Food Truck Permit Requirements in Nashville, TN

1. EIN (Employer Identification Number)

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

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online)

   Free

   Immediate (online)

1. Tennessee Sales and Use Tax Certificate of Registration

   Any business selling taxable goods or services in Tennessee must register with the Department of Revenue through the Tennessee Taxpayer Access Point (TNTAP) before making sales. A food truck's sales are prepared food, which is excluded from the 4% rate that applies to food and food ingredients and is instead taxed at the general state rate of 7%, plus the local rate - 2.25% in Davidson County, for 9.25% in Nashville. You then file and pay electronically through TNTAP on the schedule Revenue assigns; monthly filers are due the 20th of the following month.

   Official government source

   No fee. Registration for a sales and use tax account through TNTAP costs nothing.·Not immediate. The Department of Revenue states it takes up to 10 business days to register your business, so apply before you plan to open.

   No fee. Registration for a sales and use tax account through TNTAP costs nothing.

   Not immediate. The Department of Revenue states it takes up to 10 business days to register your business, so apply before you plan to open.

2. Tennessee Secretary of State Business Registration

   Required to register your business entity (LLC, corporation, or partnership) in Tennessee. Tennessee does not recognize "DBAs" or fictitious names, so sole proprietors operate under their own legal name and have nothing to file. An LLC or corporation that wants to trade under a different name files an Application for Registration of Assumed Name ($20).

   Official government source

   $100 for a for-profit corporation charter (form SS-4417); $300 minimum for LLC Articles of Organization (form SS-4270) — $50 per member, $300 minimum, $3,000 maximum·Filed online through the Secretary of State's business services portal and effective when accepted; allow additional time for mailed paper filings.

   $100 for a for-profit corporation charter (form SS-4417); $300 minimum for LLC Articles of Organization (form SS-4270) — $50 per member, $300 minimum, $3,000 maximum

   Filed online through the Secretary of State's business services portal and effective when accepted; allow additional time for mailed paper filings.

3. Food Protection Manager Certification and Food Handler Training (Tennessee Department of Health)

   Mobile food units are permitted and inspected under Tennessee's Food Safety law by the Tennessee Department of Health's Environmental Health Program, not by the Department of Agriculture - TDA's food safety section covers retail food stores and food manufacturers and states plainly that it does not license or inspect restaurants. Davidson County is one of five contract counties (with Hamilton, Knox, Madison, and Shelby) that run their own food establishment permitting, inspections, and enforcement, so a Nashville food truck deals with Nashville/Davidson County at 615-340-5620. Certified food protection manager credentials are earned through an ANAB-accredited certification program, which the Department of Health links from its food safety page.

   Official government source

   No state fee for the certification itself. Food protection manager and food handler courses and exams are sold by private ANAB-accredited providers, which set their own prices.·Set by the certification provider you choose, not by the state.

   No state fee for the certification itself. Food protection manager and food handler courses and exams are sold by private ANAB-accredited providers, which set their own prices.

   Set by the certification provider you choose, not by the state.

1. Metro Nashville Mobile Food Establishment Permit

   Required for all food trucks operating in Nashville-Davidson County and issued by the Metro Public Health Department, which handles food establishment permitting locally as one of Tennessee's contract counties. Every mobile food unit must pass plan review — detailed menu and food-flow, scaled floor plan and equipment list, three-compartment commercial sink, accessible hand sink, pressurized potable water, and a wastewater tank 15% larger than the potable supply — regardless of menu complexity. You must supply a notarized commissary or servicing agreement; food cannot be cooked, prepared, or stored at a residential home. Metro Water Services must approve the grease trap and graywater disposal site, and a separate Metro Fire Marshal permit for propane tanks, extinguishers, and the fire suppression hood system is required before your final consultation.

   Official government source

   Fee not published; confirm the current mobile food unit permit fee with Metro Public Health at 615-340-5620·No published turnaround. The sequence is plan review with Metro Public Health, then Metro Water Services approval of the grease trap and commissary graywater site (615-862-4590), then a Metro Fire Marshal permit (615-862-5421), and only then the final pre-opening consultation and permit.

   Fee not published; confirm the current mobile food unit permit fee with Metro Public Health at 615-340-5620

   No published turnaround. The sequence is plan review with Metro Public Health, then Metro Water Services approval of the grease trap and commissary graywater site (615-862-4590), then a Metro Fire Marshal permit (615-862-5421), and only then the final pre-opening consultation and permit.

2. Metro Nashville - Davidson County Clerk Business License

   Required for businesses operating within Metro Nashville-Davidson County, including food trucks. Issued by the Davidson County Clerk's Business Services office, not the Metro Finance Department. Annual gross receipts of $3,000-$99,999 qualify for a minimal activity license; $100,000 or more requires a standard business license, with business tax filed to the Tennessee Department of Revenue through TNTAP. Food trucks pay the same flat local registration fee as any other business, and separate Metro Public Health and Fire Marshal approvals apply to the vehicle itself.

   Official government source

   $15 flat registration fee if the business is in Davidson County outside the Nashville city limits (General Service District), or $30 if inside the city limits (Urban Service District). The fee is flat, not a percentage of gross receipts. Tennessee's separate, uncapped business tax is filed with the Department of Revenue once gross receipts reach $100,000/year.·The Davidson County Clerk publishes no processing time; apply online, in person, or by mail at the Clerk's Business Services office. If your gross receipts require a state business tax account, the Department of Revenue states registration takes up to 10 business days.

   $15 flat registration fee if the business is in Davidson County outside the Nashville city limits (General Service District), or $30 if inside the city limits (Urban Service District). The fee is flat, not a percentage of gross receipts. Tennessee's separate, uncapped business tax is filed with the Department of Revenue once gross receipts reach $100,000/year.

   The Davidson County Clerk publishes no processing time; apply online, in person, or by mail at the Clerk's Business Services office. If your gross receipts require a state business tax account, the Department of Revenue states registration takes up to 10 business days.

3. Notarized Commissary or Servicing Agreement (Metro Public Health)

   A notarized commissary agreement or servicing agreement must be provided to the Metro Public Health Department as part of mobile food unit plan review. The commissary is where wastewater is disposed of and provides additional food storage, food preparation and warewashing, and it must itself be permitted by either the Tennessee Department of Health or the Tennessee Department of Agriculture. A servicing area is the narrower version - somewhere the unit is cleaned and wastewater properly disposed of. Metro Water Services must approve the grease trap and the commissary gray water disposal site before your final pre-opening consultation, and the sewer receptacle must be on the outside of the establishment. Food cannot be cooked, prepared or stored at a residential home. Once operating, a copy of the notarized agreement must be kept on the unit at all times, and units quick-connected to utilities also need a restroom agreement for a restroom within 500 feet, accessible during all operating hours.

   Official government source

   No Metro fee for the agreement itself. What you pay the commissary is a private lease negotiated with the kitchen operator; neither Metro Public Health nor the state publishes a rate.·Arrange it before plan review - the notarized agreement is a required submission, and Metro Water Services (615-862-4590) must approve the grease trap and gray water disposal site before the final pre-opening consultation can be scheduled. Metro Public Health food division: 615-340-5620.

   No Metro fee for the agreement itself. What you pay the commissary is a private lease negotiated with the kitchen operator; neither Metro Public Health nor the state publishes a rate.

   Arrange it before plan review - the notarized agreement is a required submission, and Metro Water Services (615-862-4590) must approve the grease trap and gray water disposal site before the final pre-opening consultation can be scheduled. Metro Public Health food division: 615-340-5620.

4. Metro Nashville - Zoning Verification for Vending Locations

   Zoning for a vending location in Nashville-Davidson County is administered by the Metro Department of Codes and Building Safety's Zoning Division, not by the Planning Department. Zoning examiners determine whether the use is permitted at a specific address, and under Metro Code section 16.28.110 Codes issues zoning use verification letters; only one letter is issued per property. Restrictions vary by zoning district, and vending on private property generally requires the property owner's consent. Reach the Zoning Division at [email protected] or 615-862-6510.

   Official government source

   $50 per zoning use verification letter (for properties outside the DTC, UDO, PUD, and SP zones); $40 for a TABC zoning letter. Zoning letters have carried a fee since April 7, 2026.·5 business days for all zoning letters.

   $50 per zoning use verification letter (for properties outside the DTC, UDO, PUD, and SP zones); $40 for a TABC zoning letter. Zoning letters have carried a fee since April 7, 2026.

   5 business days for all zoning letters.

Official Sources

• Metro Nashville Public Health Department
• Metro Nashville Finance Department - Business Tax
• Tennessee Department of Revenue - Sales Tax
• Tennessee Secretary of State - Business Services

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