 2026, Utah County Health Department. Checked October 25, 2026.
- Commissary Exemption Operator Guide, Utah County Health Department. Checked October 25, 2026.
- Commissary Agreement, Utah County Health Department. Checked October 25, 2026.
- Mobile Food Business, Salt Lake City Finance, Business Licensing. Checked October 25, 2026.
- Reciprocal Mobile Food Truck/Trailer Business License Application, Salt Lake City. Checked October 25, 2026.
- Consolidated Fee Schedule (amended 06/16/2026), Salt Lake City. Checked October 25, 2026.
Related
- Cottage Food Laws in Utah
- Food Truck Permits in Arizona
- Food Truck Permits in Colorado
- Food Truck Permits in Idaho
- Food Truck Permits in Nevada
- Food Truck Permits in New Mexico
- 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 Your local health department (the one covering the area where most of your truck's business happens) or your local health department. Spotted something wrong or out of date?Report it and we will check it.