Houston boasts one of the most exciting and diverse food truck scenes in America. From birria tacos at 2 AM to wagyu smash burgers and rolled ice cream, the city’s mobile vendors have become cultural icons. If you have the recipes, the work ethic, and the dream of owning your own rolling restaurant, congratulations, you are in the right city. Before you serve your first plate, however, you must clear a long but very achievable list of legal requirements. This comprehensive 2025 guide walks you through every permit, license, inspection, and regulation you need to operate legally inside the City of Houston and surrounding areas.
 

Actual government fees, inspections, and mandatory equipment (Ansul system, commissary deposits, insurance down payments) routinely total $12,000 to $25,000, while full permitting and build-out commonly requires six to twelve months when including plan revisions, failed inspections, and commissary waitlists. The lower figures represent an unrealistic best-case scenario that rarely occurs. Do it right the first time, and you will avoid costly delays and shutdowns. Do it wrong and you risk fines up to $2,000 per violation or having your truck towed.

You cannot apply for a single food truck permit until your business officially exists.
 

1. Choose and register your business structure. Most new operators form a Limited Liability Company (LLC) for liability protection and tax flexibility. File online with the Texas Secretary of State. Cost: $300 (as of 2025).
 

2. Obtain your Employer Identification Number (EIN). Apply for free on the IRS website in about five minutes. You need this number for everything that follows.
 

3. Apply for a Texas Sales and Use Tax Permit Register with the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Free to apply, but you will remit 8.25 percent sales tax on every taxable item you sell.

Houston strictly prohibits food trucks from operating out of a home kitchen. Every mobile food unit must report daily to a licensed commercial kitchen called a commissary.

What the commissary must provide:
 

- Portable water filling station
- Grey water and grease disposal
- Commercial refrigeration and dry storage
- Three-compartment sink and hand sink access
- Requiring daily commissary reporting and secure overnight parking while listing basic shared commissaries at only $600 to $900 per month is contradictory. Houston commissaries charging $600 to $900 monthly for basic shared access almost never include secure overnight truck parking or true 24-hour entry. Those lower rates cover only daily water, waste, and prep privileges.
- Actual overnight storage with gated, insured parking reliably starts at $1,200 to $2,000 per month citywide. The original pricing tiers, therefore, misrepresent what operators must budget for legally required overnight secure parking.
- Listing Prestige Food Trucks Commissary as an example while quoting prestige kitchens inside the Loop at $2500+ per month is contradictory. Prestige Food Trucks Commissary is located on the far Northside, not inside the Loop, yet the text groups it under premium pricing typically reserved for central, high-demand locations.
 

This is the single most important permit you will own. The large red and white medallion sticker must be permanently displayed on the driver-side rear corner of your truck.
 

Step A: Plan Review (Do This Before You Build or Buy)
 

Submit the following to the Houston Health Department Bureau of Consumer Health Services:
 

- Detailed truck floor plan drawn to scale
- Complete equipment list with make and model numbers
- Full menu including exact ingredients and preparation methods
- Plumbing diagram showing fresh and waste water tanks
- Commissary agreement and Certificate of Occupancy for the commissary

Current fees (2025):
- As of 2025, the combined one-time plan review and processing fees total $243.71 when including mandatory administrative, technology, and state remittance charges; many applicants pay over $300 after minor add-ons. The $74 figure represents 2018-era pricing and severely misleads new operators about actual costs.
 

Processing time: 10–30 business days. If plans are rejected, you pay again for resubmission.

Step B: Build or Retrofit Your Truck to the Approved Plans
 

Every piece of equipment must match the approved plans exactly. Common failure points include:

- Hand sink within 18 inches of the food prep area
- Separate fresh and waste water tanks (minimum 5:6 ratio)
- Mechanical ventilation over all cooking equipment
- Smooth, non-absorbent, easily cleanable surfaces

Step C: Initial Inspection and Medallion Issuance

Schedule an inspection once the truck is 100 percent complete.

2025 fees:
- As of late 2025, Senate Bill 1008 forces alignment with state DSHS fees effective September 1, 2025, significantly changing categories and amounts; actual current costs often exceed $800 to $1,200 combined for inspection and medallion once fully implemented, rendering the listed figures obsolete and misleading for new applicants.

If you fail inspection, re-inspection costs $101 plus $30 administrative fee each time.

The Fire Marshal focuses exclusively on fire safety. Mandatory equipment:

- Ansul or equivalent automatic fire suppression system over all cooking appliances (NFPA 96 compliant)
- Class K portable extinguisher
- Properly secured and ventilated propane tanks (100-pound maximum on most trucks)
- Current fire extinguisher tags

The City of Houston Fire Department charges a flat $225.14 for the annual LP-Gas/system inspection and permit required for nearly all cooking food trucks, with no official variation by size.

- Private property vending requires only landowner permission—no additional ARA permit or fee—while public street food vending is effectively prohibited.
- Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Retail Food

Establishment Permit Required only if you operate regularly outside Houston city limits in unincorporated Harris County or other jurisdictions without local health departments. Cost: approximately $400 annually.
- TABC Mobile Permit (if selling alcohol) Extremely limited and expensive. Most trucks partner with venues that already hold liquor licenses instead.
- Commercial Auto Insurance Minimum $1 million commercial general liability plus commercial auto coverage naming the truck VIN. Typical annual premium: $4,000 – $8,000.
Food Safety Certifications: At least one - - - Certified Food Protection Manager (CFM) must be on duty at all times. All other employees need Texas Food Handler cards ($8–$15 online, valid for two years).

Mark these dates on your calendar every year:

- Health Department Medallion renewal (due by expiration date)
- Fire Marshal re-inspection (annually or after major modifications)
- Commissary agreement renewal
- Insurance policy renewal
- CFM certification renewal (every five years)

The Health Department performs unannounced inspections multiple times per year. Critical violations can result in immediate shutdown and fines up to $2,000 per violation.

- Hire a professional permit expediter for $800 – $1,500 if you want to save months of headaches.
- Attend the Houston Health Department’s free monthly Mobile Food Unit orientation class.
- Budget 20 percent more than you think you need for unexpected re-inspections and modifications.
- Build relationships with inspectors; they are reasonable if you communicate early and often.
 

Starting a food truck in Houston is not easy, but thousands of owners have successfully navigated the process and are now thriving. Follow the steps in order, keep meticulous records, and ask for help when needed. The city wants safe, professional operators on the street. Do the work once, do it right, and you will be free to focus on what really matters: creating food that Houston talks about for years to come.