Sun Prairie, WI Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Food Truck Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit fee
- $150, nonrefundable
- Insurance minimum
- $300,000 combined single limit
- State license required
- Mobile Restaurant License
- Background check
- Required by police chief
- Permit term
- Calendar year
- Adopted
- Ord. No. 919, July 18, 2023
Summary
Every food truck operating in Sun Prairie needs a $150 annual permit from the city clerk before selling, plus proof of a state Mobile Restaurant License and at least $300,000 in liability insurance, under §§ 5.34.010 and 5.34.040. Permits run on a calendar-year basis and require a police background check.
Food trucks must have a permit from the city of Sun Prairie prior to engaging in sales within the City. Permits will be issued on a calendar year basis. Vendors will be required to display their permit in a conspicuous location. ... The applicant shall submit a photocopy of a valid Mobile Restaurant License issued by the State of Wisconsin or a Health Department authorized to issue such licenses. The applicant shall certify that they maintain general liability insurance with limits of at least three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000.00) per occurrence combined single limit bodily injury and property damage, issued by a company authorized to do business in the State of Wisconsin. The fee for a Food Truck permit shall be one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00), which is nonrefundable and must be submitted with the application.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 71).
Full Breakdown
010 requires that "food trucks must have a permit from the city of Sun Prairie prior to engaging in sales within the City," with permits issued on a calendar-year basis and vendors required to display the permit in a conspicuous location. 030 exempts food trucks at private events closed to the public and at events hosted by the city itself. 040, the truck owner applies to the city clerk and must submit "a photocopy of a valid Mobile Restaurant License issued by the State of Wisconsin or a Health Department authorized to issue such licenses," and certify general liability insurance of at least $300,000 per occurrence combined single limit for bodily injury and property damage, issued by a company licensed to do business in Wisconsin.
The nonrefundable permit fee is $150, due with the application. 050 requires every applicant to pass a criminal background check run by the chief of police or a designee before the city clerk will issue the permit. 16 of the municipal code. 090, was newly enacted by Ord. No. 919, § 5, adopted July 18, 2023, so it postdates the 2002 base codification.
Violations & Fines
Operating a food truck in Sun Prairie without the required permit violates § 5.34.010 and can draw removal from the location by the Sun Prairie Police Department under § 5.34.070(N), which authorizes police to "remove or cause the removal of a Food Truck found to be violating this chapter." Any warning or citation issued is logged against the vendor's record under § 5.34.080, and the common council can revoke a registration under § 5.34.090 after notice and a hearing for a material misstatement, fraud, or disqualifying conviction.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it cost to get a food truck permit in Sun Prairie?
What insurance does a Sun Prairie food truck need?
Can Sun Prairie shut down my food truck for a violation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sun Prairie
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Food Truck Permits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Dane County handle food truck permits.