Madison County, IL Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Food Truck Permits (2026)

02 defines a MOBILE FOOD ESTABLISHMENT as a vehicle-mounted operation "designed and operated to be readily movable," moving from location to location, that cannot have permanent water, wastewater or electric connections, cannot be stored at a personal residence and cannot be used for anything other than mobile food service. 15(A) makes it unlawful to operate one, or any food establishment, commissary or temporary food establishment, without a valid Health Department permit; the permit is non-transferable between owners or locations and must be posted where every customer can see it.

16(B), a mobile vendor applying for a permit must show proof of access to a permitted commissary, since food cannot be prepared in a residence, list the hours the commissary is accessible, provide an itinerary and operating schedule, show proof of restroom access, and prove approval from the local governing body for each location the truck plans to operate. 18, or a vendor without a full annual permit can instead work only under a 14-day temporary permit tied to a single event. Schedule A, effective December 1, 2018, sets the Mobile Food Establishment Annual Service Permit fee at $375, the same as the top two food-establishment categories, alongside a $75 temporary permit fee, a $75 late fee assessed inside 48 hours of an event, and a $200 plan review fee.