Food Truck Permit Requirements in Portland, 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. City of Portland Food Truck License plus State Food License

   A food truck in Portland needs a City Food Truck licence from the Business Licensing Office (City Hall room 307), with a City health inspection by the Public Health Division (207-756-8365). Separately the operator needs the required state food licence: a DHHS Municipal Eating License if onsite-prepared food is 51 percent or more of sales, or a DACF Retail Food License if pre-packaged retail food is 51 percent or more. Portland is one of only three Maine municipalities with a delegated Maine CDC health inspection agreement, so the DHHS licence is issued locally. Cumberland County has no role in food licensing.

   Official government source

   City of Portland: $45 application fee (one $45 fee even if you apply for several licence types at once) and $35 a year to renew. State: $100 per year for an Eating Place - Mobile under the delegated municipal schedule, plus $100 for the Mobile Base Kitchen the unit works from. Food trucks must also carry at least $400,000 general liability insurance.·Apply for the City licence, obtain the state licence, then call 207-756-8365 to schedule the opening health inspection - a couple of days' notice is usually enough. Licences renew annually.

   City of Portland: $45 application fee (one $45 fee even if you apply for several licence types at once) and $35 a year to renew. State: $100 per year for an Eating Place - Mobile under the delegated municipal schedule, plus $100 for the Mobile Base Kitchen the unit works from. Food trucks must also carry at least $400,000 general liability insurance.

   Apply for the City licence, obtain the state licence, then call 207-756-8365 to schedule the opening health inspection - a couple of days' notice is usually enough. Licences renew annually.

2. City of Portland Business License (specific regulated activities only)

   Portland does not require a business licence of every business. The City's Business License Administrator (207-874-8557, [email protected]) issues licences only for specific regulated categories: food service and liquor establishments, breweries and distilleries, food trucks and pushcarts, temporary events and catering, flea markets and second-hand dealers, marijuana businesses, massage therapists and establishments, taxi/livery/tour vehicles and valet parking, farmers market vendors, fire permits, scrap metal recycling and transient sellers. If your business is not in one of those categories, no City of Portland business licence is required. Where one does apply, most types need Zoning, Health, Code Enforcement, Fire, Police (SBI background check) and Treasury approvals first, and outstanding taxes or sewer fees will block issuance.

   Official government source

   $45 flat application fee (a single $45 fee even when applying for several licence types at once) and $35 a year to renew - not revenue-tiered. Sole proprietors and partnerships also file a d/b/a for $10.·Licences are annual. Allow time for the departmental approvals - zoning, health, code, fire, police background check and treasury - before the licence issues

   $45 flat application fee (a single $45 fee even when applying for several licence types at once) and $35 a year to renew - not revenue-tiered. Sole proprietors and partnerships also file a d/b/a for $10.

   Licences are annual. Allow time for the departmental approvals - zoning, health, code, fire, police background check and treasury - before the licence issues

3. Base Kitchen / Commissary for a Mobile Food Unit

   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. In Portland the licence is issued locally under the City's delegated agreement with Maine CDC, alongside the City's own Food Truck licence. Any rent you pay 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 under the delegated municipal schedule (the state rate is also $100; a full Eating Place - Commissary licence is $300). Rent paid to a third-party commercial kitchen is a private market rate set by its owner, not by the City or State.·Line up the base kitchen before applying - the unit and its base are inspected before the mobile licence issues

   $100 per year for an Eating Place - Mobile Base Kitchen under the delegated municipal schedule (the state rate is also $100; a full Eating Place - Commissary licence is $300). Rent paid to a third-party commercial kitchen is a private market rate set by its owner, not by the City or State.

   Line up the base kitchen before applying - the unit and its base are inspected before the mobile licence issues

Official Sources

• Portland / Cumberland County Health Department
• Maine Revenue Services — Sales Tax Registration

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