Dearborn County, IN Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Food Truck Permits (2026)

Chapter 110 of the Dearborn County Code regulates food service, and § 110.02 is the permit rule. It defines a mobile food-service establishment as any food service establishment capable of being readily moved from location to location, one without a fixed location, which covers a food truck or trailer. Under § 110.02(A), it is unlawful for any person to operate one in the county without a valid permit from the Health Officer, and the permit must be posted in a conspicuous place in the unit.

The permit for a food-service establishment and a mobile food-service establishment is for a term of one year beginning January 1 and expiring December 31 of the same year, and it is renewed annually. Each permit carries the name and address of the person it is granted to, the address of the premises for which it is issued and other pertinent data the Health Officer requires. A separate permit is required for each mobile unit operated or to be operated by any person, and a permit is not transferable, so selling a truck does not pass the permit to the buyer.

The Health Officer issues the permit on application after inspection and approval, once the unit complies with the applicable provisions of the subchapter. The fee is $25, paid to the County Health Officer when the permit is issued, and it reverts to the County Health Board Fund. A permit or renewal cannot be denied or revoked on arbitrary or capricious grounds. Operators at a fair, carnival or similar gathering for a continuous operation of not more than two weeks fall under the temporary food-service permit at $5 under § 110.02(E) instead.

Section 110.03 requires compliance with the Indiana State Board of Health Food-Service Sanitation Requirements, 410 IAC 7-15.1, and § 110.05 has the Health Officer inspect each mobile food-service establishment at least once each three months.