Food Truck Permit Requirements in New Orleans, LA

1. EIN (Employer Identification Number)

   Required if you have employees or operate as an LLC or corporation. Free from the IRS.

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online application)

   Free

   Immediate (online application)

1. Louisiana Department of Revenue — Sales Tax Registration

   Required for all businesses selling taxable goods or services in Louisiana. The Louisiana state sales tax rate is 5%. Sellers must apply for a sales tax certificate with the Louisiana Department of Revenue. Louisiana also has parish- and municipal-level sales taxes collected separately by local collectors, so the combined rate varies by parish and you must register with each applicable local collector in addition to the state.

   Official government source

   No registration fee is published by the Louisiana Department of Revenue.·Not published by the Louisiana Department of Revenue; the '1-5 business days' figure has no official source.

   No registration fee is published by the Louisiana Department of Revenue.

   Not published by the Louisiana Department of Revenue; the '1-5 business days' figure has no official source.

2. Louisiana Department of Health — Certified Food Protection Manager Requirement

   Louisiana requires a certified food safety manager for retail food establishments, including caterers and mobile food units. LDH-approved providers teach an eight-hour Food Safety Manager course and proctor an ANSI-accredited exam (e.g. ServSafe); the resulting certification is then submitted to LDH's Retail Food Program for the state 'gold seal' Food Safety Manager Certificate. Food handler certificates, out-of-state manager certificates and course completion certificates are not accepted.

   Official government source

   Course/exam fees are set by the private LDH-approved provider and vary; LDH charges a separate fee for the state certificate, payable by company check, money order or credit card. Confirm both with your provider and LDH — the $80–$150 figure is unverified.·The approved course is eight hours; LDH does not publish a processing time for issuing the state certificate.

   Course/exam fees are set by the private LDH-approved provider and vary; LDH charges a separate fee for the state certificate, payable by company check, money order or credit card. Confirm both with your provider and LDH — the $80–$150 figure is unverified.

   The approved course is eight hours; LDH does not publish a processing time for issuing the state certificate.

1. Orleans Parish / City of New Orleans — Food Truck (Mayoralty) Permit

   All food trucks operating in New Orleans must obtain a Food Truck (Mayoralty) Permit and an Occupational License from the city's Bureau of Revenue - Sales Tax (1300 Perdido St., Rm. 1W15; 504-658-1630). Before the city permit is approved, the applicant must hold all approvals, inspections and certificates required by the Louisiana Department of Health (504-568-7970) and by the New Orleans Fire Department (504-658-4770). Annual renewal required.

   Official government source

   City: $400.25/year Food Truck (Mayoralty) Permit + $150/year Occupational License + a $50 non-refundable application fee + a $50 sales-tax deposit + $5 per employee ID card. State: the LDH mobile food unit permit follows the retail food schedule ($150 for a first permit) plus a $100 standard plans-review fee.·Not published by the city. LDH plans review is 10 or fewer business days for the $100 standard fee, or 5 or fewer business days for the $1,000 expedited fee; LDH and Fire Department sign-offs must be in hand before the city permit issues.

   City: $400.25/year Food Truck (Mayoralty) Permit + $150/year Occupational License + a $50 non-refundable application fee + a $50 sales-tax deposit + $5 per employee ID card. State: the LDH mobile food unit permit follows the retail food schedule ($150 for a first permit) plus a $100 standard plans-review fee.

   Not published by the city. LDH plans review is 10 or fewer business days for the $100 standard fee, or 5 or fewer business days for the $1,000 expedited fee; LDH and Fire Department sign-offs must be in hand before the city permit issues.

2. City of New Orleans Bureau of Revenue / Department of Safety and Permits — Business License

   New Orleans requires an Occupational License (annual business tax) and a Certificate of Occupancy for all businesses. The Bureau of Revenue (Department of Finance) handles the Occupational License tax; the Department of Safety and Permits handles occupancy and zoning, issuing a Certificate of Occupancy (No Work) for $190. The license must be renewed annually and displayed at your place of business.

   Official government source

   $50/year minimum where gross sales are under $50,000, rising through the city's Occupational License Tax Tables — Table 1 runs to $6,200/year at $5.5M+ in gross sales, well above the claimed $500 ceiling. The Certificate of Occupancy is a separate $190.·Occupational License: not published — a temporary license is generated on approval through the One Stop App and the Amended Return Form is due within the first 40 days of operation. Certificate of Occupancy: same day in some situations, 2-3 days if an inspection is required.

   $50/year minimum where gross sales are under $50,000, rising through the city's Occupational License Tax Tables — Table 1 runs to $6,200/year at $5.5M+ in gross sales, well above the claimed $500 ceiling. The Certificate of Occupancy is a separate $190.

   Occupational License: not published — a temporary license is generated on approval through the One Stop App and the Amended Return Form is due within the first 40 days of operation. Certificate of Occupancy: same day in some situations, 2-3 days if an inspection is required.

3. Commissary Agreement (required for the Louisiana Department of Health mobile food permit)

   A food truck based in New Orleans is permitted by the Louisiana Department of Health's Retail Food Program under the Louisiana Sanitary Code — this is a state requirement, not merely a common practice in 'most jurisdictions.' The unit must operate from an approved commissary or base of operations: a permitted commercial kitchen used for food preparation and storage, potable water, wastewater disposal, and cleaning and servicing of the truck. A signed commissary agreement naming that facility is submitted with the plan review and permit application, and the regional LDH sanitarian inspects the unit and the commissary before the permit issues. Separately, the City of New Orleans requires its own mobile food vending permit and occupational license through the Department of Safety and Permits and the Bureau of Revenue; LDH's schedule notes that a unit permitted in one parish needs no second state permit or fee to operate in another, but a city may still require its own application and vehicle inspection first.

   Official government source

   No government fee attaches to the commissary agreement itself — the cost is whatever the host kitchen charges under a private rental arrangement, which LDH neither publishes nor regulates, so '$200-$700/month' has no official basis. The published state costs are the retail food permit at $150 for a first permit, $112.50 for the second through fourth and $75 for each after the fourth (mobile units use the same schedule as restaurants), plus a plans-review fee of $100 standard or $1,000 expedited. Special event or temporary permits are a flat $25; seasonal permits are $15 per month with a $15 minimum.·Secure the commissary before applying — the signed agreement is part of the application package. LDH plans review takes 10 business days or fewer at the $100 standard fee, or 5 business days or fewer at the $1,000 expedited fee, followed by inspection of the truck and commissary by the regional sanitarian. LDH publishes no overall permit-issuance time, and the separate City of New Orleans permitting runs on its own schedule.

   No government fee attaches to the commissary agreement itself — the cost is whatever the host kitchen charges under a private rental arrangement, which LDH neither publishes nor regulates, so '$200-$700/month' has no official basis. The published state costs are the retail food permit at $150 for a first permit, $112.50 for the second through fourth and $75 for each after the fourth (mobile units use the same schedule as restaurants), plus a plans-review fee of $100 standard or $1,000 expedited. Special event or temporary permits are a flat $25; seasonal permits are $15 per month with a $15 minimum.

   Secure the commissary before applying — the signed agreement is part of the application package. LDH plans review takes 10 business days or fewer at the $100 standard fee, or 5 business days or fewer at the $1,000 expedited fee, followed by inspection of the truck and commissary by the regional sanitarian. LDH publishes no overall permit-issuance time, and the separate City of New Orleans permitting runs on its own schedule.

Official Sources

• New Orleans / Orleans Parish Health Department
• Louisiana Department of Revenue — Sales Tax Registration

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