How to start a food truck in Charlotte, NC

Step 1

Decide your menu and unit type

Your menu and the kind of unit you run decide what the county reviews. Mecklenburg County Public Health's plan review form covers two types of unit.

• Mobile food unit. A food establishment or pushcart built to be moved and used to sell food. This is what most trucks and trailers are.
• Pushcart. Limited to a short menu: hot dogs and similar pre-cooked encased meats, their condiments, pre-packaged drinks and snacks.

Source: Mecklenburg County Health Department mobile food unit plan review application (form revision dated September 2014, so ask for the current version).

Step 2

Set up the business

These are the usual setup steps for a small food business. None of them come from the county, so confirm what applies to you.

• Form an LLC if you want to keep business and personal money separate. North Carolina LLCs are filed with the Secretary of State.
• Get an EIN from the IRS. It is free and you will need it for a business bank account.
• Register for sales tax with the North Carolina Department of Revenue. Registering is free on the state's own site, so skip third-party sites that charge for it. Ask the department how prepared food sales are taxed.
• Open a business bank account so truck income and costs stay separate.

Step 3

Get general liability insurance

An undated Charlotte starter guide lists general liability insurance as the first requirement, and commissaries and event organizers often ask for proof of coverage before they will work with you. Get quotes early, so you can answer when a kitchen or an event asks. Ask an insurer whether you also need vehicle coverage for the truck itself.

Insurer to compare: Next Insurance.

Step 4

Line up an approved commissary

The county's form says a mobile food unit must work out of a commissary that the Health Department approves.

• A private residence cannot be your commissary.
• The unit must report to the commissary daily for supplies, cleaning and servicing.
• The commissary needs enough storage for food and clean utensils.
• You submit a completed commissary approval form with your plan.

Trucks also need a place to fill with potable water and dump wastewater, and the county ties approval to equipment at the commissary. Ask every kitchen you look at whether it offers this, because the listings we checked do not say.

State law also lets a mobile food unit act as its own commissary if it meets the commissary requirements, so ask the county which applies to your truck. For the full list of what a commissary must provide, read our guide to commissary kitchen requirements in Mecklenburg County, and see commissary vs. shared vs. ghost kitchens if you are comparing kitchen types.

Compare Charlotte-area shared and commissary kitchens, with their listed prices and terms, in our kitchen directory.

Source: Mecklenburg County Health Department plan review application.

Step 5

Submit your plan to the county before you build or buy

The county asks you to submit the plan review application before you start construction or buy a unit. Pausing to do this first can save you from paying for a truck the county will not approve.

Every applicant submits:

• The completed application
• Manufacturer specifications for all installed equipment
• A complete menu, including food, drinks and condiments
• The commissary approval form
• An operational route form, with the addresses, days and times you will operate

For a mobile food unit, you also provide:

• A scaled diagram showing where equipment and sinks go
• Finish materials for floors, walls, ceiling, countertops and shelving
• Lists and specifications for cooking, cold holding and hot holding equipment
• Details on the ware-wash sink, including the number and size of basins
• Details on the water tanks. The wastewater tank must be at least 15 percent larger than the water supply tank.
• The water heater specification

The county will not give verbal approvals, and an incomplete application is sent back, which slows everything down. The form does not list fees or inspection schedules, so call and ask. The county's Food and Facilities Sanitation office lists 980-314-1620 and 3205 Freedom Dr., Suite 8000, Charlotte, NC 28208. Older county forms show a different number and address, so use these current ones.

Source: Mecklenburg County Health Department plan review application.

Step 6

Pass inspection and get your permit

Once your plans are approved and the unit is built, the county inspects it before issuing an operating permit. A unit that does not meet the requirements will not get a permit, and changes made after approval can delay or deny it. The form also notes that county approval does not mean you meet other agencies' requirements, so keep going through the steps below.

Step 7

Know where you can sell

Where you may park and sell is its own set of rules, separate from the health permit.

• Private property. You need written permission from the property owner.
• Public streets in the city. An undated starter guide we found, with no named author, says food trucks cannot operate in the public right of way inside city limits, including Center City, South End and West End, except at special events with closed streets. It also mentions an on-street pilot for trucks, which we could not confirm on any current city page. The city's NoDa street vending pilot covered handmade goods only, not food, and ended February 15, 2026. Street vending rules are being revisited, so ask the city before you plan around curbside selling.
• Events. For a temporary event inside the city, the City of Charlotte lists a food vendor application with a $75 fee per permit, due at least 15 days before the event, plus a fire inspection of each vending site. The event organizer files a separate application. Cooking sites have fire rules too, such as keeping cooking appliances at least 4 feet from the public (or putting a Plexiglas shield between them), keeping combustibles 3 feet from cooking areas, and carrying a K-type fire extinguisher with a current inspection tag.
• Alcohol. Selling beer or wine adds state and city permits. Ask before you plan a drinks menu.

Sources: City of Charlotte, Food and Alcohol Sales page and Street Vendor Programs page; an undated Charlotte starter guide that references the city, the county and Charlotte Center City Partners. Confirm both with the city.

Step 8

Plan how you will take payments

Most trucks start with a card reader and a simple point of sale. Compare the per-transaction rate and any monthly fees before you pick one. Square is one option.