Kennewick, WA Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Food Truck Permits (2026)

Food-truck operation inside Kennewick requires four layers of compliance and no single layer is administered by the city alone. First, the Benton-Franklin Health District is the local health authority that issues the mobile food unit (MFU) permit required to operate a food truck in either Benton County or Franklin County; the District applies the Washington Retail Food Code, WAC Chapter 246-215, which sets standards for food handling, equipment, water supply (potable water tank capacity), waste-water holding, refrigeration, and commissary kitchen requirements. The MFU permit is renewed annually and must be displayed on the unit. Second, every food worker on the truck must hold a current Washington State Food Worker Card issued by the Washington State Department of Health under WAC 246-217; the card is obtained by completing an approved food-safety training and passing the exam at foodworkercard.wa.gov, with a fee that varies by local jurisdiction and a validity of 2-3 years depending on first-issuance status. Third, the operator must hold a Washington Business License through the Department of Revenue's Business Licensing Service covering Kennewick as a city endorsement; the business license is required for any business operating within the city. Fourth, on-street and on-public-property food vending is regulated by Kennewick Municipal Code Title 5 (Business Licenses and Regulations) and Title 12 (Streets, Sidewalks, and Public Places); zoning for fixed-location vending on private property is regulated by KMC Title 18. Specific street-vending standards (where on the street a truck may park, hours, distance from brick-and-mortar restaurants) are set by the city's vending and right-of-way provisions; private-event vending is generally permitted with the property owner's consent and the standard health and business-license credentials.