Virginia Beach, VA Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Food Truck Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- License tax rate
- 0.20% of gross receipts
- Prerequisite permits
- Health director and fire department
- Background check
- Criminal record check via chief of police
- License transfer
- Not transferable between owners
Summary
Virginia Beach requires mobile food vendors to hold a health department and fire department permit before the commissioner of the revenue will issue the required 0.20% gross-receipts business license.
(a)Vending food products at retail from a self-propelled motor vehicle or trailer is recognized as a distinct activity (mobile food vending)... (c)No license shall be issued under this section, unless that applicant for such license holds a permit from the director of health and the fire department. Each mobile food vendor shall pay a license tax rate of 0.20 percent of gross receipts.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 170 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
City Code § 18-108.2 sets up mobile food vending, selling food at retail from a self-propelled motor vehicle or trailer, as its own license category, separate from ice cream trucks and food-delivery vehicles. The commissioner of the revenue cannot issue the license until the operator already holds a permit from the director of health and from the fire department. The tax is 0.20 percent of gross receipts earned in the city, and once issued the license is not transferable between owners. Every person obtaining the license, and their employees, must also pass a criminal record check run through the chief of police, using the same review process the city applies under §§ 26-33, 26-34 and 26-39.
Violations & Fines
No mobile food vending license issues until the health and fire permits are already in hand, so operating first risks license denial; the chief of police also reviews required criminal record checks before approval.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit before I can get a Virginia Beach mobile food vending license?
Can I transfer my food truck license if I sell the business?
Will Virginia Beach run a background check on me?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Virginia Beach
Compare Virginia Beach to another location·View the Virginia food trucks & mobile vendors overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.