How to Get a Mobile Food Service Permit in Georgia

To get a Georgia mobile food service permit, you apply through the county health department where your base of operations is located, and you cannot apply until that base of operations itself holds a food service permit. In practice that means two permits and two inspections before your truck serves a customer. The Georgia Department of Public Health sets the framework under its Food Service Rules and Regulations (Chapter 511-6-1); the county administers the process.

Start With a Permitted Base of Operations

This is the requirement that catches most new operators. Georgia defines a mobile food service establishment as a unit operating from a single base of operations under one permit holder, and your unit must return to that base daily for fresh water, supplies, cleaning, wastewater disposal, and other servicing.

The base needs a servicing area with overhead protection, a smooth nonabsorbent surface, and separate locations for flushing liquid waste versus loading water and food supplies. If you only serve prepackaged food, or your unit has no waste retention tanks, the servicing area is not required. When the truck is not in use, it must be stored at the base or at another location the health authority has approved.¹

The base carries its own food service permit, and DPH has a separate application form for it, distinct from the mobile unit application.²

What to Submit to the County Health Department

Contact the health department in the county where your base of operations is located. Each county may add procedural requirements on top of the state framework, but the underlying package is consistent.

A detailed, close-to-scale drawing of the mobile unit with all equipment labeled
At least two photographs showing the interior and exterior of the unit
Your proposed menu, which the health authority uses to determine the level of food preparation your unit must support
Business information, including ownership details, intended scope of operations, and proof of legal access to your vending locations
A notarized verification of residency form with supporting documentation
A non-refundable application fee set by the county

Fees are set locally, so call your county health office for the current amount. After reviewing your menu, plans, and method of operation, the health authority may add requirements to address health hazards specific to mobile operations, restrict or prohibit time and temperature controlled foods, or modify certain physical facility requirements where no health hazard would result.¹

Inspection and Approval

Once the application is accepted, the health department schedules inspections of both your base and your mobile unit. Inspectors check food storage conditions, sanitation, waste disposal, handwashing stations, and whether your installed equipment matches the plans you submitted. Any deficiencies have to be corrected before the permit is issued.

Georgia law requires food service establishment licenses to be posted on the premises in an open and conspicuous manner visible to the public.³ For mobile units specifically, both the permit (or a copy) and the most recent inspection report must be displayed where customers can see them and protected from the weather.¹

Vending in More Than One County

Your mobile unit permit only covers the county where your base of operations sits. To vend elsewhere, you need a separate permit from each additional county. DPH publishes a dedicated form for this.²

An additional-county application typically asks for copies of your base of operations permit, your home-county mobile unit permit, recent inspection reports, your approved menu, unit photos and drawings, and proof of compliance with local zoning and fire agencies. Some counties issue an interim permit that lets you operate for up to 14 consecutive days while the full application is processed, but the unit must be inspected before that interim period ends.

You must also keep a list of all your vending locations and notify the health authority at least seven days before changing any of them.¹ Falling behind on that notification is one of the fastest ways to draw enforcement attention.

What Has to Be on the Truck

Identification

Every mobile food service unit must display a sign or lettering showing the owner’s name and address, the operator’s name, and the permit number. Letters and numbers must be at least two inches high. Keep a separate authorization to operate on the unit and provide it to the health authority on request.¹

Food Sourcing, Handling, and Handwashing

All food must come from approved suppliers. Home-prepared foods and condiments cannot be sold or served from a mobile unit. Foods needing refrigeration or hot holding have to stay within safe temperature ranges during transport and service. The unit needs handwashing facilities with potable water, soap, and disposable towels, plus systems for solid waste and wastewater. Toilet facilities must be available for employees along the vending route, and you must keep a list of those facilities for the health authority.¹

A limited-menu unit can qualify for reduced requirements. If you only serve prepackaged, individually labeled food or beverages that don’t require temperature control, your unit may be exempt from water and sewage system requirements and certain cleaning and sanitization rules, as long as the required equipment exists at your permitted base.¹

Certified Food Protection Manager

Georgia requires at least one employee with supervisory responsibilities at a food service establishment to be a Certified Food Protection Manager. That person has to pass a test that is part of a program accredited by the American National Standards Institute.⁴ On a one-person truck, that person is you.

Fire Safety

Units with cooking equipment must meet fire safety standards. NFPA 96, the national standard for ventilation control and fire protection of commercial cooking operations, applies to food truck cooking setups and covers hood and duct systems, fire suppression, and grease filter maintenance. Local fire marshals typically inspect mobile units, and many counties require proof of a fire inspection as part of the permitting process.

Other Approvals a Health Permit Does Not Cover

The health permit is central, but it is not the whole picture.

Insurance

Georgia law sets minimum auto liability coverage of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury, plus $25,000 for property damage.⁵ Those are the statutory floors for any motor vehicle. A food truck with built-in equipment and public-facing service usually calls for more: a commercial auto policy that covers permanently attached appliances, plus a general liability policy or business owners policy for customer injuries and property damage at vending locations. Equipment breakdown and food spoilage endorsements are common add-ons.

Local Business Licenses and Zoning

Most Georgia cities and counties require food vendors to register with the local business license office. Zoning rules commonly prohibit operating in residential zones, set minimum distances from brick-and-mortar restaurants, restrict blocking traffic or required parking, and require written property owner permission on private land. These rules vary by municipality, so check with each city or county where you plan to vend.

Sales Tax

Prepared food sold from a food truck is subject to Georgia state and local sales and use tax. Under state tax regulations, “prepared food” includes meals sold by a food service establishment, though food items entirely prepared off the seller’s premises may be treated differently.⁶ Register for a sales tax number with the Georgia Department of Revenue and remit on the required schedule.

Employees

If you hire staff, federal wage and hour law applies. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, food service businesses with annual gross sales of at least $500,000 must pay the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour; Georgia has no higher state minimum. Overtime at one and a half times the regular rate applies to hours beyond 40 in a workweek. For tipped employees who regularly receive more than $30 per month in tips, the direct wage floor is $2.13 per hour, but total compensation including tips must still meet the full minimum wage.⁷

If You Operate Without a Permit or Violate the Rules

Enforcement runs on two tracks. Administratively, local health departments can issue citations, require corrective action, and suspend or revoke your permit. Suspension is common for operating without a valid permit, failing to return daily to the base of operations, or continuing to serve food under contamination-risk conditions. Operating on an expired interim permit without completing the inspection can also trigger suspension or revocation.¹

Criminally, violating the prohibited acts under the Georgia Food Act, including selling adulterated or misbranded food, refusing to permit inspections, or operating a food sales establishment in violation of licensing requirements, is a misdemeanor.³ The consequence that usually hurts most is the permit action itself. Every day the truck sits idle is lost revenue against ongoing expenses.

1
Legal Information Institute. Georgia Administrative Rules 511-6-1-.08 – Special Food Service
2
Georgia Department of Public Health. Food Service
3
Georgia Department of Agriculture. Georgia Code Title 26 – Georgia Food Act
4
Georgia Department of Agriculture. Certified Food Protection Managers
5
Justia Law. Georgia Code 40-9-37 – Requirements for Liability Insurance Policies
6
Legal Information Institute. Georgia Administrative Rules 560-12-2-.115 – Restaurants
7
U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 2 – Restaurants and Fast Food Establishments Under the FLSA