Food truck operators in Erie need a Mobile Food Facility permit from the Erie County Department of Health (one of only six county/municipal health departments in PA), an Erie city Business Privilege License from the City Treasurer, a current food-safety certification for the person in charge, and zoning compliance for each operating location. Erie County health inspectors, not the PA Department of Agriculture, conduct inspections.
Erie County is one of only six Pennsylvania jurisdictions (alongside Philadelphia, Allegheny County, Bethlehem, Allentown, and the City of York) with a state-delegated local health authority - the Erie County Department of Health (ECDH). As a result, every mobile food vendor operating in the City of Erie or anywhere in Erie County must hold an ECDH Mobile Food Facility permit. ECDH 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) an Erie Business Privilege License from the City Treasurer (because food trucks are non-permanent retail businesses), (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: Erie's 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 or right-of-way process. Special-event vendors (parades, Discover Presque Isle festival, summer events on Perry Square) need an Event Food Vendor permit issued by ECDH for the specific event. Erie Police and Code Enforcement can shut down a truck that lacks any of the prerequisites.
Operating without an Erie County Department of Health Mobile Food Facility permit is a public-health violation enforced by ECDH and Erie Police, with fines escalating per offense; the truck can be ordered out of service immediately. Business Privilege License violations carry citation fines under the Erie City Code. Zoning violations are referred to Code Enforcement and prosecuted through the magisterial district court system serving Erie County.
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