Pittsburg, CA Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Food Truck Permits (2026)

Food truck and mobile food facility (MFF) operators in Pittsburg must obtain multiple permits. First, a Contra Costa County Environmental Health Department Mobile Food Facility permit is required under the California Retail Food Code (CalCode, Health & Safety Code §113700 et seq.). This permit requires annual inspections, approved commissary agreements, and handwashing/sanitization equipment on the vehicle. Second, a Pittsburg business license is required under Municipal Code Title 5 for any business operating in the city, including mobile vendors. Third, operators must have a California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) seller's permit for sales tax collection. Fourth, the operator must have a valid driver's license and vehicle registration for the truck. Under SB 972 (2022), California streamlined sidewalk vendor regulations and limited the grounds for denying sidewalk vending permits; while SB 972 primarily addresses sidewalk vendors, it reflects the state's preemption of restrictive local rules against low-cost food vendors, and Pittsburg's mobile vendor ordinance has been updated to comply. Food handlers must have California Food Handler Cards within 30 days of hire, and at least one Certified Food Safety Manager must oversee operations. Catering trucks serving construction sites and daytime food trucks operating at fixed locations have additional requirements for commissary verification. Food trucks cannot operate between 10 PM and 6 AM in residential zones and must maintain prescribed distances from brick-and-mortar restaurants in some zones.