Farmington Hills, MI Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Food Truck Permits (2026)

Food-truck operation in Farmington Hills is governed by overlapping state, county, and city requirements. (1) State license — The Michigan Food Law of 2000 (Act 92 of 2000, codified at MCL 289.1101 et seq.) requires every food establishment to be licensed. A Mobile Food Establishment (MFE) is a licensed food operation that must return to a licensed commissary every 24 hours; a Special Transitory Food Unit (STFU) is a licensed food operation that can operate throughout the state without the 14-day limits of a Temporary Food Establishment license or the commissary-return requirement of an MFE. State licensing is administered locally by the delegated Local Health Department — in Oakland County, the Oakland County Health Division (248-858-1280; OCHDPlanReview@oakgov.com). Plan-review fees and licensing fees are set annually by MDARD and the County. (2) Local notification — Per the Michigan Food Law, an STFU license holder must submit a Notification of Intent to Operate form to the local health department of any jurisdiction where the operator plans to vend, not less than 4 business days before serving food at that location. An STFU license holder must also request and receive two paid evaluations per licensing year, spaced over the operating season. (3) State preemption — MCL 289.4101 states: 'A city, county, or other local unit of government shall not adopt or enforce licensing ordinances or regulations for persons regulated under this act.' This prevents the City from imposing a parallel City food-truck license. (4) City Special Event process — Farmington Hills Code Sec. 22-119 (Special Events) governs special events and temporary outdoor sales. The City's Special Event / Temporary Outdoor Sales Application is required for events on public or private property and notes that 'health facilities (food)' requires 'a permit from the Oakland County Health Department for all sanitary, water, and food service facilities' — except no permit is required where only pre-packaged, ready-to-eat foods are sold from a concession stand. The application also notes inspections may be required by the City Fire Department (for cooking equipment / propane), the Building Department (certificate of temporary use), and Public Safety. (5) Fire safety — The City Fire Marshal (248-871-2810) requires propane / open-flame food units to comply with NFPA 96 and 2015 International Fire Code as adopted by Farmington Hills. (6) Sales tax — The vendor must be registered with the Michigan Department of Treasury under the Michigan General Sales Tax Act (MCL 205.51 et seq.) and remit 6% sales tax on prepared food. (7) Roadside / right-of-way operation — Operation from a public right-of-way is prohibited; vendors must operate from private property with the owner's written consent or at a permitted special event on City property.