Dothan, AL Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Food Truck Permits (2026)

City Code § 18-22 lists 'Caterers and/or Mobile Food Services' as NAICS classification 7223, carrying a $50.00 license fee, and the same schedule entry requires a 'Letter of Authorization from Property Owner for Mobile Food Service' and a 'Health Department Permit Required' before the license issues. Because that letter must come from the property owner, a truck cannot simply park and sell; it needs the consent of whoever controls the lot it operates on. The city's general licensing rules in Article I of Chapter 18 apply on top of that: § 18-4(a) ties the license to the specific location named on the application, § 18-3(d) sets the annual renewal deadline at January 31, and § 18-3(a) prorates a mid-year start to half the annual fee.

If the operator also runs a commissary, defined at § 102-368 as the commercial kitchen mobile food vendors 'report to daily for all food and supplies, cleaning, servicing operations, and waste disposal,' § 102-369(l) further requires that commissary to be 'located at commercial buildings' if it discharges grease-laden wastewater to the city's sewer system, and § 102-369(n) makes that commissary subject to inspection and approval by the city's FOG (fats, oils and grease) program. Operating any business, including a mobile food unit, without the required license is unlawful under § 18-6, which sets a fine up to $500.00 and up to six months in jail for a willful violation, with each day treated as a separate offense.