Contra Costa County, CA Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Food Truck Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required for
- retail food vehicles & mobile food prep units
- Issuing agency
- Contra Costa County Health Officer
- Permit year
- January 1 to December 31
- Must display
- vehicle ID number and license number
- Penalty for lapsed permit
- triple the applicable fee
- Transferability
- not transferable between vehicles or owners
Summary
Unincorporated Contra Costa County requires every retail food vehicle and mobile food preparation unit to hold a valid environmental health permit before operating. The county health officer issues the permit on a calendar-year cycle and requires the vehicle to carry it at all times while in use.
No person shall conduct, operate or engage in any activity or object listed in Section 413-3.604, within the area of application, without having a valid, unrevoked, unsuspended environmental health permit therefor. ... An environmental health permit is required for all of the following: food establishments, vending machine businesses, taverns, cocktail lounges, bars, snack bars, commissaries, cart commissaries, food catering, special events food booths, school cafeterias, itinerant food facilities, retail food markets, roadside food stands, food salvagers, retail food vehicles, mobile food preparation units, bakeries, incidental retail food markets, certified farmers' markets, septic tank-chemical toilet cleaners, public swimming pools and/or spas, small water systems, wiping rag businesses, and medical waste generators. ... Any person violating any provision of this chapter or who fails to obtain and retain at all times while conducting business, a valid, unrevoked, unsuspended environmental health permit, shall pay triple the applicable fee as a penalty.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Ordinance Code: Supplement 103).
Full Breakdown
604" without a valid, unrevoked, unsuspended environmental health permit (Sec. 602). 604 lists retail food vehicles and mobile food preparation units among the activities requiring a permit, alongside food catering, itinerant food facilities and certified farmers' markets. Operators apply to the health officer on the department's form and pay the application fee (Sec. 802); the issued permit must show the vehicle's identification number and license number (Sec. 804(3)) and is not transferable between persons, vehicles or places (Sec. 804(5)). The permit year for retail food vehicles and mobile food preparation units runs January 1 through December 31, unlike the March 1-February 28 cycle used for fixed facilities (Secs.
608). An operator without a fixed place of business must carry the permit at all times, and "the operator of every retail food vehicle shall keep its permit in the vehicle while it is so used" (Sec. 612(c)). The health officer may also require a decal affixed to the vehicle's left rear panel for added identification (Sec. 806). These permits are required in addition to any other county license, and each permitted activity by the same operator is treated as separate and distinct (Secs. 610).
Violations & Fines
Operating a retail food vehicle or mobile food preparation unit without a current environmental health permit, or without keeping it posted in the vehicle, violates Chapter 413-3. Section 413-3.616 makes any violator, including one who "fails to obtain and retain at all times while conducting business, a valid, unrevoked, unsuspended environmental health permit," liable for triple the applicable permit fee as a penalty, in addition to other fees and enforcement remedies the health officer may pursue.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to operate a food truck in unincorporated Contra Costa County?
How long does a food truck permit last?
What happens if I operate without a valid permit?
Can I transfer my permit to a new truck or owner?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Contra Costa County
California rules heatmap·Compare Contra Costa County to another location·View the California food trucks & mobile vendors overview
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