Chesterfield County, VA Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Food Truck Permits (2026)

Chesterfield enforces the Virginia Statewide Fire Prevention Code through its own fire marshal, called the 'fire official' in the county code, acting under the chief of the county's Fire and EMS department (County Code § 10-1). 2, the list of activities needing an operational permit before they can operate, and one line item is 'Mobile food preparation vehicles': a permit is required for mobile food preparation vehicles equipped with appliances that produce smoke or grease laden vapors, with a single carve-out for recreational vehicles used for private recreation.

That means any food truck, trailer, or cart cooking on propane, charcoal, or an open flame, not just reheating pre-made food, must hold a fire operational permit before setting up in the county, in addition to whatever health department permit its food operation requires. 10). Operators should expect the fire official's review of the mounted suppression system and any LP-gas or grease-duct setup to happen alongside whatever health-department sign-off the mobile kitchen also needs.