Food Truck Permit Requirements in Concord, NH

Complete permit and license guide for starting a food truck in Concord, Merrimack County, New Hampshire.

Verified 2026-09-06 6 stops $600–$1,500 est. 3–6 weeks to obtain all permits and pass inspections
Get my personalized route — $14.99

Not legal advice. Requirements may change — always verify with your local government authority before applying. Key agencies and fees on this page were re-checked against official government sources on .

Federal — start here

1 stop

  1. EIN (Employer Identification Number)

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

    Official government source

    FreeImmediate (online application)

State of New Hampshire

2 stops

  1. New Hampshire — No Sales Tax

    New Hampshire has no state sales tax and no local sales taxes, so businesses need no sales tax permit or resale registration for sales tax purposes. Businesses may instead owe the Business Enterprise Tax and the Business Profits Tax, both administered by the NH Department of Revenue Administration; BET paid can be credited against BPT. Restaurants, caterers and lodging operators separately collect the Meals and Rooms (Rentals) Tax and must hold a DRA license for it. Filing and payment are handled through DRA's Granite Tax Connect portal.

    Official government source

    No fee to register for business taxes with DRA. For taxable periods beginning on or after January 1, 2025, a BET return is due from any enterprise with more than $298,000 in gross receipts or an enterprise value tax base above $298,000; the BET rate is 0.55%Immediate — registration and filing are done online through Granite Tax Connect

  2. New Hampshire — Certified Food Protection Manager

    RSA 143-A:11-a requires each food service establishment licensed by the state to have a person in charge trained as a certified food protection manager, through a program approved by the Conference for Food Protection or an equivalent industry standard (ANSI-accredited). Establishments with five or fewer food employees on duty need only one certified manager on staff, available but not necessarily present. New Hampshire's self-inspecting cities, including Manchester, Nashua and Concord, apply their own equivalent requirement.

    Official government source

    Course and exam cost is set by the training provider, not the StateMost approved courses and exams are completed in 1–2 days

City of Concord / Merrimack County

3 stops

  1. City of Concord — Food Service License and Peddler License for Mobile Food Vendors

    Concord licenses its own food establishments through the Code Administration Division's Health and Licensing Services, so food trucks are not licensed by NH DHHS and Merrimack County has no role. Under the City's Rules for Mobile Food Service Vendors effective May 9, 2022, every food truck or mobile food vendor must hold a valid City of Concord Food Service License and a peddler license, must operate only in non-residentially zoned areas between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., and must staff at least one person holding a ServSafe or other ANSI-accredited Food Protection Manager certification. New establishments must begin with a plan review, filed through the Citizen Self Service permit portal. A parking encumbrance permit from the Police Department is required to operate from a metered or time-limited space.

    Official government source

    $30 non-refundable application fee plus $350 per year for the Annual Food/Peddler Combo License, or $50 per day for the Temporary Food/Temporary Peddler Combo License; a $40 plan review fee applies to a new establishment and failed inspections are $30 each (City of Concord FY27 fee schedule)No processing time is published; licensing follows plan review and inspection

  2. City of Concord — No General Business License

    Concord does not require a general business license, and the City Clerk does not run a business-licensing program (the Clerk handles dog licensing, vital records and elections). Licensing that does exist is administered by the Code Administration Division's Health and Licensing Services and is limited to specific activities — food service establishments, tattoo parlors and artists, peddlers and vendors, pawnbrokers and secondhand dealers, entertainment and places of amusement, taxicabs, junk dealers, charitable solicitation and special events. Check the City's Permits and Licenses page for what applies to your trade.

    Official government source

    No general business license fee. Activity-specific licenses carry their own fees, most with a $30 non-refundable application fee (for example a food service license is $74 to $534 per year by class, and a tattoo establishment is $158 per year)Not applicable — there is no general business license to apply for

  3. Commissary Kitchen (Concord mobile food units)

    A mobile food unit generally must work from an approved commissary — a licensed commercial kitchen used for food prep, storage and cleaning. In Concord this is settled through the City rather than the State: Concord licenses its own food establishments through the Code Administration Division's Health and Licensing Services, and a new food service establishment must begin with a plan review, filed through the Citizen Self Service permit portal, in which the commissary arrangement is reviewed. Every food truck must also hold a City of Concord Food Service License and a peddler license.

    Official government source

    Commissary rent is a private cost set by the kitchen you contract with, not a government fee; the City charges a $40 plan review fee for a new establishmentArrange the commissary before plan review and licensing

Terminus

Open for business — est. $600–$1,500 · 3–6 weeks to obtain all permits and pass inspections

Want this mapped to your exact business and structure, in filing order?

Get my personalized route — $14.99

Official Sources

Related Guides