Stafford Township, NJ Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Food Truck Permits (2026)

Section 111-9 of the Stafford Township Code, added in 2020 by Ord. No. 2020-10, makes a Type 1 fire safety permit mandatory for all food vendors and food trucks within the Township. The applicant files a completed permit application with the Bureau of Fire Prevention and pays $54, or $225 when applying for a yearly permit. Section 111-6 separately lists Type 1 at $54 in the Uniform Fire Code permit fee schedule.

The rest of the section is equipment-driven. A truck whose cooking method or type of food creates grease-laden vapors must carry an exhaust hood under N.J.A.C. 5:70-3.1, the International Fire Code and NFPA 96, plus a kitchen suppression system. That suppression system must be inspected and tested every six months by a contractor holding a New Jersey Division of Fire Safety contractor permit, and holders of yearly permits must deliver the semiannual report to the Bureau of Fire Prevention within the six-month time frame. A truck with a deep fat fryer needs a "K" extinguisher. Propane cylinders are checked for rust, damage, leaks and alterations, hoses are checked for condition and leaks, and valves and regulators must be protected from impact, stones and mud. Anyone cooking underneath a tent must give the Bureau documentation that the tent materials are flame-resistant. Subsection J puts every truck under full inspection for all other requirements of the New Jersey Uniform Fire Code.

The fire permit is not the only approval. Under § 223-7, no one may operate a mobile retail food establishment in Stafford Township without a Township license, which costs $100 and is issued only after the Ocean County Board of Health gives written approval of the facilities. Section 223-8 adds sanitary specifications for mobile food units, including a potable water supply tank of at least 30 gallons and hot water of not less than 140 degrees Fahrenheit. A person aggrieved by an order of the local fire enforcement agency can appeal to the Construction Board of Appeals of Ocean County under § 111-7.