Food truck licenses in Tennessee

The permit that comes first for every food truck

A food truck is a food establishment under Tennessee's food rules, so the health permit comes before any other decision. The rule is stated flat: a person may not operate a food establishment without a valid permit to operate issued by the department.

The state rules define a mobile food unit as a food establishment designed to be readily moved and vend food. They also define a commissary as a food establishment that services a mobile food unit or a pushcart, which is why the commissary agreement is on every application list below.

The application must reach the health department at least 15 calendar days before the date planned for opening. That clock is the longest lead time in the whole stack, so it is the step to start first, not last.

Tennessee's food service rules state that a person may not operate a food establishment without a valid permit to operate issued by the department. — Tennessee Department of Health, Chapter 1200-23-01, retrieved 2026-09-29

15 calendar daysTennessee's food rules define a mobile food unit as a food establishment designed to be readily moved and vend food, with applications due 15 calendar days before opening. — Tennessee Department of Health, Chapter 1200-23-01, retrieved 2026-09-29

Who issues the health permit, and what it costs in Shelby County

The health permit is issued through the county health department. In Shelby County, the Environmental Health and Food Safety Program issues permits for farmers' markets, mobile food units, temporary events, and retail food service establishments.

Shelby County publishes its permit fees by seating, and a food truck has none, so the food service permit lands at the published floor. The division states the pricing plainly: for 50 seats or less it is $210 per year, and for 51 seats or more it is $360 per year, with a bar fee of $100. A mobile unit pays the $210 figure.

The same office handles plan review and inspection, and the fee can be paid by phone with a card, which is a small mercy when a permit window closes at 4:30 in the afternoon.

The Shelby County Health Department's Environmental Health and Food Safety Program issues permits for farmers' markets, mobile food units, temporary events, and retail food service establishments. — Shelby County Health Department, retrieved 2026-09-29

$210 per yearThe Shelby County Health Department states that a food service permit costs $210 per year for 50 seats or less and $360 per year for 51 seats or more, with a bar fee of $100. — Shelby County Health Department, retrieved 2026-09-29

What goes in the mobile food unit application

Shelby County publishes the document list for a food unit permit application, and it shows how the layers stack. The list includes two sets of plans with a copy of the proposed menu, a lease agreement as applicable, a wastewater disposal agreement form, a floor plan of the vehicle showing equipment, sinks, and toilets, and a notarized commissary agreement form.

The item that ties the stack together is the first one the list implies: a business license or registration with the Tennessee Department of Revenue. The county health office wants proof the business layer exists before it reviews the food layer. The tax registration and the $15 local license under it are laid out in how to get a Tennessee business license.

The commissary agreement is the item owners underestimate. A shared commercial kitchen is the usual answer, and the agreement must be notarized, so it is not a form you sign in a parking lot on opening morning.

The Shelby County Health Department's food unit application requires two sets of plans, a business license or registration with the Department of Revenue, and a notarized commissary agreement. — Shelby County Health Department, retrieved 2026-09-29

Memphis: two business licenses under one health permit

In Memphis the business layer is fixed and published. Businesses within the municipal boundaries need a combined City of Memphis license at a $15 fee and a Shelby County Business License at a $15 fee.

Both expire on the anniversary of the application date the following year, with renewal through the Shelby County Clerk's office. The health permit runs on its own annual cycle at $210. A Memphis truck therefore renews on two different calendars, the license anniversary and the health permit year, and both lapse independently if ignored.

The full worked example of a Memphis business moving through the state filing, the county license, and the city license is one Memphis business, three licenses.

$15 + $15The City of Memphis states businesses within municipal boundaries need a combined City of Memphis license and a Shelby County Business License, at a $15 fee each. — City of Memphis, retrieved 2026-09-29

Knoxville: the city's own mobile food permit and fee

Knoxville demonstrates how much a city can add on its own. After a two-year pilot program, the City Council voted unanimously on April 26, 2016 to adopt a permanent Mobile Food Unit ordinance regulating food trucks.

The city's fees come with the history attached. Under the pilot, trucks on private property paid $200 annually, and trucks also using designated zones in the public right-of-way paid $400. Under the permanent ordinance, a mobile food unit pays an initial $200 annual fee and a $50 annual renewal, with a $75 temporary permit for a one-time event that must still comply with all unit requirements.

The ordinance also sets rules no fee schedule captures. Vending on private property is permitted only in specific districts. A unit outside designated parking spaces needs a site permit for fire access and sight lines, a shore-power electrical hookup must be inspected and approved, and trucks may not operate on unpaved or gravel lots. The city also defines the unit itself, including a 35-foot size limit.

$200 initialThe City of Knoxville states its permanent Mobile Food Unit ordinance, adopted April 26, 2016, charges a $200 initial annual fee, a $50 renewal, and $75 for a one-time event permit. — City of Knoxville, Business License and Tax Office, retrieved 2026-09-29

The City of Knoxville states mobile vending on private property is permitted only in specific districts, and units may not operate on unpaved or gravel lots. — City of Knoxville, Business License and Tax Office, retrieved 2026-09-29

What the two cities teach about the whole state

Memphis and Knoxville answer the same question differently. Memphis charges two $15 business licenses and routes food safety through the county health department. Knoxville charges a $200 mobile food permit through its Business License and Tax Office and keeps its own ordinance on where a truck may park.

Every Tennessee truck needs the health permit and the county license. What differs is the city layer, and the difference is large enough to change a season's budget, from $30 in Memphis fees to $200 in Knoxville for the first year. The full fee comparison across trades and layers is in what Tennessee business licenses cost.

The next step for a truck still choosing where to trade: call the health department in the county and the clerk in each city on the route, and write down what each charges before the calendar fills up.

$200 then $50The City of Knoxville states that under its permanent Mobile Food Unit ordinance, mobile food units pay an initial $200 annual fee and a $50 annual renewal fee. — City of Knoxville, Business License and Tax Office, retrieved 2026-09-29

Questions