Bethlehem, PA Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Food Truck Permits (2026)

Bethlehem is one of only six Pennsylvania jurisdictions with a state-delegated local health authority under the Local Health Administration Law (Act 315 of 1951, 16 P.S. §12001 et seq.) - alongside Philadelphia, Allegheny County, Erie County, Allentown, and Wilkes-Barre. As a result, every mobile food vendor operating within the City of Bethlehem must hold a Bethlehem Health Bureau Mobile Food Facility (or Food Facility) permit, not a PA Department of Agriculture license. The Bethlehem Health Bureau issues the city's Food Facility License (the standard application is published on the city's Forms and Permits page) and inspects each truck before initial licensure and at least annually thereafter, applying the FDA Food Code as adopted by Pennsylvania (3 Pa. Code Chapter 46). Operators must also hold (a) a Bethlehem Business Privilege License from the Bureau of Revenue (because food trucks are non-permanent retail businesses subject to the city's Business Privilege & Mercantile Tax), (b) a current ServSafe-equivalent food-safety certification for the person in charge, and (c) a commissary agreement showing where the truck is cleaned, restocked, and waste is dumped overnight. Zoning compliance is required at every vending site: the Bethlehem Zoning Ordinance bars mobile food vending on residentially-zoned streets without a special-event permit, and downtown vending requires authorization through the city's Special Event and Vendor Permit process. Major events such as Musikfest, Celtic Classic, and Christkindlmarkt require event-specific vendor permits issued by the Bethlehem Health Bureau in coordination with the event organizer. Bethlehem Police and the Health Bureau can shut down a truck that lacks any of the prerequisites.