Minneapolis food truck and food cart licensing: steps and documents

A food truck is a restaurant on wheels that answers to two licensing systems at once. The City of Minneapolis licenses the business and the place it may operate, and the state side, through the health department, licenses the food operation. An owner who starts with the truck and not the paperwork can end up with a vehicle that cannot pass either. Call the city's business licenses team before you buy a truck.

What does Minneapolis license?

You must hold a license to operate a food business in Minneapolis, and the city licenses food trucks and food carts separately, with different rules about which foods and locations each may use. Its license types are Food Truck, Food Cart, which includes sidewalk carts and indoor or kiosk carts, and Grocery or Ice Cream Truck. Pick the type before you design the vehicle, because the type decides what you may sell and where.

Write your menu around that type. A short menu that suits a truck kitchen, with a few dishes that hold well and travel well, passes review more easily than a long list, and it keeps the pass fast when a line forms at lunch.

What are the steps?

There are five steps. Review the business license application. Choose your mobile food unit type. Purchase your vehicle and equipment, following the vehicle plan standards on the application. Gather the required documents. Submit documents and fees to business licensing, by email, by mail or in person at the city service center. The order matters, and the plan standards come before the purchase, since a truck that does not meet them has to be rebuilt.

What documents does the city ask for?

The city asks for a proposed menu, a vehicle diagram and site plan, a food plan review form, a vehicle inspection and proof of insurance. Prepare the menu with care, since it limits what you can sell. Draw the vehicle layout to scale, with sinks, refrigeration, cooking equipment and storage marked. The city's application pages hold the forms and the current insurance amounts, so confirm those before you buy a policy.

What is food plan review?

The city says plans must be approved before you start any work, and that this applies to new food trucks. The state health department says plan review applies to temporary operations such as mobile units, food carts and seasonal stands. Submit your layout before you order equipment, and ask what changes the reviewer wants. A reviewer's comment costs less on paper than on a finished vehicle.

Where may a truck operate?

Trucks can park curbside or on private property, and the operating locations depend on your license type and the food you serve. Check that your planned location is zoned for your business, with zoning maps online and 311 for questions. If you want a private lot, ask the owner in writing and ask the city what documents it needs. Ask the city about any limit on days at a location before you plan a regular spot.

Where do you prepare and store food?

Food must be prepared and stored in a licensed commercial kitchen, called a commissary. Options include institutional kitchens, restaurant kitchens that rent space during off-hours and shared commercial kitchens. Sign a written agreement with the kitchen, and keep a copy in the truck. A truck without a licensed base cannot pass review.

What deadlines follow the license?

Minnesota law requires a certified food protection manager at each location, on staff within 60 days of opening, and your first routine health inspection occurs within 60 days of opening. State licensing through the Minnesota Department of Health is separate from the city license. The Sewer Availability Charge, set by the Metropolitan Council, can be expensive, so apply early. Ask the city for its current license fees.

How should you plan your first month?

Do not open your first week with the biggest event you can find. Start with a few quiet lunch services in a spot you have confirmed in writing, so that the crew learns the layout and the menu timing before a line forms. Keep the license, the insurance certificate, the commissary agreement and the inspection paperwork in the truck, and photograph each document as a backup so a missing page never shuts a service. Track sales by location and hour, because the data tells you which spots repay the travel. Plan the cleanup and the return to your kitchen as part of every shift, since the commissary rule means the day ends there, not on the street. Ask each regular where they first saw you and note it, because the answer tells you which spot to keep.

What should you do next?

Call the city's business licenses team and ask which license type fits your menu. Find a commissary. Draw the vehicle plan and send it for review before you buy. Then read how the state's food manager rule works.

More guides for your business:

• Minnesota certified food protection manager rule: 60 days and 3 years
• Minneapolis restaurant taxes: city sales, downtown and entertainment
• Minneapolis sidewalk cafe license rules

More in the US guides for food businesses.