Food Truck Permit Requirements in Cranston, RI

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. Rhode Island Division of Taxation — Sales Tax Permit

   Required for all businesses selling tangible personal property or taxable services in Rhode Island. Rhode Island charges a 7% state sales tax with no local sales taxes. Register with the RI Division of Taxation online via the RI Tax Portal.

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online)

   Free

   Immediate (online)

2. Rhode Island Department of Health - Certified Food Safety Manager

   Under the Rhode Island Food Code (FDA Food Code 2022, section 2-102.12), the person in charge of a food establishment must be a certified food protection manager who has passed a test forming part of an accredited program, so a catering operation needs at least one. RIDOH issues the Certified Food Safety Manager credential and only trained, certified people may use that title. Certification runs five years, and renewal requires 8 professional development units - eight hours of approved food safety and sanitation training - within the period.

   Official government source

   $50.00 RIDOH Certified Food Safety Manager certification fee and $50.00 at each renewal under fee regulation 216-RICR-10-05-2, plus the private provider's course and national examination fees.·Not published by RIDOH; certification lasts five years and renewal notices are sent 60 days before the expiration date.

   $50.00 RIDOH Certified Food Safety Manager certification fee and $50.00 at each renewal under fee regulation 216-RICR-10-05-2, plus the private provider's course and national examination fees.

   Not published by RIDOH; certification lasts five years and renewal notices are sent 60 days before the expiration date.

1. Mobile Food Establishment Licensing (RI DBR, RIDOH, and City of Cranston)

   Rhode Island has no county or municipal health departments, so food licensing is at the state level. A food truck must first register the mobile food establishment with the RI Department of Business Regulation (DBR), then obtain a Mobile Food Service License from RIDOH's Center for Food Protection, which requires plan review and a pre-operational inspection. Cranston separately issues its own Mobile Food Establishment license through the City Clerk's licensing portal.

   Official government source

   $100 non-refundable RIDOH application fee, prorated by the date the application is submitted, plus DBR registration and the Cranston Mobile Food Establishment license fee.·Not published; RIDOH plan review and a pre-operational inspection must be completed before approval.

   $100 non-refundable RIDOH application fee, prorated by the date the application is submitted, plus DBR registration and the Cranston Mobile Food Establishment license fee.

   Not published; RIDOH plan review and a pre-operational inspection must be completed before approval.

2. No General Business License in Cranston

   Cranston issues no general business license, so a yoga studio needs none. The City Clerk Services Area licenses only specific regulated categories - amusement machine/game room, auto repair/auto body/used auto dealer, billiards, body works, bowling alley, carnival, door-to-door solicitation, employment agency, entertainment, firearm dealer, hawker/peddler, liquor, massage therapy, mobile food establishment, parade, private detective, secondhand dealer, short-term lender and temporary mass gathering. Fitness and yoga instruction is not a licensed category.

   Official government source

   No fee, because no general business license exists. Fees apply only to the specific regulated categories on the City Clerk's licensing portal.·Not applicable - Cranston issues no general business license.

   No fee, because no general business license exists. Fees apply only to the specific regulated categories on the City Clerk's licensing portal.

   Not applicable - Cranston issues no general business license.

3. Commissary Agreement (Mobile Food Establishment)

   Rhode Island's mobile food rules, administered by the RI Department of Health's Center for Food Protection, require a food truck to operate from an approved commissary - a licensed commercial kitchen used for food preparation and storage, potable water, waste disposal and cleaning of the unit. A signed commissary agreement is submitted with the RIDOH Mobile Food Service licence application, and the commissary must itself hold a RIDOH food establishment licence. Cranston separately issues a Mobile Food Establishment licence through the City Clerk's licensing portal.

   Official government source

   Commissary rental is a private, market-rate arrangement between the operator and the kitchen; it is not a government fee and no rate is published by the state or the city. The commissary's own RIDOH Commissary licence is $280.00 per year, paid by the commissary operator.·The signed commissary agreement must be in place before the RIDOH Mobile Food Service licence application is submitted.

   Commissary rental is a private, market-rate arrangement between the operator and the kitchen; it is not a government fee and no rate is published by the state or the city. The commissary's own RIDOH Commissary licence is $280.00 per year, paid by the commissary operator.

   The signed commissary agreement must be in place before the RIDOH Mobile Food Service licence application is submitted.

Official Sources

• Cranston / Providence County Health Department
• Rhode Island Division of Taxation — Sales Tax Permit

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