Georgia Food Truck Permits &
HACCP Requirements (2026)

If you have been trying to figure out Georgia food truck permitting and keep finding contradictory answers, there is a reason: Georgia genuinely has one of the more unusual systems in the country. It is not one permit. It is two health permits, issued by your county — plus whatever your city layers on top. Miss the structure and you will spend weeks applying for the wrong thing at the wrong office.

Here is how it actually works.

Getting this out of the way first, because it is the question that causes the most panic.

Most standard Georgia food trucks do not need a formal HACCP plan. Georgia DPH food service rules (Chapter 511-6-1) follow the FDA Food Code model. If your menu is wings, tacos, burgers, lemonade, or low-country boil cooked and served within normal time and temperature controls, your county environmental health specialist expects written operational procedures and daily temperature logs — and in fact, Georgia requires you to submit your written operational procedures and menu as part of your initial permit application.

A full HACCP plan (with a variance) becomes required only for specialized processes:

• Reduced oxygen packaging or sous vide
• Curing or fermenting meats
• Smoking meats for preservation rather than immediate service
• Similar shelf-life-extending processes

That procedures packet — SOPs, temperature logs, cleaning schedules, corrective action templates — is exactly what AuditBinder generates for mobile food operations in minutes.

Three layers, each with a specific job:

1. Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) writes the statewide food service rules (Rules and Regulations for Food Service, Chapter 511-6-1). DPH sets the standards but does not issue your permit.
2. Your county board of health issues both of your permits and inspects you. You apply in your county of origin — the county where your Base of Operation is located. Fees are set by each county board, which is why quotes vary so widely across the state.
3. Your city controls business licensing, zoning, and where you can actually park and sell.

One more agency to know: if you sell only pre-packaged foods, bottled beverages, or acidified products, you may fall under the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) instead of DPH. Most trucks preparing food on board are DPH — but check if your menu is package-heavy.

This is Georgia’s defining quirk. You need:

Permit 1 — Base of Operation. Your commissary: the licensed facility where you store food, prep, wash equipment, refill potable water, and dump wastewater. It needs its own DPH permit and inspection certificate. Two Georgia-specific rules catch people here: two permit holders cannot share equipment or space at a commissary (a traceability rule unique to Georgia), and your commissary agreement must be in writing, identifying the facility address, the services provided, and how often you use it.

Permit 2 — Mobile Food Service Unit. The truck itself. Your application package to the county typically includes:

• Menu and written operational procedures
• To-scale diagram or sketch of both the base and the unit
• Photos of the unit, inside and outside
• Water system details (wastewater tank must be at least 15% larger than the fresh water tank)
• Commissary agreement
• Plan review fee (example: Cobb & Douglas Public Health charges $270 for a Risk Type I plan review)

The county environmental health specialist inspects the truck before issuing the permit. Your truck must display the business name and permit information in lettering at least 2 inches tall.

Before 2023, Georgia trucks needed a separate permit in every county — a compliance nightmare in a state with 159 of them. Since January 1, 2023, your county-of-origin permits are recognized statewide under Rule 511-6-1-.04(4)(a).

The catch operators miss: recognition is not automatic authorization. Before operating in another county, you must apply for authorization from that county’s health department. It is a lighter process than a full permit, but skipping it can get you shut down at an event. Keep copies of your origin-county permits and inspection certificates in the truck — outside counties will ask.

Atlanta. You need a City of Atlanta business license from the Office of Revenue, and vending on public right-of-way runs through the city’s dedicated food truck program. Private property and food truck parks are simpler — but confirm zoning for each location.

Savannah. Food trucks pay a $150 annual fee and submit a Mobile Food Service Unit (MFSU) Location Approval application to the zoning office, on top of a Business Tax Certificate. Two Savannah traps: permits run on the calendar year with no proration (apply in January, not October), and the city stops accepting applications on August 1 each year.

Georgia inspectors work from the same fundamentals in our 12-point food truck inspection checklist: handwashing setup, three-compartment sink, cold holding ≤41°F and hot holding ≥135°F, raw-protein separation, date marking, allergen knowledge — and your documentation. Because Georgia requires written procedures at application, inspectors expect those same procedures to be on the truck and actually followed. A binder that matches your real operation is the difference between a routine visit and a re-inspection.

• How much is a food truck permit in Georgia?

  County health permit fees typically run $200–$600 per year for a mobile food service unit, with high-risk menus reaching around $1,000 in some counties. Add your Base of Operation permit, city business licensing, and commissary costs. Fees are set by each county board of health, so call your county for exact numbers.

• Can I operate my Georgia food truck in other counties?

  Yes. Since January 1, 2023, permits from your county of origin are recognized statewide — but you must request authorization from each additional county’s health department before operating there.

• Does a Georgia food truck need a HACCP plan?

  Only for specialized processes like reduced oxygen packaging, curing, or smoking for preservation. Standard cook-and-serve menus need written operational procedures and daily temperature logs — which Georgia requires you to submit with your permit application.

• Do I need a commissary in Georgia?

  Yes. Every mobile food service unit must operate from a permitted Base of Operation, with a written agreement. Georgia does not allow two permit holders to share commissary equipment or space.

• Who do I contact to get started?

  Your county board of health’s environmental health office, in the county where your commissary is located. Georgia DPH publishes a directory of county environmental health phone numbers at dph.georgia.gov.

Educational info only. Fees and requirements are set by county boards of health and change regularly — always verify with your county environmental health office and Georgia DPH before applying.

Operating in other states? See our guides for Florida, Texas, California, and North Carolina.