Houston Food Truck Permits in 2026: What HB 2844 Changes (and What Stays Local)

If you're trying to get a food truck permit in Houston in 2026, the most important fact comes first: the City of Houston already stopped issuing them. The Houston Health Department closed new Mobile Food Unit plan-review intake on May 15, 2026, city medallions are not valid after June 2026, and on July 1, 2026 the statewide permit under Texas HB 2844 takes over for every truck in the state.

So a new Houston operator no longer applies to the city at all — you apply to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). This guide covers what that means, the City-vs-Harris-County question that still trips people up, the legacy city costs for context, and the fire and commissary rules Houston keeps enforcing regardless of who issues the permit. Verified against the Houston Health Department and DSHS, June 2026.

What changed, on one timeline

Houston is actually further through this transition than Austin, which kept taking city applications until June 30. In Houston, the city window is already shut — there's no "apply to the city quickly before July" option left.

The City vs Harris County question

This is the part Houston operators ask most, because the metro spans two regulators:

• Inside Houston city limits: the City of Houston Health Department was your permitting authority.
• Unincorporated Harris County: trucks worked through Harris County Public Health (food portal fsp.hcphtx.org), not the city.

Under HB 2844, the health permit side of that split goes away on July 1 — one DSHS license covers you whether you park in the Heights, Katy, or unincorporated county. But fire authority does not consolidate: the City of Houston Fire Marshal and the Harris County Fire Marshal each keep their own inspections and codes. So where you operate still decides who inspects your propane and suppression system — plan for the fire layer in every jurisdiction you work.

The money: legacy city vs the new state permit

For context, the legacy City of Houston cost:

• $708/year Mobile Food Unit Medallion
• $225.14/year Houston Fire Code Certificate of Compliance (LP-gas / open-flame)
• Commissary rent $150–$800/month

The new statewide DSHS permit is tiered by how much preparation happens on board:

The full tier breakdown — including renewals ($300–$850/yr) and the public database — is in our HB 2844 guide. As always, the permit is the small number: commissary rent and insurance dominate year-one spend, which realistically lands at $3,000–$12,000.

What Houston still enforces (permit issuer aside)

The state took over the health permit, not the local safety rules:

• Fire suppression — an Ansul (or equivalent) automatic system over the cooking line, NFPA 96 compliant, for any open-flame or LP-gas cooking.
• Class K extinguisher and secured, ventilated propane (commonly capped at 100 lb on a truck).
• Commercial-grade equipment — residential appliances are prohibited; inspectors check a dedicated handwashing sink, a 3-compartment sink, temperature control, and water-system capacity.
• Commissary / Central Preparation Facility — Houston ran one of the stricter commissary regimes in Texas (no 3-compartment-sink workaround), with daily check-in for prep, storage, cleaning, and wastewater. Keep a signed agreement; budget $150–$800/month.

If you held a City of Houston medallion

Move to the state system rather than renewing with the city (you can't). The DSHS bridge:

1. Apply through the DSHS Online Licensing Services portal.
2. Attach proof of your current or most recent City of Houston permit.
3. Pay the fee for your license type.
4. Print the application summary and keep it on the truck.

Operating on an expired city medallion after June 2026 is not valid, and there's no published grace period for simply continuing on the old permit.

Your Houston 2026 checklist

1. Classify your truck — Type I, II, or III by how much you cook on board
2. Apply to DSHS (not the city) via Online Licensing Services
3. Line up a commissary and keep the signed agreement
4. Get the fire certificate for your operating jurisdiction (City and/or Harris County)
5. Keep the DSHS application summary on the truck
6. Budget for the recurring costs — commissary + insurance, not the permit fee

For the structured at-a-glance version — fees, official links, and the transition notice — see the Houston permit page. Going through the same change in the capital? See the Austin guide. And if you file across more than one Texas city, AutoFill PDFs keeps your vendor profile once and fills each application — DSHS, fire, and event forms alike.

Sources: Houston Health Department — Mobile Food Units; Harris County Fire Code — Mobile Food Preparation Vehicles; Texas DSHS — Retail Food Establishments; The Texas Tribune on HB 2844. Verified June 2026 — confirm current fees and procedures with DSHS and your local fire authority before relying on them.