The Woodlands, TX Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Sidewalk & Mobile Vending (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- DSHS mobile food vendor license
- Effective
- July 1, 2026
- Per vehicle
- Separate license each food vehicle
- Local bans
- Barred for licensed vendors
- Authority
- Tex. Health & Safety Code 437B
Summary
Since July 1, 2026, anyone dispensing food from a truck in The Woodlands must hold a Texas DSHS mobile food vendor license; Montgomery County no longer issues its own mobile food unit permit.
Sec. 437B.051. LICENSE REQUIRED. (a) A person may not operate as a mobile food vendor in this state unless the person holds a mobile food vendor's license issued by the department. A separate license is required for each food vending vehicle a mobile food vendor operates. (b) A local authority may not prohibit the operation in its jurisdiction of a mobile food vendor who holds a mobile food vendor license and complies with all other state and local laws not in conflict with this chapter.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 437B of the Texas Health and Safety Code, added by HB 2844, requires every mobile food vendor to hold a license issued by the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) to operate in The Woodlands. A separate license is required for each food vending vehicle. The statewide license replaces the mobile food unit permits Montgomery County Environmental Health formerly issued from 501 N. Thompson in Conroe. Once licensed, a vendor cannot be barred by any local authority under Section 437B.051(b), though local site and covenant rules still apply.
Violations & Fines
Operating as a mobile food vendor without a DSHS license violates Section 437B.051(a); each food vending vehicle needs its own license. A local authority cannot prohibit a properly licensed vendor from operating.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I still need a Montgomery County mobile food permit?
Do I need a license for each truck?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in The Woodlands
Texas rules heatmap·Compare The Woodlands to another location·View the Texas food trucks & mobile vendors overview
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Sidewalk & Mobile Vending in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Montgomery County handle sidewalk & mobile vending.