Miami food trucks must hold a Florida DBPR Mobile Food Dispensing Vehicle (MFDV) license ($347 annually) plus a City of Miami Certificate of Use and Business Tax Receipt. Florida state law (HB 1193, F.S. §509.102) preempts city bans, but Miami Code §35-223 restricts vending on most public rights-of-way and requires private-property operation with owner consent.
Miami food trucks operate under state-preempted licensing. Florida Statute §509.102, strengthened by HB 1193 (2020), gives the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) exclusive authority over Mobile Food Dispensing Vehicle licensing and prohibits cities from requiring their own duplicate permit, food safety inspection, or annual fee for trucks already DBPR-licensed. The DBPR MFDV license costs $347 annually and includes a state inspection. The City of Miami still requires a Certificate of Use under Miami 21 zoning code confirming the truck operates in a permitted zone, plus a City Business Tax Receipt and a Miami-Dade County Local Business Tax Receipt. Miami City Code §35-223 prohibits vending on public streets, sidewalks, and rights-of-way in most of the city, effectively limiting MFDVs to private property with written owner permission. Vending in city parks requires a separate concession agreement with the Department of Parks and Recreation.
Operating without a DBPR MFDV license is a misdemeanor under F.S. §509.261 with fines up to $1,000 per day plus immediate state closure. Miami Code §35-223 right-of-way vending violations carry citations starting at $250 for a first offense, $500 for a second within 12 months. Operating without a Certificate of Use can trigger a zoning enforcement lien against the property owner.
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