Food Truck Permit Requirements in Bellevue, NE

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. Nebraska Department of Revenue — Sales and Use Tax Permit

   Any business selling taxable goods or taxable services in Nebraska must hold a sales tax permit from the Nebraska Department of Revenue and collect tax at the combined state and local rate for the delivery location. Register online through the Department's business registration service or by filing paper Form 20; NebFile is the separate system used to file returns once you are registered, not the registration tool. Local city sales and use taxes are layered on top of the state rate and change by quarter, so use the Department's Sales Tax Rate Finder for the exact rate at each address rather than assuming a flat figure.

   Official government source

   $0 — the Nebraska Department of Revenue charges no fee to register for a sales and use tax permit, online or by paper Form 20.·Registering online, you are either assigned a Nebraska ID number at the time of registration or contacted by the Department within five business days for additional information. Allow about two weeks for a paper Form 20.

   $0 — the Nebraska Department of Revenue charges no fee to register for a sales and use tax permit, online or by paper Form 20.

   Registering online, you are either assigned a Nebraska ID number at the time of registration or contacted by the Department within five business days for additional information. Allow about two weeks for a paper Form 20.

2. Certified Food Protection Manager (ANSI-accredited certification)

   Nebraska has adopted the FDA Food Code by reference as part of the Nebraska Pure Food Act, which requires food establishments to have a certified food protection manager. The certification itself is not issued or priced by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture — you earn it by passing an exam from an ANSI-CFP accredited program (for example ServSafe, Prometric, National Registry of Food Safety Professionals or 360training) and the provider sets the course and exam price. In Douglas County, the Douglas County Health Department separately enforces Omaha Municipal Code sections 11-264 through 11-273 covering Certified Food Protection Managers and food handler permits, so Omaha operators should check its requirements as well.

   Official government source

   Set by the private ANSI-accredited exam provider you choose, not by any Nebraska agency — the state charges no certification fee. Budget for the provider's course and proctored exam separately.·Exams are offered on demand by accredited providers; certificates are typically issued shortly after passing and are usually valid five years. NDA does not publish a processing time because it does not issue the certificate.

   Set by the private ANSI-accredited exam provider you choose, not by any Nebraska agency — the state charges no certification fee. Budget for the provider's course and proctored exam separately.

   Exams are offered on demand by accredited providers; certificates are typically issued shortly after passing and are usually valid five years. NDA does not publish a processing time because it does not issue the certificate.

1. Nebraska Department of Agriculture — Mobile Food Unit Permit

   Food trucks operating in Bellevue are permitted by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture's Food Safety Program, not by the Sarpy/Cass Health Department, which states on its own site that NDA issues food establishment and mobile food unit permits. Only Lancaster, Douglas, and Hall counties have local health departments handling food permitting. Submit NDA's Request for Permit form to [email protected]; the food safety team will schedule an inspection or request more information within 30 days. The form asks mobile units for the planned wastewater disposal method and fresh/waste water tank sizes. Permits are non-transferable and lapse automatically on change of ownership or location.

   Official government source

   The Director of Agriculture sets initial and annual permit fees each year on or before July 1 under the Nebraska Pure Food Act; NDA does not publish the schedule online — call Food Safety at 402-471-3422. An additional $60 fee applies if you operated before applying for the permit.·Allow a minimum of 30 days between submitting the application and the inspection date; a required floor plan review can add another 30 days before inspection. Permits renew by August 1 each year regardless of when first obtained.

   The Director of Agriculture sets initial and annual permit fees each year on or before July 1 under the Nebraska Pure Food Act; NDA does not publish the schedule online — call Food Safety at 402-471-3422. An additional $60 fee applies if you operated before applying for the permit.

   Allow a minimum of 30 days between submitting the application and the inspection date; a required floor plan review can add another 30 days before inspection. Permits renew by August 1 each year regardless of when first obtained.

2. Bellevue Business Licensing — no general business license required

   Bellevue does not require a general business license for businesses operating within city limits, and there is no annual license that must be renewed and displayed at your place of business. The City Clerk's page enumerates every license and permit that office issues — fireworks permits, handicapped parking permits, liquor licenses, tobacco licenses, trash hauler licenses, pawnbroker licenses, vendor/solicitor licenses, event/event-participation licenses, hunting waiver permits, and annual occupation tax stickers for vending machines and distributors — and a general or all-purpose business license is not among them. Check whether your specific business type falls into one of those regulated categories; if it does not, no city license is required. State-level obligations still apply: register your entity or trade name with the Nebraska Secretary of State, register with the Nebraska Department of Revenue if you sell taxable goods or services, and obtain any state professional license your trade requires.

   Official government source

   $0 — Bellevue charges no general business license fee because no such license exists. The specific regulated licenses the City Clerk does issue are priced individually; contact the Clerk's office for those.·Not applicable — there is no general business license application to file.

   $0 — Bellevue charges no general business license fee because no such license exists. The specific regulated licenses the City Clerk does issue are priced individually; contact the Clerk's office for those.

   Not applicable — there is no general business license application to file.

3. Commissary Agreement (Nebraska Department of Agriculture)

   A mobile food unit based in Bellevue must operate from an approved commissary — a licensed commercial kitchen used for food preparation, storage, warewashing and waste disposal — and a signed commissary agreement is submitted with the mobile unit permit application. Because Sarpy County has no local food-inspection jurisdiction (only Lancaster, Douglas and Hall counties run their own programs), the permit is issued by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, and the commissary itself must hold its own retail food establishment permit. NDA also maintains a registry of local mobile food ordinances, which is worth checking for any city where you plan to park and serve.

   Official government source

   No government fee for the commissary agreement itself. Renting space in a licensed commercial kitchen is a private-market cost set by the kitchen operator, not by any agency, and should not be presented as a permit fee. NDA's own food establishment permit fee is billed separately and is not published online — confirm it with NDA Food Safety and Consumer Protection at 402-471-3422.·The signed commissary agreement must be in place before you submit your permit request. NDA asks that requests for permit be submitted at least 60 days before your target opening date, with receipt confirmed within 10 business days and an inspector contact within 30 days.

   No government fee for the commissary agreement itself. Renting space in a licensed commercial kitchen is a private-market cost set by the kitchen operator, not by any agency, and should not be presented as a permit fee. NDA's own food establishment permit fee is billed separately and is not published online — confirm it with NDA Food Safety and Consumer Protection at 402-471-3422.

   The signed commissary agreement must be in place before you submit your permit request. NDA asks that requests for permit be submitted at least 60 days before your target opening date, with receipt confirmed within 10 business days and an inspector contact within 30 days.

Official Sources

• Bellevue / Sarpy County Health Department
• Nebraska Department of Revenue — Sales Tax Permit

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