Permits, City by City: A Texas Vendor’s Field Guide

Austin, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Fort Worth — five cities, five very different rulebooks. Here’s what you need before you fire up the grill.

Texas has no statewide mobile-food-vendor permit. Every city — and most counties — write their own rules, fees, and inspection schedules. The result is a patchwork that punishes vendors who assume one permit covers the state. Below is the practical version of what each major market actually requires in 2026.

The statewide license is coming: July 1, 2026

House Bill 2844 — passed in 2025 and signed by the governor — creates a single statewide Mobile Food Vendor (MFV) license issued by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). It takes effect July 1, 2026, and every local mobile-food permit issued under the old system becomes invalid on that date. Each vehicle in your fleet needs its own annual MFV license.

DSHS will classify vendors into three risk tiers that determine fees and inspection frequency. Type I covers prepackaged, non-temperature-controlled foods. Type II covers limited handling and simple assembly. Type III covers full scratch cooking, cooling, holding, and reheating — the tier most food trucks will fall into. Draft fee estimates range from roughly $300 for a Type I initial application up to $1,350 for a Type III, with renewals between $300 and $850 per year depending on tier.

The statewide license does not erase local rules. Cities and counties keep authority over zoning, operating locations, fire and safety codes, noise, signage, and special-event permits. What disappears is the redundant city-by-city health permit and inspection fee. DSHS will also maintain a public database of licensed vendors, inspection results, and complaints.

Austin

Austin Public Health issues a Mobile Food Vendor Permit ($258/year as of January 2026) and requires a Central Preparation Facility (CPF) agreement — you cannot prep out of a home kitchen. Inspections are unannounced and roughly twice yearly. Propane and generator placement is enforced strictly.

Houston

Houston requires both a Mobile Food Unit Permit ($330) and a separate Houston Food Handler Card on top of the state card. The city’s commissary requirement is strictly enforced, and trucks must return to commissary at least every 24 hours for cleaning and water service.

San Antonio

Metro Health charges $300 for a mobile food vendor permit plus a one-time $75 plan review for new units. San Antonio is one of the few cities that allows certain low-risk operations (snow cones, pre-packaged) under a reduced ‘limited’ permit at $150.

Dallas

Dallas runs one of the cheaper permit programs at $235/year, but enforces a strict ‘no vending within 100 feet of a brick-and-mortar restaurant without written permission’ rule. Catering separately requires registration as a Class A or B caterer.

Fort Worth

Fort Worth permits run $200/year and require an inspection sticker visible from the customer side. The city allows residential commissary in some zoning categories — the only major Texas city to do so.

The universal advice

Before you book your first event in a new city, call that city’s environmental health office directly. Online permit pages lag months behind actual fee schedules. Get the requirements in writing and keep them in your truck binder. After July 1, 2026, your first stop for the health permit itself will be DSHS — but local zoning and event coordinators will still have their own checklists.