Does Austin still issue food truck permits?

No. Austin Public Health issued mobile food vendor permits only through June 30, 2026. Since July 1, 2026, under HB 2844 and Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 437B, the Texas Department of State Health Services is the sole licensing authority for mobile food vendors statewide, and applications go through the DSHS online licensing portal. The one thing the City still permits is fire: the Austin Fire Department mobile food vendor permit is $222 a year.

Do I still need a City of Austin food permit?

Not a health one. The City of Austin food permit that mobile vendors used to pull from Austin Public Health no longer exists — that function moved to the state DSHS Mobile Food Vendor License on July 1, 2026. The only Austin food permit still issued locally is the Austin Fire Department mobile food vendor permit at $222 a year, which covers your propane and suppression setup rather than food safety. If a checklist or an older guide tells you to apply to Austin Public Health for a food permit, it is out of date.

How much does a food truck permit cost in Austin now?

It depends on your DSHS type, and both fees are due at application. Type I (no TCS foods, prepackaged ice cream or snacks) is $309 with no pre-licensing inspection fee. Type II (coffee, snow cones, hot dogs, prepared-to-order TCS food) is $618 plus a $400 pre-licensing inspection, or $1,018. Type III (cooking on board — burger, BBQ, taco trucks) is $876 plus a $500 pre-licensing inspection, or $1,376. Add the $222 Austin Fire permit if you have propane or grease-laden-vapor appliances.

My old Austin permit hasn't expired yet — can I keep operating?

Not on the strength of that permit alone. Vendors may not operate in Austin without a valid state license. DSHS allowed operators who held a local Texas mobile food license to continue working while waiting for their pre-licensing inspection, but only if they supplied proof of that license with the DSHS application, paid the fees, and kept a printed copy of the application summary on the vehicle at all times. Anyone who did not hold a current Texas license cannot operate until the pre-licensing inspection is completed, though DSHS prioritizes those applications.

Do I still need a commissary for a food truck in Austin?

Usually, and where you don't it is a decision rather than an assumption. A Type III truck is generally expected to operate from a Central Preparation Facility licensed under the Texas Food Establishment Rules. If you propose to operate without one, the inspector completes the CPF/Commissary Exemption Checklist at your pre-licensing inspection and can mark it "not granted." Passing means the vehicle itself carries sufficient cooling, heating and holding equipment, contamination-safe storage, warewashing compartments big enough for your largest equipment, approved-source potable water, and lawful wastewater disposal, with logs for the last two. You also need a servicing area, which cannot be a private home.

Do I need an Austin Fire Department inspection?

Yes, if your unit operates inside the City of Austin and has propane or any appliance — including electric — that produces grease-laden vapors. The fee is $222 and passing issues an annual permit. Units with no propane and no cooking equipment, such as ice cream or coffee trucks, need no fire permit. For a new permit (post-May 1, 2022, which includes a change of ownership or a lapse over six months) the 2024 IFC applies: 2A10BC and Class K extinguishers with current tags, an LPG plumber's Propane System Inspection Report, a Class 1 hood suppression system with a semi-annual tag, an explosive-gas detector, and a master electrician's report on the AFD form.

How long does it take to get licensed in Austin?

Plan on four to ten weeks. You file online with DSHS and pay both fees, then wait for DSHS to contact you to schedule the pre-licensing inspection — that queue is the main variable. The Austin Fire inspection is arranged separately through the online MFV application and the AB+C portal, and needs the propane and electrical reports in hand first. Passing the DSHS inspection issues a license valid one year from that date.

Is the DSHS license valid outside Austin?

Yes — that is the point of the change. A single DSHS mobile food vendor license covers you statewide with one health inspection, instead of collecting a separate permit from every city and county you wanted to work in. Local fire permitting is the exception that stays local, so a truck working both inside Austin and elsewhere in Travis County deals with Austin Fire and the Travis County Fire Marshal separately.

What changed in the terminology under HB 2844?

Under 25 Texas Administrative Code Chapter 226, a "food vending vehicle" (FVV) is the self-enclosed food establishment — catering truck, trailer, roadside vendor or pushcart — designed to be readily movable, and a "mobile food vendor" (MFV) is anyone dispensing food or beverage from one for immediate consumption. These replace the old term "mobile food unit" (MFU). A stand or a booth is not a food vending vehicle. Any form or guide still using MFU predates the July 1, 2026 handoff.

Food TruckVerified in depthLast verified July 22, 2026

Austin, TX — Food Truck permit (Mobile Food Vendor License)

Austin no longer issues food truck health permits. Since July 1, 2026, Texas HB 2844 has made the Texas Department of State Health Services the sole licensing authority statewide — one license, good from Austin to Lubbock, priced by three risk tiers from $309 to $1,376 in year one. What the City still controls is fire: the Austin Fire Department mobile food vendor permit is $222 a year and is now the main local hurdle.

In Austin, TX, operating a food truck requires 6 permits or licenses. The DSHS Mobile Food Vendor license — Type III costs $876. A realistic end-to-end timeline is 4–10 weeks, and first-year regulatory cost runs $3,500–$8,000. Verified July 22, 2026.

Updated for the completed HB 2844 handoff. As of July 1, 2026 the City of Austin no longer issues food truck health permits — the Texas Department of State Health Services licenses all mobile food vendors statewide, and an unexpired city permit is not by itself authority to operate. Fees below are verified against the official DSHS fee schedule and the Austin Fire Department's published fee. The DSHS annual renewal fee is shown as "Varies" because no separate renewal figure was published on the official fee table at the time of writing — confirm with DSHS at (512) 406-2644.

Timeline

4–10 weeks

Year-one cost

$3,500–$8,000

Difficulty

3/5

Year one is materially more expensive than under the old city permit. A Type III cooking truck pays $1,376 to DSHS at submission plus $222 to Austin Fire, before commissary rent (Austin CPFs land around $700–$1,400/month), insurance, and certifications. Excludes the truck build.

The city permit is gone — this is now a state license

For years an Austin food truck permit meant a trip to Austin Public Health, in person, on a Tuesday or Thursday morning. That process ended. Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 437B preempts a local authority's power to prohibit or regulate mobile food vendors, and since July 1, 2026 every mobile food vendor in Texas must hold a license from the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) instead. Austin Public Health kept jurisdiction only through June 30, 2026. You now apply through the DSHS online portal — there is no walk-in window and no city health permit to buy.

The vocabulary changed with the law. Under 25 Texas Administrative Code Chapter 226, a Food Vending Vehicle (FVV) is the truck, trailer, pushcart or roadside setup, and a Mobile Food Vendor (MFV) is the person dispensing from it. Both terms formally replace "mobile food unit." If a form or a guide still says MFU, it predates the handoff.

Three tiers, and the tier is the whole cost story

DSHS assigns your license type from what you actually do on board, and the spread is wide:

Type I — no TCS (time/temperature control for safety) foods, or otherwise low risk. Prepackaged ice cream, prepackaged snacks. $309, with no pre-licensing inspection fee.
Type II — prepackaged TCS food with limited handling, or TCS food prepared to order for immediate consumption. Coffee trucks, snow cone and hot dog vendors. $618 + $400 inspection.
Type III — preparing, cooking, holding and serving on board. Burger, BBQ and taco trucks. $876 + $500 inspection.

Both the application fee and the pre-licensing inspection fee are due at submission, so a Type III truck writes a single $1,376 check to start. Your license then expires one year from the date you pass the pre-licensing inspection — not on a calendar or fiscal year, which makes renewal timing personal to your truck.

What Austin still controls: fire

Preemption covers health licensing, not fire code. The Austin Fire Department still processes applications, collects fees, and inspects any unit with propane or any appliance — including electric — that produces grease-laden vapors. The fee is $222, and passing gets you an annual permit. Units with no propane and no cooking equipment (ice cream, coffee) need no fire permit at all.

Jurisdiction matters here in a way it doesn't for the state license: AFD covers units operating inside the City of Austin, while units outside the city but within Travis County go to the Travis County Fire Marshal instead. Email AFDMobileVending@austintexas.gov with the full operating address if you aren't sure which applies.

The City also still expects at least one registered Certified Food Manager per food enterprise with the certificate posted prominently, and food handler certificates for all food employees within 60 days of employment.

The commissary rule got more interesting, not simpler

HB 2844 did not abolish the commissary. A Type III truck is generally expected to operate from a Central Preparation Facility (CPF), and where it doesn't, the inspector works through a formal CPF / Commissary Exemption Checklist at the pre-licensing inspection and either grants the exemption or writes "MFV must operate from CPF." The exemption turns on whether the vehicle itself can do the job: sufficient cooling, heating and holding equipment, storage that prevents cross-contamination, warewashing compartments large enough to submerge your largest utensil, potable water from an approved source, and lawful wastewater disposal — the last two with records and logs required. Our commissary letter guide covers what a defensible CPF agreement looks like.

Separately, a servicing area is required unless you sell only packaged food and carry no wastewater retention tanks. It must have a smooth non-absorbent surface, may not be at a private home or living quarters, and you must keep an activity log of when you took on potable water and discharged waste. If you don't own the CPF or servicing area, you need a signed letter of authorization.

Licenses

License	Who needs it	Fee	Term
DSHS Mobile Food Vendor license — Type III	Vendors who prepare, cook, hold and serve food on board — hot holding, cold holding, thawing, cooking, cooling or reheating. Burger, BBQ and taco trucks. This is the default tier for a cooking food truck.	$876 Official DSHS fee schedule: $876 application plus a $500 pre-licensing inspection fee, both due at application submission — $1,376 total to start. Application fees include a Texas Online fee. Type III also carries a $500 routine inspection fee and a $500 complaint/compliance inspection fee where applicable.	Expires one year from the date of the successfully completed pre-licensing inspection
DSHS Mobile Food Vendor license — Type II	Vendors selling prepackaged TCS food needing limited handling, or TCS food prepared to order for immediate consumption; processes limited to preparing, cold holding, thawing and/or reheating commercially processed products. Coffee trucks, snow cone vendors, hot dog vendors.	$618 Official DSHS fee schedule: $618 application plus a $400 pre-licensing inspection fee, both due at submission — $1,018 total. Type II also carries a $400 routine inspection fee and a $400 complaint/compliance inspection fee where applicable.	Expires one year from the date of the successfully completed pre-licensing inspection
DSHS Mobile Food Vendor license — Type I	Vendors selling no TCS foods, or otherwise deemed low risk — prepackaged ice cream and prepackaged non-TCS snack vendors.	$309 Official DSHS fee schedule: $309 application, with no pre-licensing inspection fee and no routine inspection fee. A $300 complaint/compliance inspection fee applies if one is triggered.	Expires one year from the date of the successfully completed pre-licensing inspection
Austin Fire Department Mobile Food Vendor permit	Any unit operating inside the City of Austin with propane or any appliance — including electric — producing grease-laden vapors. Units with no propane and no cooking equipment need no fire permit. Outside the city but in Travis County, the Travis County Fire Marshal permits instead.	$222 Published AFD fee. An annual permit issues once the unit passes inspection. If the unit fails, misses, or arrives more than 15 minutes late for the appointment, a new fire inspection fee is required to reschedule.	Annual
DSHS license renewal	Every licensed mobile food vendor, on the anniversary of its pre-licensing inspection.	Varies Varies — DSHS publishes application, pre-licensing, routine inspection and complaint inspection fees, but a separate renewal figure was not verifiable on the official fee table at the time of writing. Pre-launch reporting cited $300–$850 a year depending on tier. Confirm with DSHS at (512) 406-2644 before budgeting year two.	Annual
Texas Sales and Use Tax Permit	Every operator making taxable sales in Texas.	Varies No fee — issued by the Texas Comptroller.	Ongoing

Filling these Austin forms

Every application above asks for the same details — business name, owner, EIN, license numbers, commissary address, insurance carrier and policy number. AutoFill PDFs reads the 6 applications and fills them from one saved vendor profile, whether the form is a fillable PDF or a flat scan. You review every field before you download and submit.

Auto-fill your Austin application →How it works for food truck permit applications

Free plan — 10 credits/month, no credit card required.

Requirements

DSHS online application through Online Licensing Services
The application is filed through the DSHS portal at vo.ras.dshs.state.tx.us — not with Austin Public Health, and not in person. Both the application fee and the pre-licensing inspection fee are paid at submission. After DSHS processes it, they contact you to schedule the pre-licensing inspection.
Proof of a prior local license, if you had one
Operators who held a mobile food license from a Texas local health department before the handoff could keep operating during the queue only by supplying proof of it with the DSHS application, paying the fees, and keeping a printed copy of the application summary on the vehicle at all times. Without a prior license, no operating is permitted until the pre-licensing inspection is done.
Central Preparation Facility agreement, or a granted exemption
A CPF must be licensed and operated under the Texas Food Establishment Rules. Where a vendor proposes to operate without one, the inspector completes the CPF/Commissary Exemption Checklist at the pre-licensing inspection and marks the exemption granted or not granted. The checklist tests equipment capacity for cooling, heating and hot/cold holding, contamination-safe storage, warewashing compartments large enough to submerge your largest equipment, approved-source potable water, and lawful wastewater removal. If you do not own the CPF, a signed letter of authorization is required.
Cost: Austin CPF rent commonly $700–$1,400/month
Servicing area with an activity log
A servicing area is where the FVV fills its potable water tank and discharges wastewater. It must have a smooth, non-absorbent surface such as concrete, and may not be at a private home or living quarters. You must keep an activity log recording the date and time water was taken on and waste properly disposed of. It may be a separate location from the CPF. Not required where only packaged food is sold and no wastewater retention tanks are used.
The vehicle must retain mobility at all times
Checked directly at inspection: wheels attached and in good repair, no structural impediments, no permanent utility connections, no skirting, and the trailer not on blocks or raised off the ground. A truck that has settled into a lot and been plumbed in fails this line item.
Water and wastewater plumbing
Potable water tank permanently installed, labeled "potable water", sloped to drain, with a fill hose and a ¾-inch or smaller inlet connection sized or typed so it cannot be used for anything else. The liquid waste retention tank must be leak proof, permanently installed, labeled, and at least 15% larger than the potable tank, with a servicing connection of a different size than the water connection.
AFD fire requirements — new permits (after May 1, 2022)
The 2024 International Fire Code applies to new permits, where "new" means new construction, a change of ownership, or a permit lapse greater than six months. Required: a 2A10BC extinguisher with a current annual tag, a Propane System Inspection Report completed by a licensed LPG plumber, a Class 1 hood automatic fire suppression system (Ansul-type) with a current semi-annual tag, a Class K extinguisher with a current annual tag, an explosive-gas detector, and an electrical inspection report on the AFD form completed by a master electrician.
AFD fire requirements — renewing a pre-May 2022 permit
The 2015 International Fire Code continues to apply to units renewing a permit issued before May 1, 2022. Required: a 2A10BC extinguisher with a current annual tag, a Propane System Inspection Report from a licensed LPG plumber, and a Class K extinguisher with a current annual tag where fryers or solid fuel such as wood or charcoal are used.
AB+C portal ID for the fire application
The AFD application is submitted through the online MFV permit application, and it requires the seven-digit AB+C ID number (format 5XXXXXX) from your AB+C portal profile. The portal itself is for billing only — you pay the invoice under "My Bills" after being notified by email. Do not try to apply for the permit inside the portal.
Certified Food Manager and food handler certificates
The City of Austin requires at least one registered Certified Food Manager per food enterprise, with the certificate posted prominently, and food handler certificates from an accredited program for all food employees within 60 days of employment.
Documents to bring to the pre-licensing inspection
DSHS lists: driver's license or CDL, employee health policy, proof of insurance and TxDOT information, menu, food allergen poster, and itinerary — plus food manager and handler certifications and CPF or servicing area documentation as required by your operation. Be ready to answer questions on food sources, tank sizes, restroom locations, and your employee illness policy. You must also keep records of loaded vehicle weight as issued by TxDOT.

Realistic timeline

Phase	Duration	What happens
Determine your DSHS type and business setup	Week 1–2	Entity, EIN, Texas sales tax permit. Then work out honestly whether your menu makes you Type I, II or III — it drives a fee spread from $309 to $1,376 and determines whether a CPF is effectively expected of you. Stall: Guessing low on the tier. DSHS assigns the type from your actual food preparation activities at inspection, not from what you selected, and cooking on board puts you in Type III.
Line up the CPF or build the exemption case	Week 1–4	Either sign a CPF agreement with a licensed facility and obtain a letter of authorization if you don't own it, or equip the vehicle so it can satisfy the CPF/Commissary Exemption Checklist. Secure a servicing area either way and start the activity log. Stall: Assuming HB 2844 abolished the commissary. It didn't — it created a checklist the inspector can decline, and a denial at inspection means finding a CPF after the fact.
Apply to DSHS and pay	Week 2–4	File through Online Licensing Services with both the application fee and the pre-licensing inspection fee. If you held a prior local license, attach proof of it and print the application summary for the vehicle. DSHS then contacts you to schedule the inspection. Stall: Budgeting only the application fee. The pre-licensing inspection fee is due at the same moment, so a Type III submission is $1,376, not $876.
LPG, electrical and fire prep, then the AFD permit	Week 3–6	Get the Propane System Inspection Report from a licensed LPG plumber and, for a new permit, the electrical report from a master electrician plus the hood suppression system, explosive-gas detector and extinguisher tags. Register in the AB+C portal for your ID number, submit the online MFV application, and pay the $222 invoice. Stall: Booking the fire inspection before the suppression system has a current semi-annual tag or the gas detector is installed — a fail means paying the inspection fee again to reschedule.
Pre-licensing inspection and license issuance	Week 5–10	Bring the full document set to the DSHS pre-licensing inspection. Passing issues a license valid one year from that date. The AFD annual permit issues once the unit passes its fire inspection. Stall: Arriving more than 15 minutes late to the fire appointment, or not having the unit ready — both count as late and require a new fire inspection fee.

Common rejection / stall reasons

Trying to apply to Austin Public Health
APH stopped issuing mobile food vendor permits on June 30, 2026, and the walk-in Tuesday/Thursday window at 1520 Rutherford Lane no longer serves this purpose. Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 437B preempts local regulation of mobile food vendors, and applications now go to DSHS through its online licensing portal.
Assuming an unexpired city permit still authorizes operation
It doesn't. Vendors may not operate in Austin without a state license. Operators who held a local license could only keep working during the changeover by submitting the DSHS application with proof of that license, paying the fees, and keeping the printed application summary on the vehicle. Anyone without a prior Texas license cannot operate at all until the pre-licensing inspection is complete.
Budgeting the application fee but not the pre-licensing inspection fee
Both are due at application submission. Type II is $618 plus $400 and Type III is $876 plus $500, so the real day-one numbers are $1,018 and $1,376. Only Type I has no pre-licensing inspection fee.
Believing HB 2844 eliminated the commissary requirement
It replaced a flat mandate with a test. The CPF/Commissary Exemption Checklist is completed by the inspector at the pre-licensing inspection and can come back "NOT GRANTED; MFV must operate from CPF." Passing it requires the vehicle to carry enough cooling, heating, holding, storage and warewashing capacity on its own, plus records and logs for potable water and wastewater.
Skipping the Austin Fire permit because the state license arrived
Preemption covers health licensing, not fire code. AFD still processes, prices and inspects mobile food vendor fire permits at $222 a year for any unit with propane or grease-laden-vapor appliances, and vendors operating in Austin without a valid permit may face citations and suspension of operations.
Applying to the wrong fire authority
Austin Fire covers units operating inside the City of Austin. Units operating outside the city but within Travis County must be permitted through the Travis County Fire Marshal at TCFMOPermits.com. Send the full operating address to AFDMobileVending@austintexas.gov if the jurisdiction isn't obvious.
Missing the extra requirements on a post-May-2022 fire permit
New permits fall under the 2024 International Fire Code, which adds an explosive-gas detector and a master-electrician electrical inspection report on the AFD form to the older list, plus a Class 1 hood suppression system carrying a current semi-annual tag. Operators renewing an older permit under the 2015 IFC don't need these and are often surprised when a change of ownership reclassifies them as "new."
Losing mobility
The inspection explicitly checks that wheels are attached and in good repair, with no structural impediments, no permanent utility connections, no skirting, and the trailer not on blocks. Food vending vehicles must completely retain their mobility at all times — a semi-permanent setup in a lot fails.
Using a home or a private residence as a servicing area or water source
A servicing area may not be at a private home or living quarters, and potable water cannot be taken from an untested water well or from a private residence. Both are checked, and the servicing area activity log is expected to show where the water actually came from.
Expecting a calendar-year renewal date
A DSHS license expires one year from the date of the successfully completed pre-licensing inspection, so your renewal date is specific to your truck rather than to a shared fiscal year. The AFD fire permit runs on its own annual cycle, which means two dates to track, not one.

Official sources

Contacts

DSHS Mobile Food Vendor program: (512) 406-2644 / MobileFoodVendor@dshs.texas.gov
Austin Fire Department mobile vending: (512) 974-0160 option 2 / AFDMobileVending@austintexas.gov / firepreventionadmin@austintexas.gov
Travis County Fire Marshal: (512) 854-4621 / fire.marshal@traviscountytx.gov — TCFMOPermits.com
Austin Public Health Environmental Health Services: (512) 978-0300 / ehsd.service@austintexas.gov — 1520 Rutherford Ln, Bldg. 1 Ste 205, Austin, TX 78754
City info line: 311 (within Austin)

FAQ

Does Austin still issue food truck permits?: No. Austin Public Health issued mobile food vendor permits only through June 30, 2026. Since July 1, 2026, under HB 2844 and Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 437B, the Texas Department of State Health Services is the sole licensing authority for mobile food vendors statewide, and applications go through the DSHS online licensing portal. The one thing the City still permits is fire: the Austin Fire Department mobile food vendor permit is $222 a year.
Do I still need a City of Austin food permit?: Not a health one. The City of Austin food permit that mobile vendors used to pull from Austin Public Health no longer exists — that function moved to the state DSHS Mobile Food Vendor License on July 1, 2026. The only Austin food permit still issued locally is the Austin Fire Department mobile food vendor permit at $222 a year, which covers your propane and suppression setup rather than food safety. If a checklist or an older guide tells you to apply to Austin Public Health for a food permit, it is out of date.
How much does a food truck permit cost in Austin now?: It depends on your DSHS type, and both fees are due at application. Type I (no TCS foods, prepackaged ice cream or snacks) is $309 with no pre-licensing inspection fee. Type II (coffee, snow cones, hot dogs, prepared-to-order TCS food) is $618 plus a $400 pre-licensing inspection, or $1,018. Type III (cooking on board — burger, BBQ, taco trucks) is $876 plus a $500 pre-licensing inspection, or $1,376. Add the $222 Austin Fire permit if you have propane or grease-laden-vapor appliances.
My old Austin permit hasn't expired yet — can I keep operating?: Not on the strength of that permit alone. Vendors may not operate in Austin without a valid state license. DSHS allowed operators who held a local Texas mobile food license to continue working while waiting for their pre-licensing inspection, but only if they supplied proof of that license with the DSHS application, paid the fees, and kept a printed copy of the application summary on the vehicle at all times. Anyone who did not hold a current Texas license cannot operate until the pre-licensing inspection is completed, though DSHS prioritizes those applications.
Do I still need a commissary for a food truck in Austin?: Usually, and where you don't it is a decision rather than an assumption. A Type III truck is generally expected to operate from a Central Preparation Facility licensed under the Texas Food Establishment Rules. If you propose to operate without one, the inspector completes the CPF/Commissary Exemption Checklist at your pre-licensing inspection and can mark it "not granted." Passing means the vehicle itself carries sufficient cooling, heating and holding equipment, contamination-safe storage, warewashing compartments big enough for your largest equipment, approved-source potable water, and lawful wastewater disposal, with logs for the last two. You also need a servicing area, which cannot be a private home.
Do I need an Austin Fire Department inspection?: Yes, if your unit operates inside the City of Austin and has propane or any appliance — including electric — that produces grease-laden vapors. The fee is $222 and passing issues an annual permit. Units with no propane and no cooking equipment, such as ice cream or coffee trucks, need no fire permit. For a new permit (post-May 1, 2022, which includes a change of ownership or a lapse over six months) the 2024 IFC applies: 2A10BC and Class K extinguishers with current tags, an LPG plumber's Propane System Inspection Report, a Class 1 hood suppression system with a semi-annual tag, an explosive-gas detector, and a master electrician's report on the AFD form.
How long does it take to get licensed in Austin?: Plan on four to ten weeks. You file online with DSHS and pay both fees, then wait for DSHS to contact you to schedule the pre-licensing inspection — that queue is the main variable. The Austin Fire inspection is arranged separately through the online MFV application and the AB+C portal, and needs the propane and electrical reports in hand first. Passing the DSHS inspection issues a license valid one year from that date.
Is the DSHS license valid outside Austin?: Yes — that is the point of the change. A single DSHS mobile food vendor license covers you statewide with one health inspection, instead of collecting a separate permit from every city and county you wanted to work in. Local fire permitting is the exception that stays local, so a truck working both inside Austin and elsewhere in Travis County deals with Austin Fire and the Travis County Fire Marshal separately.
What changed in the terminology under HB 2844?: Under 25 Texas Administrative Code Chapter 226, a "food vending vehicle" (FVV) is the self-enclosed food establishment — catering truck, trailer, roadside vendor or pushcart — designed to be readily movable, and a "mobile food vendor" (MFV) is anyone dispensing food or beverage from one for immediate consumption. These replace the old term "mobile food unit" (MFU). A stand or a booth is not a food vending vehicle. Any form or guide still using MFU predates the July 1, 2026 handoff.

Next step

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You know what Austin requires. The form itself is where applications stall — a wrong licence type, an undated commissary letter, a blank box that looks optional. Our walkthrough goes field by field.

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