San Francisco requires a Mobile Food Facility (MFF) permit from SF Public Works (~$8,500 first-year application + hearing fees) plus a SF Department of Public Health health permit (~$886/year). Each vending location requires its own permit under SF Public Works Code Article 5.8, with 75-day public hearing process and 75-ft buffer from brick-and-mortar restaurants.
San Francisco operates one of the most demanding food truck permit regimes in the country under SF Public Works Code Article 5.8. Each location is permitted individually after a 75-day public notice and hearing process: applicants must post the proposed site, notify all property owners and tenants within 300 feet, and any objection triggers a public hearing before the Director of Public Works. First-year fees commonly exceed $8,500 including the $483 hearing fee, location permit, and indemnity bonds. Operators must also obtain an SF Department of Public Health Mobile Food Facility permit (~$886/year) which requires affiliation with a permitted commissary. Locations may not be within 75 feet of an existing brick-and-mortar restaurant serving similar food, and may not be within 1,500 feet of any public or private K-12 school between 7 AM and 5 PM on school days. Trucks must hold a SF Business Registration Certificate from the Treasurer/Tax Collector.
Operating without a Public Works permit is a misdemeanor with fines up to $1,000 per day under Article 5.8 plus permit revocation. SFDPH violations can trigger immediate closure and impound. Vending in a Recreation and Park space without RPD permission is a separate infraction starting at $192. The 75-ft restaurant buffer is enforced by complaints and field inspections; violators may lose the location permit entirely.
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