Street vending cart rules in Oakland County, MI — also called pushcart, food cart, or sidewalk vendor regulations — set where mobile vendors can operate and what permits they need.
Mobile food carts, trucks, and trailers operating in Oakland County must be licensed as Mobile Food Establishments (MFEs) or Special Transitory Food Units (STFUs) by the Oakland County Health Division under Michigan's Modified Food Law and the Oakland County Sanitary Code. Carts must meet Michigan Food Code construction standards (NSF-certified equipment, mechanical refrigeration, three-compartment sink or approved alternative, potable water tank, and waste-water tank) and pass an annual inspection.
OCHD Environmental Health licenses three classes that cover cart-style operations: STFU (Special Transitory Food Unit) for vendors moving between jurisdictions, Mobile Food Establishment for trucks/trailers, and Temporary Food Establishment for event-based vending up to 14 consecutive days. State fees set by MDARD plus a local OCHD surcharge typically total several hundred dollars annually. Operators must designate a licensed servicing-area / commissary where the unit is stored, cleaned, and reprovisioned with potable water; operating from a residential garage is not permitted. The 2026 launch of Oakland County's Accela Citizen Access (ACA) portal replaced the older E-Health system for license applications, payments, and inspection scheduling. Credit-card transactions on ACA carry a 3.5% processing fee and e-checks a $2.50 charge per order.
Operating an unlicensed mobile food cart is a misdemeanor under MCL 289.4117. OCHD can immediately suspend a license and order the cart off the route for imminent health hazards (no hot water, no refrigeration, sewage backup). Reinspection fees apply for follow-up visits triggered by critical violations.
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