Food truck operators in Scranton need a Mobile Food Facility license from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (because Lackawanna County does NOT have a state-delegated local health authority), a Scranton Mercantile/Business Privilege License from the Single Tax Office, a current food-safety certification for the person in charge, and zoning compliance for each operating location. PA Dept of Ag sanitarians conduct inspections.
Unlike Erie, Allegheny, or Philadelphia, Lackawanna County does NOT operate its own state-delegated local health authority. Food-safety regulation in Scranton therefore runs through the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Food Safety and Laboratory Services. Every mobile food vendor operating in the City of Scranton must hold a PA Dept of Agriculture Mobile Food Facility license. PDA inspects each truck before initial licensure and at least annually thereafter, applying the FDA Food Code as adopted by Pennsylvania (3 Pa. Code Chapter 46). Operators must also hold (a) a Scranton Mercantile/Business Privilege License from the Single Tax Office (because food trucks are non-permanent retail businesses operating within the city), (b) a current ServSafe-equivalent food-safety certification for the person in charge per 3 Pa. Code §46.421, and (c) a commissary agreement showing where the truck is cleaned, restocked, and waste is dumped overnight. Zoning compliance is required at every vending site: Scranton's Zoning Ordinance bars mobile food vending on residentially-zoned streets without a special-event permit, and downtown vending requires authorization through the city's special-event or right-of-way process administered by DLIP. Special-event vendors (La Festa Italiana on Labor Day weekend, First Friday Scranton, events at Lackawanna County Stadium / PNC Field) need an Event Food Vendor authorization for the specific event. Scranton Police and DLIP can shut down a truck that lacks any of the prerequisites.
Operating without a PA Department of Agriculture Mobile Food Facility license is a public-health violation under 3 Pa. Code Ch. 46, with fines escalating per offense; the truck can be ordered out of service immediately. Mercantile/Business Privilege License violations carry citation fines under the Scranton City Code. Zoning violations are referred to DLIP and prosecuted through the magisterial district court system serving Lackawanna County.
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