Food Truck Permit Requirements in Lewiston, ME

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. Maine Revenue Services — Sales Tax Registration

   Required for all businesses selling tangible personal property or taxable services in Maine. Maine charges a 5.5% state sales tax (food and lodging have different rates). Register with Maine Revenue Services online.

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online)

   Free

   Immediate (online)

2. Certified Food Protection Manager (Maine Food Code)

   Under the 2013 Maine Food Code every food establishment must have a Person in Charge and at least one employee holding a Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) certification from an ANSI-accredited programme such as ServSafe; the same person may be both. Eating establishments - restaurants, caterers and mobile food units - are licensed and inspected by the Maine CDC (DHHS) Health Inspection Program, or locally by Portland, Lewiston or South Portland under a delegated agreement. The Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry licenses retail and food-processing operations instead, so DACF is the wrong agency for a food truck or caterer.

   Official government source

   No government fee - the CFPM course and proctored exam are sold by the ANSI-accredited training provider you choose, and neither the State nor a delegated municipality charges to record the certificate·The course and exam are usually completed in one to two days; keep the certificate on file at the establishment for inspection

   No government fee - the CFPM course and proctored exam are sold by the ANSI-accredited training provider you choose, and neither the State nor a delegated municipality charges to record the certificate

   The course and exam are usually completed in one to two days; keep the certificate on file at the establishment for inspection

1. Maine Mobile Food Unit License plus Lewiston Mobile Unit License

   A food truck in Lewiston needs two licences. The State of Maine mobile unit licence comes from the Maine CDC Health Inspection Program (207-287-5671), and the base kitchen the unit works from is licensed separately. The City of Lewiston mobile unit licence is issued by the Deputy City Clerk with inspection by the Code Enforcement Officer/Sanitarian, and city ordinance requires food trucks to park at least 100 feet from any restaurant. Androscoggin County has no food licensing role.

   Official government source

   State: $270 per year for an Eating Place - Mobile, plus $100 for a Mobile Base Kitchen (Maine CDC Health Inspection Program fee schedule). City of Lewiston: $100 mobile unit application fee, with proof of at least $400,000 liability insurance naming the City as certificate holder.·The state licence issues after the unit and its base kitchen pass inspection; file the City application with the Clerk at least seven days before you begin operating

   State: $270 per year for an Eating Place - Mobile, plus $100 for a Mobile Base Kitchen (Maine CDC Health Inspection Program fee schedule). City of Lewiston: $100 mobile unit application fee, with proof of at least $400,000 liability insurance naming the City as certificate holder.

   The state licence issues after the unit and its base kitchen pass inspection; file the City application with the Clerk at least seven days before you begin operating

2. City of Lewiston - Selective Business Licensing (City Clerk)

   Lewiston does not require a general business licence or registration, and licensing is run by the City Clerk's Department (207-513-3124), not the Finance Department. The Clerk licenses over 40 specific business types required by Maine statute or city ordinance - among them food service establishments, mobile units and roving diners, massage establishments and therapists, tattoo parlours, lodging houses, flea markets, pawnbrokers, peddlers, second-hand dealers, taxicab companies, junk collectors and adult businesses. Most other trades - cleaning, landscaping, handyman, photography, tutoring, pet sitting, notary, bookkeeping, real estate, insurance, plumbing, electrical and HVAC contracting - are not licensed by the City at all. Most licensed types require inspection by the Fire, Code (Health) or Police departments before issue.

   Official government source

   Fees are published per category in the City's Business License Applications Fees, Penalties and Inspection and Approval Schedule - for example food service establishment $150-$575 by class and size, mobile unit / roving diner $100, massage establishment $110 application plus $195 licence, tattooing $110 plus $195, second-hand dealer $88, peddler $56 in state. Most businesses pay nothing because they are not a licensed category.·File the application at least seven days before you begin operating, and allow time for any required Fire, Code (Health) or Police inspection

   Fees are published per category in the City's Business License Applications Fees, Penalties and Inspection and Approval Schedule - for example food service establishment $150-$575 by class and size, mobile unit / roving diner $100, massage establishment $110 application plus $195 licence, tattooing $110 plus $195, second-hand dealer $88, peddler $56 in state. Most businesses pay nothing because they are not a licensed category.

   File the application at least seven days before you begin operating, and allow time for any required Fire, Code (Health) or Police inspection

3. Base Kitchen / Commissary for a Mobile Food Unit (Lewiston)

   A mobile food unit in Maine works from a licensed base of operations for food prep, storage, water and waste handling and cleaning. Maine's Health Inspection Program licenses that base separately from the truck: an Eating Place - Mobile Base Kitchen, or an Eating Place - Commissary where the kitchen also serves other operators. A Lewiston food truck needs both a State of Maine mobile unit licence from the Health Inspection Program (207-287-5671) and a City of Lewiston mobile unit licence from the Deputy City Clerk, so the base kitchen must be in place before either issues. Rent paid to a third-party kitchen owner is a private commercial arrangement, not a government fee.

   Official government source

   $100 per year for an Eating Place - Mobile Base Kitchen (a full Eating Place - Commissary licence is $300), on top of the $270 state Eating Place - Mobile licence and the $100 City of Lewiston mobile unit application fee. Rent paid to a third-party commercial kitchen is a private market rate.·Line up the base kitchen before applying - the unit and its base are inspected before the licences issue

   $100 per year for an Eating Place - Mobile Base Kitchen (a full Eating Place - Commissary licence is $300), on top of the $270 state Eating Place - Mobile licence and the $100 City of Lewiston mobile unit application fee. Rent paid to a third-party commercial kitchen is a private market rate.

   Line up the base kitchen before applying - the unit and its base are inspected before the licences issue

Official Sources

• Lewiston / Androscoggin County Health Department
• Maine Revenue Services — Sales Tax Registration

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