Seattle, WA Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Food Truck Permits (2026)

Seattle regulates the fire side of food trucks through the Fire Code Permit and Fee Ordinance, Chapter 22.602 of the Seattle Municipal Code, and the Chief of the Fire Department administers and enforces it under Section 22.602.030. Section 22.602.045.B places mobile food preparation vehicles in Schedule B, the special event permit table, under two annual codes. Permit 8206-TRK covers a vehicle that runs LPG (propane), CNG (compressed natural gas), or solid fuel, open flame, or charcoal and is inspected by the Seattle Fire Department. It costs $490 to obtain and $490 to renew. Permit 8206-RGL covers the same kind of vehicle used for food vending or heating when the inspection is done regionally, and it costs $408 for the original and $408 for the renewal. Both are annual, and the table states that either one can be renewed as 8206-TRK or 8206-RGL.

Keep the neighboring codes straight. Permit 8206-FVH, at $408, is for a temporary food booth or heating setup and carries a note that it is not intended for mobile food preparation vehicles. Permit 8207-VH, at $273, covers LPG or solid fuel cooking or heating at a single event and has no renewal.

Payment timing comes from Section 22.602.020: fees are due at the time of application, and fees the department invoices must be paid within 30 days of invoice issuance. A new 8206 application of any type is not subject to a late fee, so the first year costs exactly the table price. The renewal is where the clock matters. Payment received more than 30 calendar days but fewer than 91 calendar days after expiration costs 1.25 times the renewal fee, and the renewed permit runs only one year from the old expiration date. A permit with no renewal payment within 90 calendar days of expiration is cancelled. It can be reinstated, effective from the expiration date, by paying a late penalty of 1.5 times the original fee within 180 days of expiration. After that window, the operator files a new application and still pays the 1.5 times penalty.

Inspection costs sit outside the permit price. Section 22.602.050 bills any inspection outside 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at actual labor cost, and it bills a no-show at actual labor cost with a one-hour minimum.