Harrisburg, PA Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Food Truck Permits (2026)

Chapter 6-505, Food Sales by Street Vendors, defines a mobile food unit as any motorized or nonmotorized vehicle, including carts, stands, kiosks and other devices designed to be portable and not permanently attached to the ground, from which food products are sold. A mobile food vendor is a person who sells or offers food products in or about the streets of the City of Harrisburg from such a unit.

Section 6-505.2 bars anyone from starting operation until all required licenses have been issued by the Health Officer, the Tax Enforcement Administrator, or another designated City official, and every license must be prominently displayed at all times during operation. Section 6-505.3 creates the mobile food vendor license itself. The fee is promulgated by regulation with City Council approval, so the code prints no dollar figure, but a portion not to exceed $25 is reserved to help the Downtown Improvement District, or any successor, pay for waste removal and other services. The Health Officer builds the application form and process, and the Law Bureau reviews it before distribution. The Health Officer, or a designee, reviews and approves each application.

The license is tied to food-safety standards. Under § 6-505.11, licenses are issued on the same standards the Health Officer would use for temporary food facilities and the food regulations adopted by Pennsylvania, and installations, facilities and containers must meet the latest edition of the "National Sanitation Foundation Regulations for Food Carts." Section 6-505.4(C)(5) bans sales from any vehicle or ancillary equipment not approved and inspected by the Health Officer. Section 6-505.7 requires a water tank with faucets supplying fresh hot and cold running water for handwashing only.

Selling at City parks, recreational sites or other City-owned real estate takes a separate park permit from the Department of Parks, Recreation and Enrichment under § 6-505.5. Street vendors are also a listed category of annual health license in § 6-501.3.