Offered by: Austin Public Health

Mobile food vendor permit types and fees

Learn about mobile food vendor permit types, rules, and fees, then fill out the application for the right permit for your business. You’ll bring it to our office to apply in person, then we’ll schedule a separate inspection appointment.

The mobile food vending permit

The mobile food vendor operating permit allows a business to sell, serve, or give away food or drinks to the public from a wheeled unit for one year. The category of “mobile units” includes:

Motor vehicles,
Trailers,
Bikes,
Pushcarts or kiosks, and
Peddlers on foot selling from coolers or hot boxes.

A mobile food vendor may work inside the region listed on the mobile food vending permit. Regions include the City of Austin, rural Travis County, or local cities and towns contracted with Austin Public Health.

The mobile food vending permit does not replace the base fixed food permit. All mobile food vendors must have a Central Preparation Facility (CPF), which is a fixed food business that provides services to the mobile food unit.

Unrestricted and restricted permits

The type of permit you need depends on the food-handling method you’ll be using.

Unrestricted permits

Unrestricted permits are for vendors handling open food, drinks, or both inside the mobile unit. Examples include snow cones, BBQ, any cooking of foods, and staff-handled drinks.

Restricted permits

Restricted permits are for vendors handling only pre-wrapped food, drinks, or both that must be stored hot, cold, or with time control to keep from spoiling. No open food work is allowed, and all food, drinks, and toppings must be pre-packaged or wrapped at a permitted food business. Examples include packaged frozen foods, grab-and-go tacos, and self-serve drink urns.

City of Austin permit or Travis County permit

City of Austin mobile food ordinances only apply inside Austin city limits. However, this includes local cities and towns that have contracted with the City of Austin so that vendors can use the same permit. Those cities and towns are:

Bee Cave,
Lakeway,
Manor,
Rollingwood,
Sunset Valley,
Volente, and
Westlake Hills.

Travis County follows the Texas Food Establishment Rules and Chapter 341 of the Texas Health and Safety code.

Fees

City of Austin

This includes municipalities contracted with the City of Austin (see list above).
Mobile food vendor application fee — $105
Unrestricted permit (per unit) — $290
Restricted permit (per unit) — $212
Mobile vendor re-inspection — $130
Mobile vendor fire inspection* — $204
Mobile vendor fire re-inspection — First re-inspection is free, then $204 per inspection after that.
Food manager certificate reciprocity — $31
Food manager certificate replacement — $16
Central prep facility registration (non-refundable) — $150

Travis County

Unrestricted (per unit) — $273
Restricted (per unit) — $198
Mobile vendor fire inspection — $125
Central prep facility registration — No fee

Offered by

Austin Public Health