Mobile Food

Information for Vendors on Permits, Renewals, Documents and Inspections Required, and Location Requirements  

 

What is a Mobile Food Facility?  

California has TWO categories of Food Trucks and Carts.  

Mobile Food Facilities include any truck or trailer that prepares food or drinks in the vehicle or sells food and drinks prepared at an off-site commissary (a professional kitchen or catering facility). El Dorado County MFF operators must use an approved commissary.  

Compact Mobile Food Facilities (CMFOs) include individuals, pushcarts, stands, displays, wagons, etc. CMFOs may only sell prepackaged foods, whole uncut produce, or food with limited food preparation.

Mobile Food Facilities (MFF)

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El Dorado County Environmental Health Division is responsible for the inspection of various types of Mobile Food Facilities (MFF):

  • Mobile Food Preparation Units (MFPU)
  • Limited food vehicles
  • Food trucks
  • Ice cream trucks

The Vehicle Inspection Program conducts annual certification and complaint inspections of MFFs, and inspections that may involve commissaries that service these MFFs.  All MFFs are subject to Plan Review.  Any vehicle that is going to be occupied shall also be approved for operations by the California Housing and Community Development Department (HCD).

Please see below to apply for the appropriate permit.

MOBILE-FOOD-APPLICATION.pdf(PDF, 858KB)

MFF-OPERATOR-CHECKLIST.pdf(PDF, 229KB)

Compact Mobile Food Operations (CMFO)

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Senate Bill 972 (Gonzalez) was enacted and becomes effective January 1, 2023. This new bill changes the California Retail Food Code by establishing a new Chapter in the California Retail Food Code (CRFC) titled “Compact Mobile Food Operations.” These changes were intended to promote economic inclusion while modernizing the CRFC so that sidewalk food vendors can obtain a permit and join the regulated vending economy.

What is a CMFO? 

A CMFO is a type of mobile food facility that operates from any of the following:

  • An individual, stand, showcase, rack, or display – may be exempt from permitting if offering less than 25 sq. feet of prepackaged non-potentially hazardous food.

  • A stand, showcase, rack, display – limited to the sale of prepackaged non-potentially hazardous foods.

  • A pushcart, pedal-driven cart, wagon, or other nonmotorized conveyance – may be approved for limited food preparation, such as hot dogs or espresso carts.

A CMFO:

  • Must meet all the requirements listed in Chapter 10 (Mobile Food Facilities), except as provided for in the new Chapter 11.7 (Compact Mobile Food Operations).

  • Is required to operate in conjunction with a commissary, mobile support unit or other facility approved by the enforcement agency.

A CMFO is not:

  • A pop-up tent with multiple pieces of equipment set up. All equipment must be integral as part of a pushcart, pedal-driven cart, wagon, or other nonmotorized conveyance.

  • Motorized Mobile Food Facility

How to apply for a CMFO:

Files coming soon.

CMFOs that have less than 25 square feet of display space and sell only non-perishable prepackaged food or whole, uncut fruit and produce are exempt from permitting but are required to file a registration form with EMD.

 

 

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