Food Truck Permit Requirements in Burlington, VT

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. Vermont Department of Taxes — Sales Tax Registration

   Required for all businesses selling tangible personal property or taxable services in Vermont. Vermont charges a 6% state sales tax; meals and lodging are taxed at 9%. Register with the Vermont Department of Taxes online.

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online via myVTax)

   Free

   Immediate (online via myVTax)

2. Food Protection Manager Certification (recommended, not required in Vermont)

   Vermont does not mandate a certified food protection manager for each food establishment. The Health Department's Retail Food Establishment licence application asks for the certified food safety manager's name and accredited programme but includes an explicit 'check here if no Certified Food Safety Manager' box, and the Health Department's guidance frames certification through an ANSI National Accreditation Board-accredited programme as a recommendation for the person in charge, not a licensing condition.

   Official government source

   $0 — not required by Vermont; ANSI-accredited manager courses are sold by private providers at their own prices·N/A — not a state requirement, so there is no state application or waiting period

   $0 — not required by Vermont; ANSI-accredited manager courses are sold by private providers at their own prices

   N/A — not a state requirement, so there is no state application or waiting period

1. Vermont Department of Health — Commercial Caterer License (Food Truck)

   Food trucks and trailers operating in Burlington are licensed by the Vermont Department of Health's Food & Lodging Program — a state agency; there is no separate Chittenden County or City of Burlington health department that licenses food trucks, and Burlington's Fire Marshal forms page covers fire protection systems and master radio call boxes, not mobile food units. The Health Department directs push carts, food trucks, and trailers to its Commercial Caterer licence category. The application packet needs a proposed menu, water test results if on a private water source, and wastewater documentation, and the unit must pass an opening inspection before operating. Licences are annual and are not prorated.

   Official government source

   $260/year (Commercial Caterer). A separate prep-kitchen space needs its own commercial caterer ($260) or home caterer ($155) licence.·Submit the complete application packet at least 30 days before you plan to open; an opening inspection must be passed first.

   $260/year (Commercial Caterer). A separate prep-kitchen space needs its own commercial caterer ($260) or home caterer ($155) licence.

   Submit the complete application packet at least 30 days before you plan to open; an opening inspection must be passed first.

2. Burlington Business License (not required for most businesses)

   Burlington's City Clerk/Treasurer does not issue a general business licence, and there is no gross-receipts-based city business tax certificate. The office licenses exactly four categories: cannabis, liquor, peddler, and taxi. Fitness studios, tutoring, cleaning services, salons, contractors, food trucks, child care, pet services, photography, and professional services are not required to hold a blanket city business licence. Check whether your business falls into one of the four licensed categories; otherwise the relevant approvals are trade- or use-specific — a zoning permit or Certificate of Occupancy from the Department of Permitting & Inspections, a state Health Department food licence, or a state professional licence from the Office of Professional Regulation.

   Official government source

   $0 — no general business licence exists in Burlington·N/A — there is no application to file unless your business is cannabis, liquor, peddling, or taxi

   $0 — no general business licence exists in Burlington

   N/A — there is no application to file unless your business is cannabis, liquor, peddling, or taxi

3. Prep Kitchen License (Vermont has no commissary agreement requirement)

   Vermont does not require a signed commissary agreement. Under the Health Department's Requirements for Mobile Units and Push Carts, any separate space used as a prep kitchen must itself hold its own commercial caterer or home caterer licence from the Vermont Department of Health. The mobile unit must otherwise be self-contained — 30 gallons of fresh water and 35 gallons of wastewater capacity, a dedicated handwash sink, a three-bay sink, and hot water held at 110–120°F — and must remain capable of being moved at any time. This is administered by the state Food & Lodging Program, not Burlington's Board of Health.

   Official government source

   $260/year for a commercial caterer licence on the prep-kitchen space ($155 for a home caterer licence); private kitchen rental rates are set by the kitchen owner·Arrange the prep-kitchen space before submitting the retail food licence application, which is due at least 30 days before opening.

   $260/year for a commercial caterer licence on the prep-kitchen space ($155 for a home caterer licence); private kitchen rental rates are set by the kitchen owner

   Arrange the prep-kitchen space before submitting the retail food licence application, which is due at least 30 days before opening.

Official Sources

• Burlington / Chittenden County Health Department
• Vermont Department of Taxes — Sales Tax Registration

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