Sonoma County, CA Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Food Truck Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Issuing authority
- County health officer, Department of Health Services
- Mobile units
- Permit must be carried by the driver
- Term
- Expires on the annual renewal date
- Transfer
- Not transferable on change of ownership
- Late fees
- Charged at 30 and 60 days past the anniversary date
- No-permit penalty
- Closure plus up to 3 times the permit fee
- Misdemeanor fine
- $25 to $1,000 per offense, up to 6 months jail
Summary
No one can run a food truck or any other mobile food facility in Sonoma County without a valid permit or registration from the health officer, and the driver must carry it. Section 14-3-030 bars issuing the permit until the Department of Health Services inspects the operation, and the permit expires on the annual renewal date, cannot be transferred, and covers only the approved person, location and type of food sales.
(a) No person shall operate in the county, or in any incorporated city in the county, any food facility or any other enterprise or establishment in which food or beverage is offered for sale or sold, without a valid permit or registration issued by the health officer. Such permit shall be displayed prominently in or upon the place of business for which it is issued, or in the case of a mobile food facility shall be carried by the driver. ... (c) A permit to operate shall not be issued by the department until its inspection has determined that the proposed food facility and its method of operation meet the specifications and conform to the provisions of this article and the California Retail Food Code (California Health and Safety Code Section 113700 et seq.). (d) All permits for food facilities shall expire on the annual renewal date. Permits are valid only for the person, location, and type of food sales or distribution activity approved. Permits shall not be transferable upon change of ownership of the food facility. ( Ord. No. 6552 , § III(Exh. B), 4-7-2026; Ord. No. 6144, § I , 3-1-2016)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 64 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Sonoma County Code § 14-3-030(a) makes it unlawful to operate any food facility, or any enterprise in which food or beverage is offered for sale or sold, without a valid permit or registration issued by the health officer. The section names the mobile case directly: the permit of a mobile food facility must be carried by the driver, while a fixed business displays its permit prominently at the place of business. The rule is not limited to unincorporated land. Subsection (a) reaches any incorporated city in the county, and § 14-1-010 applies Chapter 14 in every city and town that has not appointed its own health officer. Enforcement belongs to the county Department of Health Services, environmental health and safety section.
Applications go on a form supplied by the department and must come with the annual fee set by the Board of Supervisors' fee resolution (§ 14-3-030(b) and § 14-3-040(a)). Fees are nonrefundable except where law requires a refund. Under subsection (c), no permit issues until an inspection finds that the proposed food facility and its method of operation meet this article and the California Retail Food Code, Health and Safety Code Section 113700 et seq.
Subsection (d) sets the limits of the permit. It expires on the annual renewal date. It is valid only for the person, location, and type of food sales or distribution activity approved. It is not transferable on a change of ownership, so a truck sold to a new owner needs a permit issued to that owner. Under § 14-3-040(c), a permit not reinstated by the anniversary date is delinquent, and late fees apply at 30 days and again at 60 days past the anniversary date. Under § 14-3-040(d), any extra inspection caused by noncompliance carries a reinspection fee from the schedule in effect at the time.
The history line shows Ordinance No. 6552, adopted April 7, 2026, as the latest amendment to Article III. The same ordinance repealed § 14-3-070, the former microenterprise home kitchen section.
Violations & Fines
Operating without a valid permit exposes the operator to closure and a penalty of up to three times the permit fee under § 14-3-050, as authorized by Health and Safety Code Section 114387. A violation of the California Retail Food Code is a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of $25 to $1,000 per offense, up to six months in county jail, or both. The enforcement officer can also suspend or revoke a permit for good cause, and immediately when a threat to public health exists.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a food truck in a Sonoma County city need this permit?
Where must the permit be kept on a mobile food facility?
Can I sell my food truck and keep the permit?
What happens if my permit is not renewed on time?
How do I contest a suspension or revocation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sonoma County
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