Miami-Dade County, FL Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Food Truck Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Issuing agency
- Dade County Dept. of Public Health
- Covers
- Mobile food units and vehicles
- Display requirement
- Permit must be conspicuously displayed
- Geographic scope
- Countywide, incorporated and unincorporated areas
- Enforcement
- Injunction; each day a separate offense
Summary
Miami-Dade County requires every mobile food unit to hold a health department permit before operating, per Code § 14B-13: issued only after inspection, must be displayed on the unit, and applies countywide.
No person, firm or corporation shall operate a public food service establishment within Dade County, Florida, without first obtaining and maintaining a valid permit or written approval from the Dade County Department of Public Health or State Division of Health. Such permits shall be conspicuously displayed and shall be issued only after inspection of the premises of such public food service establishment by a duly authorized representative of the Dade County Department of Health.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 135).
Full Breakdown
Before operating in Miami-Dade County, a mobile food unit must hold a valid permit from the county health department. Miami-Dade County Code § 14B-12 defines 'public food service establishment' to expressly include any vehicle, wagon or mobile food unit that prepares, serves or sells food to the public, and § 14B-13 bars operating one without first obtaining and maintaining that permit. Permits are issued only after the health department inspects the unit, must be conspicuously displayed at all times, and are void until any health-code violation found at inspection is corrected. The rule applies countywide, in both incorporated cities and the unincorporated area.
Violations & Fines
Operating a food truck without the county health permit violates Miami-Dade County Code § 14B-13; each day of continued operation is a separate offense, enforceable by prosecution or injunction under § 14B-19.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a food truck need a county permit in Miami-Dade?
Where must the permit be displayed?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Miami-Dade County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Miami-Dade County to another location·View the Florida food trucks & mobile vendors overview
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