Start by writing down your menu, vehicle type, cooking equipment and fuel, planned commissary, and the exact places you hope to sell. Those facts determine which reviews apply. Apply for a location permit only after checking who controls the site.
A usable overview
A sensible order for the approvals
- Define the setup. Write down the menu and food-preparation flow, vehicle or cart classification, equipment and fuel, commissary, and intended sites. Ask each authority which requirements apply before you buy or alter a unit.
- Check L&I before build work if your unit is in its program.Occupied vendor units and equipment such as commercial cooking, fuel-gas piping, higher-capacity electrical systems, alternate energy, plumbing, or heavy equipment can trigger plan review. L&I approval and an insignia are required for covered units before they start service.
- Prepare the Public Health plan review. The County asks for the mobile-unit plans, menu and food flow, commissary and restroom agreements, and location information. Its process requires plan approval before construction; after review, apply for the operating permit and pass the pre-opening inspection.
- Resolve business and location permissions. Obtain the Seattle Business License Tax Certificate when required. For a Seattle public right-of-way site, identify the SDOT permit type; on a private parcel, check the site with SDCI and get the owner’s permission. Other King County cities have their own location rules.
- Match fire approvals to fuel, equipment, and event. Seattle Fire lists annual and single-event food-truck permits. For an event in unincorporated King County, check whether the County Fire Special Event permit applies and who must submit it.
Public Health, L&I, city or county location staff, and the fire authority review different parts of the operation. One approval does not replace the others.
Published amounts · checked Nov 1, 2026
Itemized 2026 permit fees
Use the line that matches the permit and setup you are applying for. Some fees are annual, some are one-time or event-based, and some depend on hours, location, or inspection work. The application portal or agency invoice determines the amount due.
Public Health · King County
Mobile-food plan review and annual permit
- New-construction plan review: $1,008 for the first 4 hours; $252 per hour after that.
- Changes to a mobile or limited-food-service plan: $504 for the first 2 hours; $252 per hour after that. Billable resubmitted plans are $252 per hour.
- Annual mobile-unit operating permit: Risk 1 $630; Risk 2 $1,008; Risk 3 $1,260. Public Health assigns the risk category based on the business and food complexity.
The permit year runs April 1 through March 31. First-year fees are prorated by start date: 100% from April–June, 75% July–September, 50% October–December, or 25% January–March. Seasonal discounts are also published by operating months; ask Public Health how seasonal pricing and first-year proration apply together.
Public Health 2026 fee scheduleCity of Seattle · Finance
Business License Tax Certificate
The 2026 annual fee starts at $73 for Seattle taxable revenue from $0–$19,999. If there is no tax history, the City initially charges the minimum and can bill a difference after revenue is reported. The certificate is renewed annually and expires December 31.
Effective in 2026, a business with no Seattle place of business and no more than $4,000 in annual Seattle gross receipts is exempt from this general certificate requirement. Specialized permits are a separate question. No standard application-processing time is stated on the City fee page.
Seattle license fees and requirementsPublic right-of-way · SDOT
Vending permit and location fees
- Year-round site-specific vending issuance: $1,052; renewal $613.
- Four-month site-trial vending issuance: $222.
- Temporary event vending, up to 4 event days: $83 issuance.
- Annual food-vehicle zone occupation: $601 for each 4-hour period multiplied by each day per week in paid parking; $131 on the same basis for unpaid parking.
- Review or inspection when charged: $367 per hour; overtime review or inspection is $737 per hour.
The permit type and location decide which rows apply. Zone occupation, review, and inspection charges can be separate from issuance; SDOT’s fee estimator does not include every fee. Do not add all rows into a universal total.
SDOT 2026 Street Use Fee ScheduleSeattle · Fire Department
Food-truck fire permits
- Annual 8206-TRK with Seattle Fire inspection: $490.
- Annual 8206-RGL with regional inspection: $408, if you provide a WSAFM inspection report from another participating jurisdiction dated within the previous 12 months.
- Single-event 8207-TRK: $273.
These mobile food-preparation permits cover listed fuel or cooking setups such as LPG, CNG, solid fuel, open flame, or charcoal. Ask Seattle Fire which code applies to your exact vehicle and operation. The annual permit application requires the SFD inspection within 30 days of payment unless a qualifying regional inspection report is provided with the application.
Seattle Fire permit fees and codesUnincorporated King County · Fire
Special-event fire permit
- Application fee: $483.
- Inspection fee: $796 per site visit.
These are County fire-permit fees for the event site, not a general annual food-truck charge. The current fee section is in effect through December 31, 2026; recheck the Code before an event in 2027. Confirm with the event organizer and County which party files for the site.
King County Code, Title 27 fee scheduleWashington · Labor & Industries
Vehicle plan review and inspection
- Initial filing: $55.10. For plan-required conversions, the published initial design-plan options are $383.80 for master design or $156.70 for one-year design; L&I determines the applicable route.
- Plan-exempt inspection application: L&I lists a $55.10 insignia fee. This is not the full inspection cost.
- Inspection or reinspection: $111.80 per hour, plus travel time at $111.80 per hour and mileage. The minimum is one hour; additional time is charged in half-hour increments. Actual travel expenses may apply.
Other design, resubmittal, extra-plan-set, and insignia charges depend on the review route. Ask L&I to identify the full fee components for your unit before submitting.
WAC 296-150V-3000 fee schedulePrivate-property Seattle site: SDCI says some sites do not need a construction or use permit when specific conditions are met, while permanent use and some temporary uses may need permits. Its street-food page does not publish a general truck fee or review time. Check the parcel and proposed use directly withSDCI’s private-property guidance.
Estimates and deadlines are different
Published review times and event clocks
Public Health plan review
King County says an initial plan review may take up to 8–10 weeksunder current application volumes. This is an agency estimate for initial plan review, not a guaranteed completion date. After plan approval, the operating application takes several days to process; schedule the pre-opening inspection at least one week before opening.
County mobile permit process and timingSeattle public right-of-way vending
Seattle’s mobile-food guide gives SDOT an approval estimate of about 8 weeks upon submission. It applies to the SDOT public-location approval described there; it is an estimate, not a deadline or a promise that a requested site will be approved.
Seattle mobile-food and SDOT guidanceSeattle Fire annual inspection
For annual permit 8206-TRK, the inspection is scheduled after payment and must be completed within 30 days after payment. This is a required inspection window, not an estimate of permit review time. A qualifying regional report is an alternate route for 8206-RGL.
Seattle Fire food-truck applicationKing County Fire special event
A complete application must be submitted at least 30 calendar days before the event start date. Applications submitted later may lead to delayed, limited, or unpermitted event activities. King County does not state a separate standard review duration on its event page.
County Fire event deadline and processWashington L&I plan review
L&I says high request volume means plan review can take several months. The agency does not promise a fixed plan-review duration on its food-truck page. It does not list a standard inspection-only scheduling time there either.
L&I food-truck review noticeSeattle business license and SDCI site review
The City business-license fee page and SDCI street-food page do not state a general application-processing time for these permits. Ask the relevant office about the specific application and site before setting an opening date.
Seattle Finance business-license pageFirst classify the site
Public right-of-way and private property are different
Seattle street, curb, sidewalk, or public plaza
SDOT manages Seattle vending permits in the public right-of-way. Identify the permit type and site before applying. SDOT says it does not find locations for vendors. The City also notes that a Public Health permit or exemption is needed to operate a food vehicle in Seattle.
SDOT public-space vending permitsSeattle private lot or plaza
Ask the owner and check the parcel with SDCI. SDCI describes conditions where a parked truck may not need a construction or use permit, and separate temporary or permanent-use permits for other situations. Do not assume that property-owner permission alone settles land-use requirements.
SDCI street-food conditionsA Seattle city park, an event venue, or a site in another King County city can have separate rules. Seattle’s City guide directs vendors outside Seattle to check the local jurisdiction; King County Fire permitting is for its unincorporated area.
Fuel and event conditions matter
Fire permits are equipment- and event-dependent
Seattle Fire publishes annual mobile food-preparation vehicle permits for listed fuel and cooking types, plus a single-event truck permit. Its regional option requires an inspection report from another participating jurisdiction. A one-time event fire permit does not replace Public Health, SDOT, SDCI, or event-organizer requirements.
King County’s Fire Special Event process is separate. Its event guidance includes temporary cooking and food trucks, along with site and event conditions such as temporary structures, generators, heating, or expected attendance. Check the event jurisdiction first, then confirm with the organizer and fire authority whether the event needs a permit and who submits the application.
King County Fire special-event criteriaWhen cooking equipment, fuel, suppression systems, or event rules are unusual, ask the fire authority before the event. Do not treat the fee or deadline on this page as a universal approval for every site.
Confirm before you schedule the build
Details that still need a human answer
Public Health and L&I order for occupied units
The Public Health mobile-unit guide dated April 2026 says an occupied unit needs L&I inspection and its seal before Public Health plan review. Seattle’s mobile food guide says an application can be submitted before L&I approval, but says L&I approval is needed before King County approves the pre-opening inspection and operating permit. Because those pages describe different gates, confirm the current order with your County plan reviewer for the exact vehicle before you submit or build.
Public Health April 2026 mobile-unit guideConflicting summary timelines
Seattle’s mobile-food overview also gives a general estimate of about 14 days for King County approval and about 8 weeks for L&I. The direct County process now separates an initial plan-review estimate of up to 8–10 weeks from several days for the later operating application, while L&I currently says plan review may take several months. This page uses those phase-specific agency pages; confirm the timing for your submitted application rather than relying on a broad summary.
Seattle mobile-food overview with summary estimatesRisk category, site, and exact fee total
Public Health must classify the menu and operation. SDOT must identify the location-specific permit and occupancy charges. L&I and the fire authority determine which plan, inspection, insignia, and permit components apply. The exact cost cannot be established until those decisions and any extra inspections are known.
Go directly to the agency
Official pages and fee schedules
Each source below is agency-controlled. The dates refer to when this guide checked the page or schedule, not the date the agency last changed it.
- Public Health — Seattle & King CountyMobile food service business permit processPlan review, operating permit, current review timing, and pre-opening inspection.
- Public Health — Seattle & King CountyFood and Facilities Program Fees — 2026Mobile-unit annual fees, risk categories, plan-review rates, and proration.
- Public Health — Seattle & King CountyMobile food plan review application instructionsApplication requirements and the documents to submit for review.
- City of Seattle FinanceSeattle business licenses and 2026 annual feesBusiness License Tax Certificate fee tiers, annual renewal, and the 2026 exemption threshold.
- Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT)2026 Street Use Fee Schedule, effective January 1, 2026Vending issuance, renewals, temporary-event permits, and food-vehicle-zone occupation fees.
- Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT)Vending permits in the public right-of-wayPermit types and location guidance for street, curb, sidewalk, and public-plaza vending.
- Seattle Office of Economic DevelopmentMobile food vending guideSeattle’s public/private-location distinction and the published SDOT application estimate.
- Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI)Street food carts or trucks on private propertySeattle land-use conditions and examples of when private sites may need permits.
- Seattle Fire DepartmentFood-truck permit applications and current feesAnnual mobile food-preparation permits, regional inspection option, and a single-event permit.
- Seattle Fire DepartmentMobile food-preparation vehicle permit applicationPermit fees and the 30-day deadline for completing an SFD inspection after payment.
- King County Department of Local Services — FireFire and special-event permit processEvent triggers, jurisdiction, application instructions, and the 30-calendar-day deadline.
- King County Department of Local Services — FireKing County Code, Title 27, development permit feesSpecial-event fire-permit application and per-site-visit inspection fees in effect through 2026.
- Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I)Food trucks and trailersUnit classification, plan-review triggers, inspection steps, and current workload notice.
- Washington State LegislatureWAC 296-150V-3000 — conversion vendor unit feesCurrent filing, design-review, inspection, travel, and insignia fee schedule.
This is general information, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Rules change, so verify with the agencies listed.