Seattle, WA Mobile Food License Guide (2026)

Seattle mobile food permit decision table

First classify the operation correctly

Public Health includes carts, trailers, trucks, and kiosks in the mobile food category. Washington L&I uses a different definition for regulated food trucks and trailers; it says push carts and food-delivery units where employees work outside are not regulated under its food-truck program.

Seattle also separates site-based vending from route vending. SDOT currently limits route vending to flowers and foods or nonalcoholic beverages that are exempt from the King County mobile food permit. A normal cooked-food truck should not assume route vending is its category.

For a permit-required truck, start with SDOT’s site-based vending choices if you will use public space. For the broader national permit stack, see BLG’s Food Truck Business License and Permit Guide.

King County health approval comes before opening

Public Health – Seattle & King County regulates mobile food in Seattle. It requires plans before construction, remodeling, or a change of ownership. The mobile food plan-review application covers unit and water-system design, commissary information, menu and food flow, operating details, sites or routes, and restroom documentation.

Seattle’s mobile-food handbook says vendors need an approved King County commissary unless Public Health approves an exemption, and they must be within 500 feet of a usable restroom meeting the stated handwashing and hot-water conditions. Solve those issues before committing to a site.

After plan approval, the county requires the operating-permit step and a pre-operational inspection. A truck or trailer can enter King County plan review before L&I approval, but L&I approval must be in place before King County can approve the pre-operational inspection and issue the operating permit. The health permit is not transferable to a new owner.

Where you sell changes the Seattle permit path

Public streets, curb space, sidewalks, and plazas

Vending in Seattle public right-of-way requires an SDOT Street Use vending permit. SDOT separates curb-space, sidewalk/plaza, stadium/event-center, and route vending. Street Use vendors need a current Seattle business license; food vendors need a King County mobile food permit or accepted exemption; open-flame vendors need the applicable Fire permit.

You choose or propose the site. SDOT provides a vending map and reviews proposed new locations. Site-based applications require plans showing the vending footprint and clearances. Route vending is different and is limited to health-permit-exempt foods or beverages. The SDOT vending year runs February 1 through January 31; November 30 is the renewal deadline for retaining location priority.

Private property

SDCI says no construction or use permit is needed for a food truck or cart on private property when all listed conditions are met: a non-residential zone, property-owner permission, no overnight stay, parking in an area used for parking, and at least 50 feet from residentially zoned property.

If one condition is not met, use SDCI’s page to identify the temporary-intermittent or permanent-use path that may apply before committing to the site.

Parks, events, and other jurisdictions

Park and event vending can have separate event/park steps. Outside Seattle or King County, local business, vending, Fire, or health permits may change. See BLG’s Seattle guide and King County guide for the wider local map.

Washington L&I and Seattle Fire are separate safety layers

Washington L&I

L&I regulates qualifying food trucks and trailers. Some units need plan review before inspection, including units with certain commercial cooking, larger electrical systems, alternate energy, bathroom/waste plumbing, or heavy equipment. Even when plan review is not required, L&I says a regulated truck or trailer still needs inspection.

L&I marks its current vendor plan-review submittal guidelines as updated April 16, 2026. Check the current requirements before installing fixed equipment.

Seattle Fire

Seattle requires a Fire permit for covered LPG, CNG, solid fuel, open flame, charcoal, or similar food-truck systems. The current annual categories include 8206-TRK with an SFD inspection and 8206-RGL with a qualifying regional inspection report. Seattle participates in the regional WSAFM food-truck inspection program.

Business license, state registration, sales tax, and workers

Seattle business license

Most businesses doing business in Seattle need a Business License Tax Certificate, called a general business license in FileLocal. It expires December 31 and renews annually. SDOT specifically requires a current Seattle business license for Street Use vendors.

For 2026, Seattle has a narrow exception for a business with no place of business in the city and no more than $4,000 of Seattle revenue. The exception does not erase specialized permit requirements, so a public-space vendor should follow SDOT’s license prerequisite.

Washington registration and sales tax

Use the Washington Department of Revenue Business License Application when state triggers apply, such as taxable sales, a trade name, employees, endorsements, or the state gross-income threshold. The system assigns a UBI number.

Prepared food is generally subject to Washington retail sales tax. DOR lists mobile food sellers among businesses that commonly exceed the 75% prepared-food test. Use the official prepared-food tax guide for your menu.

If you hire workers

The state Business License Application asks about employees and starts the employer-account process. Food handlers also need a Washington Food Worker Card. BLG’s Washington business license guide covers the wider state registration layer.

Material 2026 changes to know about

• Seattle B&O tax changed January 1, 2026. The taxable-revenue threshold increased from $100,000 to $2 million, and a $2 million standard deduction was added for taxpayers above the threshold. Businesses under the threshold can still have filing duties.
• The small outside-city business-license exception increased in 2026. Seattle raised the no-place-of-business threshold from $2,000 to $4,000 of Seattle revenue. Specialized permit requirements are not erased by that exception.
• SDOT adjusted Street Use fees for 2026. The city says review, inspection, issuance, and renewal fees were adjusted by 2.6% effective January 1, 2026. Use the current fee page when budgeting a vending location.
• Washington L&I updated its food-truck plan submittal guidance. The current vendor plan-review submittal guidelines are marked updated April 16, 2026.

Costs you can plan for

There is no single “Seattle food truck license fee.” Different agencies charge for different approvals, and some amounts depend on the unit, health-risk category, location, or review work.

Three Seattle examples

Cooked-food truck at a curb-space site

Expect the full stack: King County mobile-food approval, L&I truck approval, Seattle business license, SDOT curb-space permit, Fire approval if the cooking system triggers it, and state tax registration.

Food truck on a private commercial lot

SDOT Street Use drops out, but health, L&I, business-license, tax, and Fire layers remain. Check all SDCI private-property conditions; meeting every listed condition can avoid a construction/use permit for that setup.

Health-exempt route vendor

A seller of qualifying exempt foods may fit Seattle route vending. SDOT requires proof of the health-permit exemption, a current Seattle business license, a route map, and compliance with route restrictions.

Compact Seattle mobile food checklist

• Menu and food-preparation steps are written down.
• Truck, trailer, cart, kiosk, or other unit type is correctly classified.
• King County mobile-food plan review is started before construction or remodeling.
• Commissary plan or exemption path is documented.
• Restroom access and each operating site are documented as required.
• L&I plan-review and inspection path is confirmed for the unit.
• Washington business license, UBI, trade name, tax, and employee registrations are handled as applicable.
• Seattle Business License Tax Certificate is current.
• Public-right-of-way site uses the correct SDOT permit, or private property is checked against SDCI rules.
• Seattle Fire permit is obtained if fuel or open-flame equipment triggers it.
• Food workers have valid Washington Food Worker Cards.
• King County pre-operational inspection is completed before opening.
• Permits for every city or county outside Seattle/King County are checked separately.

What if your setup does not fit the normal path?

Do not force the business into the closest permit name. A kiosk, push cart, temporary-event booth, route vendor, caterer, or permanent restaurant can follow a different path from a mobile food truck. Start with Seattle’s Mobile Food Vending handbook and the King County mobile-food page, then use the agency contact or Permit Center when your setup falls between categories.

If the problem is the location, change the location question before changing the whole business. A private commercial lot that meets SDCI’s no-permit conditions can be a very different approval path from a public curb-space site.

About this BLG guide

BusinessLicenseGuide.com separates the government layers instead of calling every filing a “business license.” For Seattle mobile food, the useful map is health permit + unit approval + selling-location approval + Fire permit when triggered + city/state business and tax registration. One approval does not erase the others.