Harrison County, MS Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Food Truck Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Required documents
- MS Tax ID, MS Health Dept. Food Service Permit
- Site proof
- Property lease or fair/festival/flea-market vendor approval
- Restaurant setback
- 1,000 feet minimum, shown on site plan
- Enabling ordinance
- Ord. 2009HC162, adopted 10/05/20
- Applies to
- Unincorporated Harrison County only
Summary
A mobile food truck operating in unincorporated Harrison County needs proof of a Mississippi State Tax ID, a Mississippi State Department of Health Food Service Permit, and proof of a property lease or vendor approval for a fair, festival or flea market. UDC § 415 also requires a site plan showing the truck sits at least 1,000 feet from a restaurant.
Food Truck Proof of MS State Tax ID Number. Copy of MS State Department of Health Food Service Permit. Copy of property … lease or vendor approval in a fair, festival, or Flea Market. Site Plan demonstrating Food Truck is 1000’ from a restaurant *2009HC162 10/05/20
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.
Full Breakdown
The Board of Supervisors added a Food Truck line item to the UDC's § 415 Table of Uses through Ordinance 2009HC162, adopted October 5, 2020. Before a food truck can set up in unincorporated Harrison County, the operator must produce proof of a Mississippi State Tax ID number and a copy of a Mississippi State Department of Health Food Service Permit: the same health inspection credential required of any food-service business in the state. The operator also needs a copy of the property lease covering the site, or, if operating at a fair, festival or flea market, written vendor approval from that event's organizer.
On top of the paperwork, the county requires a site plan demonstrating that the food truck's location is at least 1,000 feet from a restaurant, a spacing rule aimed squarely at keeping mobile vendors from directly undercutting brick-and-mortar restaurants nearby. Because this requirement sits inside § 415's Table of Uses, food trucks are treated as a regulated use subject to the same conditional-approval framework as other table entries, so the Planning Commission or Board of Supervisors reviews the site plan and supporting documents before the truck may lawfully operate. These requirements apply only outside Gulfport, Biloxi, Long Beach, Pass Christian and D'Iberville, which permit food trucks under their own separate municipal codes.
Violations & Fines
Operating a food truck in unincorporated Harrison County without the required Tax ID proof, Health Department Food Service Permit, property lease/vendor approval, or the 1,000-foot restaurant setback violates UDC § 415. Under § 1409.05.01 that is a misdemeanor sentenced per Miss. Code § 17-1-27 et seq., or the county may issue a cease-and-desist order or fine up to $100 per offense under § 1409.05.02, with continuing violations counted daily under § 1409.05.03.
Frequently Asked Questions
What permits does a food truck need to operate in Harrison County, Mississippi?
How close can a food truck park to a restaurant in unincorporated Harrison County?
Does Harrison County's food truck rule apply inside Biloxi or Gulfport?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Harrison County
Compare Harrison County to another location·View the Mississippi food trucks & mobile vendors overview
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