Philadelphia food truck and mobile food business license steps

Philadelphia licenses food trucks in two stages, and the stages come from two city departments. The Department of Public Health reviews the plans and inspects the vehicle, and the Department of Licenses and Inspections, called L&I, issues the license once the health department has signed off. An owner who goes to L&I first will be sent back. The city is the authority, and fees and forms change.

Who needs a mobile food license?

Anyone running a mobile retail food business, including food trucks, movable stands and carts, needs the license, and business owners and their agents can apply. The legal name on the license must match the name on your Commercial Activity License, so settle your business structure before you apply. A doing-business-as name must appear on that license too.

What is the first step, plan review?

Anyone opening a mobile food business must submit a plan review application to the Office of Food Protection before installing new food equipment. The same rule applies to changes to an approved unit, and you may be charged an extra fee if you start installation or make changes before the plan review is approved. The application includes general business information and a list of items such as support facility details, food supplier and menu information, a scaled facility plan, surfaces, handwashing, water, wastewater, garbage, equipment makes and models with specifications and a City of Philadelphia Food Safety Certificate.

What is the support facility?

Your application must describe your base of operations, including its most recent inspection report and food license. This is the kitchen where the truck is supplied and cleaned. Sign an agreement with the kitchen before you apply, and ask the Office of Food Protection what it wants to see from them. Choose a kitchen close to where you plan to sell, because the truck returns there to be supplied and cleaned, and the drive is part of every day.

What do the plan review and inspection cost?

The standard plan review fee is $150 and the standard inspection fee is $190. An optional expedited review and inspection costs an additional $380 and is completed within 10 business days. Preliminary review takes up to 30 business days, and once the plans are approved, most inspections can be scheduled within 10 business days. Build those weeks into your opening plan, and use them to line up your spots, your supplier and your crew, so the day the license arrives the truck can open.

What is the License Eligibility Report?

After the health department's approval and inspection, the Department of Public Health issues a License Eligibility Report, called an LER. The LER must be dated no more than 30 days before the date of your license application, and its legal entity and trade names must match your Commercial Activity License. If the dates drift, you have to start over with a new report, so plan the application for the week you receive it. Keep a checklist with the date each document was issued and the date it expires, and look at it every Monday until the license arrives. Owners who treat the thirty days as a deadline rarely have to pay for a second report.

What does the L&I license cost?

The license is $179. A $20 nonrefundable application fee is applied toward it, and the balance is due on approval. Renewal is $179, and a renewal more than 60 days late adds 1.5 percent of the fee for each month since expiration. You must be current on city taxes, have an annual LER and a valid email address to renew. Ask L&I for your renewal date.

What else must you have?

A Commercial Activity License is required, along with a Business Income and Receipts Tax ID. If the names on your LER, your Commercial Activity License and your tax account do not match, you may need to amend one of them. The plan review asks for a City of Philadelphia Food Safety Certificate, so plan to have one.

How do you apply for the license?

Apply online through eCLIPSE and upload every document. Applications are reviewed within five business days. If approved, you receive a notice to pay the balance. If not, an email lists what is missing. You can also apply in person by appointment at the Permit and License Center. Bring the originals, and check the names on each against your Commercial Activity License before you go.

What should you do next?

Set up your business entity and your Commercial Activity License. Find a base kitchen. Draw the truck plan and submit it to the Office of Food Protection before you buy equipment. Book the inspection. Apply to L&I the week your report arrives. Then read how Pennsylvania sales tax registration works, since a truck collects the same tax as a restaurant. Keep your sales by stop in one sheet, so you can see which location earns its place.

More guides for your business:

• How to register and file Pennsylvania sales tax for a restaurant
• Philadelphia sidewalk cafe license: Streets approval, notice and fees
• Pennsylvania food manager certification and health inspections for restaurants

More in the US guides for food businesses.