Clay County, MO Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Food Truck Permits (2026)

Sec. 01 folds mobile food unit inspections into the county's broader "Food Service and Retail Food Service Sanitation Rules and Regulations," adopted by reference and kept on file with the county clerk; that same framework covers the issuance, suspension and revocation of permits. Sec. 02 requires every food service establishment, including a mobile food unit, to obtain and post a County Food and Beverage Permit before operating and to renew it on or before January 1 each year. 00, distinct from the seating-based charges collected for stationary restaurants (ranging from $30 for 16 seats or fewer up to $100 for over 100 seats) and from the $10 temporary food service charge.

A new owner or a unit new to the county must apply to the health officer before engaging in business; the health officer then requests the required inspection, and the county issues the permit once the unit meets minimum sanitary requirements. All administrative service charges are payable to the Clay County Health Center and none are refundable, even if the applicant withdraws or the unit is denied. Sec. 03 gives a rejected or revoked applicant a right to petition the health officer for a hearing under the Food Service and Retail Food Service Sanitation Rules and Regulations, the same procedural path used for restaurants and retail food stores.