Food Truck Permit Requirements in Jersey City, NJ

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. New Jersey Division of Taxation — Sales Tax Certificate of Authority

   Required for all businesses selling taxable goods or services in New Jersey. New Jersey charges a 6.625% state sales tax. Most services are exempt; retail product sales and certain services are taxable. Register free online via the State of New Jersey Business Registration portal.

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate to 3 business days (online)

   Free

   Immediate to 3 business days (online)

2. New Jersey Department of Health — Food Manager Certification

   New Jersey requires at least one certified food protection manager per food establishment. Certification must be from an ANSI-accredited provider such as ServSafe.

   Official government source

   $80–$150 (exam and course)·1–2 days

   $80–$150 (exam and course)

   1–2 days

1. City of Jersey City — Mobile Food Unit License

   Food trucks operating in Jersey City must hold a Mobile Food license from the Jersey City Department of Health & Human Services, Division of Environmental Health — the city issues it, not Hudson County. Class A covers a mobile food truck or trailer, Class B covers pushcarts, frozen dairy trucks and mobile agricultural trucks, and Class C covers flavored ice carts. A pre-operational inspection is required before the license is issued, the license is not transferable, and it renews annually. If you also prepare or store food at a fixed commercial kitchen, that location needs its own Kitchen/Commissary license.

   Official government source

   $840/year for Class A (mobile food truck or trailer), $600 for Class B and $250 for Class C. The pre-operational inspection is $75, a conditional first re-inspection is $125, and a Kitchen/Commissary license is $1,000/year (Jersey City Environmental Health Division license price list).·Licensed by the year, and issued only after the pre-operational inspection passes — build inspection time into your launch date. Renewing late adds $100 for licenses over $400.

   $840/year for Class A (mobile food truck or trailer), $600 for Class B and $250 for Class C. The pre-operational inspection is $75, a conditional first re-inspection is $125, and a Kitchen/Commissary license is $1,000/year (Jersey City Environmental Health Division license price list).

   Licensed by the year, and issued only after the pre-operational inspection passes — build inspection time into your launch date. Renewing late adds $100 for licenses over $400.

2. Jersey City Business Licensing (activity-specific, no general license)

   Jersey City does not issue a general Municipal Business License, and there is no gross-receipts-based city business license. Licensing is activity-specific: the Division of Commerce licenses regulated activities (alcohol, cannabis, peddlers, taxis, used cars, towing, second-hand dealers, parking lots, nightclubs, florists, sidewalk cafes and similar); the Department of Health & Human Services licenses food establishments, mobile food vendors, body art, cosmetology, laundries, childcare and animal-related businesses; and the Division of Construction Code issues Certificates of Occupancy. Determine which specific license, if any, applies to your business.

   Official government source

   Varies by license category — no blanket business license fee exists·1–3 weeks

   Varies by license category — no blanket business license fee exists

   1–3 weeks

3. Approved Commercial Kitchen (Commissary) Documentation - Jersey City

   Any food you do not prepare inside the unit must come from a licensed commercial kitchen. Jersey City's Division of Environmental Health mobile food vendor packet requires you to submit a copy of the current health department licence issued by the municipality where that kitchen is located, together with the kitchen's most recent food inspection report, as part of the documents reviewed at your in-person appointment before the pre-operational inspection. A commissary kitchen physically located in Jersey City must itself hold a Jersey City Kitchen/Commissary licence. New licences and temporary vendor licences are by appointment only (201-547-5285 or 201-547-5173). Mobile units must also be self-contained with a portable water tank and hand-washing sink with hot and cold water per N.J.A.C. 8:24-5.3.

   Official government source

   No city fee for the commissary documentation itself; a Jersey City Kitchen/Commissary licence is $1,000 per year and the Class A mobile food truck/trailer licence is $840 per year (fee schedule effective 8/1/2025). Rent for space in someone else's commissary is a private arrangement with no published rate.·Assemble the kitchen licence and inspection report before your licensing appointment; the licence is issued only after a satisfactory pre-operational inspection and a return visit

   No city fee for the commissary documentation itself; a Jersey City Kitchen/Commissary licence is $1,000 per year and the Class A mobile food truck/trailer licence is $840 per year (fee schedule effective 8/1/2025). Rent for space in someone else's commissary is a private arrangement with no published rate.

   Assemble the kitchen licence and inspection report before your licensing appointment; the licence is issued only after a satisfactory pre-operational inspection and a return visit

Official Sources

• Jersey City / Hudson County Health Department
• New Jersey Division of Taxation — Sales Tax Certificate of Authority

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