States with published guides
11 statesEach guide walks the official permit, fee, processing time, step-by- step application, common pitfalls, and city rules. Plain English, built for operators.
OH · Ohio
GuideMobile Food Service License
$25 to $500 per year · 2 to 4 weeks
Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati all covered. Includes pitfalls specific to Ohio.
GA · Georgia
GuideMobile Food Service Permit
around $200 per year · 2 to 4 weeks
Atlanta (Fulton + DeKalb), Savannah (Chatham County), and Augusta (Richmond County) all covered. Includes pitfalls specific to Georgia.
NC · North Carolina
GuideMobile Food Establishment Permit
around $150 per year · 2 to 4 weeks
Charlotte (Mecklenburg County), Raleigh (Wake County), and Asheville (Buncombe County) all covered. Includes pitfalls specific to North Carolina.
MI · Michigan
GuideMobile Food Establishment License
around $192 per year · 2 to 4 weeks
Detroit (Wayne County), Grand Rapids (Kent County), and Ann Arbor (Washtenaw County) all covered. Includes pitfalls specific to Michigan.
MN · Minnesota
GuideFood Cart License
$15 to $200 per year · 2 to 4 weeks
Minneapolis (Hennepin County), St. Paul (Ramsey County), and Rochester (Olmsted County) all covered. Includes pitfalls specific to Minnesota.
PA · Pennsylvania
GuideMobile Food Unit License
around $241 per year · 3 to 6 weeks
Philadelphia, Pittsburgh (Allegheny County), and Harrisburg (Dauphin County) all covered. Includes pitfalls specific to Pennsylvania.
IL · Illinois
GuideMobile Prepared Food Vendor License
$100 per 2 years (Chicago) plus ~$700 county health · 3 to 5 weeks
Chicago, Springfield (Sangamon County), and Naperville (DuPage County) all covered. Includes pitfalls specific to Illinois.
WA · Washington
GuideMobile Food Business Permit
$90 to $400 per year · 4 to 6 weeks
Seattle (King County), Spokane (Spokane County), and Tacoma (Pierce County) all covered. Includes pitfalls specific to Washington.
OR · Oregon
GuideMobile Food Unit License
$150 to $400 per year · 3 to 5 weeks
Portland (Multnomah County), Eugene (Lane County), and Bend (Deschutes County) all covered. Includes pitfalls specific to Oregon.
CO · Colorado
GuideRetail Food Establishment License (Mobile)
$100 to $300 per year · 3 to 5 weeks
Denver, Boulder (Boulder County), and Colorado Springs (El Paso County) all covered. Includes pitfalls specific to Colorado.
MA · Massachusetts
GuideMobile Food Vendor Permit
$60 to $65 per year (base) · 2 to 3 weeks
Boston, Worcester, and Cambridge all covered. Includes pitfalls specific to Massachusetts.
More states coming soon
We are working through every state. If your state is not listed yet, the underlying framework is similar: a state or county Mobile Food permit, a commissary agreement, a plan review, and a food-safety certification. Use one of the published guides as a reference while we finish yours.
Why a permit-by-state guide exists
Coffee cart operators usually start by searching for the permit. The official agency pages are written for inspectors, not new operators. The fee tables, classifications, and commissary requirements get buried under generic mobile-food language that covers everything from hot dogs to lobster rolls.
VenVen publishes these guides because we work with coffee cart operators every day. The pitfalls we surface are the ones operators actually hit on inspection day or the week they try to book their first wedding in a neighboring county. We are not a permit broker and not a law firm. The guides are editorial reference, and every page links straight to the issuing agency.
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