Allen, TX Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Food Truck Permits (2026)

The city permit governs where and how a truck sets up. Operation on private property requires the property owner's consent, and a truck must keep at least 100 feet from a brick-and-mortar restaurant unless that restaurant consents. Street and right-of-way vending is limited to city-sanctioned events like Allen Eats and the Allen USA Celebration.

The health side runs through Collin County Environmental Health rather than the state, and Texas Health and Safety Code Sec. 437.0055 explains why. Under the subsection effective until July 1, 2026, a person may not operate a mobile food unit located in an area in which a county or public health district does not require a permit or conduct inspections under that chapter unless the person holds a permit issued by the department. Because Collin County does require a food permit and conducts health inspections for mobile vendors serving Allen, the county permit is the health credential an Allen vendor carries, and the state department permit for unregulated areas does not come into play here. The statute's text also changes on July 1, 2026: the amended subsection lists food service establishments, retail food stores, and temporary food service establishments, and no longer names mobile food units in that department-permit requirement.