Memphis, TN Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Food Truck Permits (2026)

Section 9-52-86 layers mobile-food-truck-specific conditions onto the base food permit created by § 9-52-3: no person may run a mobile food preparation vehicle within the city limits without first obtaining that § 9-52-3 permit from the county health department and any required state permit. The vehicle itself must be purpose-built and approved by the health officer as meeting the standards of City Code § 16-208, and the operator must also hold a state-licensed commissary license or a written commissary agreement if the health officer requires one, the commissary is where the truck stores food, cleans equipment and dumps wastewater between shifts.

Every truck must display its business name and both state and local permit numbers in letters at least three inches high in a visible spot on the vehicle. The driver must carry a current Tennessee driver's license, current liability insurance and current vehicle registration, and the truck may only operate where local zoning ordinances allow motorized vending, as enforced by code enforcement authorities. § 68-14-305, and the health officer may adopt further written rules interpreting the mobile-vehicle permit program. Under § 9-52-3(C), the base food permit runs July 1 to June 30 each year, and a late fee equal to 50 percent of the permit fee applies to renewals paid more than 30 days past expiration.