How to Start a Food Truck in Minneapolis: $719 License, 21-Day Private Property Rule and Approved Streets

If you want to know how to start a food truck business in Minneapolis, expect three layers of approval. You need a state license from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) or the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA), a Minneapolis Mobile Food Vehicle Vendor license with a vehicle inspection, and a licensed commissary kitchen in Minneapolis where food is prepared and stored. Minnesota has no general statewide business license, so no single application covers all of this. Filing your business with the Secretary of State is a filing, not a license, and registering with the Department of Revenue for a tax ID is a registration, not a license.

This article is informational, not legal or tax advice. Before you choose an entity, sign a commissary agreement or buy a vehicle, talk with a Minnesota business attorney and a CPA. Confirm every fee below on the agency page named, because fees and schedules change.

What You Need Before You Start

Gather these items before you file anything. Having them ready keeps the process moving.

• A business name and a decision on structure: sole proprietor, limited liability company (LLC) or corporation
• A Minnesota street address for the registered office if you form an LLC or corporation (a PO box alone is not accepted)
• A federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) if you form an entity or plan to hire staff
• A full menu with ingredients, prep methods and suppliers for each item, since the health review depends on it
• A written agreement with a licensed Minneapolis commissary kitchen
• A vehicle layout plan showing sinks, hot water, refrigeration, storage and waste holding, ready for plan review
• Proof of liability insurance
• A written list of event organizers or property owners who have agreed to host you, if you plan to vend away from approved curb locations
• A startup budget that covers the fees in this guide plus the costs the state does not publish, such as kitchen rent and insurance premiums

Step 1: Choose Your Structure and Name

Your structure determines which filings you make and what they cost. A sole proprietor can operate under the owner's own name with no state filing. If you want a trade name such as a truck nickname, you need a Certificate of Assumed Name (a DBA) filed with the Secretary of State, Business Services. The DBA costs $50 online or in person or $30 by mail. After filing, the certificate must be published for two consecutive issues in the legal notices section of a qualified legal newspaper in the county of your principal place of business, and failure to publish may make the certificate invalid. It must be renewed annually at no charge.

Many food truck owners form an LLC to separate personal assets from business debts. The Articles of Organization cost $155 online or in person, where the filing is expedited, or $135 by mail, where it is not. The name must include "limited liability company" or "LLC," may not include "corporation" or "incorporated," and must be distinguishable from other Minnesota entities on the Secretary of State's records. An LLC needs no newspaper publication. If you want to hold a name while you finish the paperwork, a name reservation costs $55 and lasts 12 months.

Every LLC must file an Annual Renewal with the Secretary of State. The fee is $0 if the entity is active and in good standing, but it is due December 31 every year. If you miss it, the LLC is terminated or revoked without further notice, and reinstatement costs $65 by mail or $85 online or in person under the current fee schedule. Minnesota has no separate LLC franchise tax. An LLC taxed as a partnership or disregarded entity passes income through to its owners, who pay the individual income tax of 5.35 to 9.85 percent. Ask your CPA how your truck's income will be taxed.

File your entity and DBA through the Business Filings Online system at mblsportal.sos.mn.gov. Check the main Secretary of State site at sos.mn.gov for current forms. The office does not publish a guaranteed turnaround in business days, so plan for the possibility of delay.

Step 2: Register With the Department of Revenue

Before you make any taxable sale, register with the Minnesota Department of Revenue for a Minnesota Tax ID and a Sales and Use Tax account. The state sales tax rate is 6.875 percent, and local taxes are added on top, so confirm the combined rate that applies to Minneapolis with the Department of Revenue before you set your menu prices. Register online through the New Business Registration page at mndor.state.mn.us. Keep in mind that this is a tax registration, not a license, so it does not replace any of the approvals below.

Set up a separate bank account for the truck. You will need it to track sales tax collected, and you will need clean records if the Department of Revenue asks questions later.

Step 3: Confirm Your State Food License

Minnesota handles mobile food units through two agencies, and which one applies depends on what you sell. If your truck prepares food, the Minnesota Department of Health licenses it. If your truck sells only prepackaged food, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture licenses it. Ask both agencies, or use the License Minnesota lookup at mn.gov/elicense, to confirm which license matches your menu before you buy equipment.

For a food cart or mobile unit licensed by MDH, the fee is $150 plus the base fee, under Minn. Stat. 157.16. The base fee is not set out in this guide, so confirm the current amount on the MDH licensing page before you budget. Your application will generally require the menu, the vehicle plans and the commissary agreement, so have those ready before you apply.

Step 4: Secure a Licensed Commissary Kitchen

Food preparation and storage must take place in a licensed kitchen in Minneapolis. Your truck is not a substitute for that kitchen. Most operators rent time in a commissary, which is a licensed commercial kitchen that other food businesses also use. Your agreement should spell out which days and hours you can use the space, where you store dry goods, cold storage and frozen product, how you dispose of wastewater, how you get the truck restocked and cleaned, and what happens if the kitchen loses its license.

Get the agreement in writing and ask the commissary for a copy of its own license. Ask the Minneapolis licensing staff to confirm that the kitchen meets the city's requirements for the food you plan to prepare. Do not sign a multi-month commitment before you know your plan review will pass.

Step 5: Complete Plan Review and Inspection

Plan review is required before you open. Submit your truck layout, equipment list and menu to the city for review, and do not finish the build-out until you have feedback. A change after the truck is built, such as moving a sink or adding a hand wash station, can cost more than the review itself. Ask the city whether plan review carries its own charge, since that is not listed in the 2026 fee schedule we verified.

After the build-out, the vehicle must pass a food vehicle inspection. The inspection fee is $74 in 2026. Bring a copy of your commissary agreement, your menu and your insurance certificate to the inspection, because inspectors may ask to see them.

Step 6: Apply for the Minneapolis Mobile Food Vehicle Vendor License

Minneapolis licenses food trucks by category, and it does not issue a general business license. Choose the category that matches your operation, because the fee changes with it.

Minneapolis license or fee (2026 schedule)	Fee
Mobile Food Vehicle Vendor (food truck) license	$719
Food vehicle inspection (added to the vendor license)	$74
Nonprofit food truck license	$63
Limited mobile food vehicle vendor license	$131

For a standard food truck, the city-side cost is $793 before any other charge, which is the $719 license plus the $74 inspection. If you qualify as a nonprofit, the license is $63. If the limited category fits your operation, the license is $131. Ask the city licensing office which category applies to you in writing, and confirm whether the limited category carries any operating restrictions that would affect your route plan.

Your application will need your entity or sole proprietor information, which must match the name you filed in Step 1, along with your insurance certificate, commissary agreement and plan review approval. Keep the business name on the license consistent with the name on your state filings.

Step 7: Buy Liability Insurance

Liability insurance is required, and you need proof of coverage before the license is issued. Ask your insurer to name the coverage you need for a mobile food vehicle, and get a certificate of insurance you can show at inspection and at events. Do not assume a general business policy covers a vehicle. Ask the broker whether the policy covers the truck itself, the food you serve, and any event where you vend. Confirm with the city whether it sets minimum coverage limits before you buy a policy.

Step 8: Plan Where You Can Legally Park

Your licensed truck can vend in three kinds of places, and each has different rules.

Approved curb locations

Licensed trucks may vend at approved curb locations. Do not assume that any metered or open curb is available. Ask the city which locations are approved for your category and whether you need to reserve a spot.

Private property, up to 21 days a year

Licensed trucks may vend on private property for up to 21 days a year at any one place. The 21-day figure comes from the state's definition of a mobile food unit in Minn. Stat. 157.15 subd. 9, which also allows the regulator to approve more days. Do not assume you can stay longer. If a property owner wants you on site every week, ask the city in writing whether a longer approval is possible, and keep the approval on file in the truck. Track your days at each property in a simple log.

Community events and farmers markets

To vend at a community event or farmers market, get written permission from the organizer. You do not need a separate city license for these events, but the written permission is your proof, so keep a copy in the truck and bring it to each event.

Step 9: Remove the Truck From City Streets Every Day

Under Minneapolis ordinance 188.485, the truck must be removed from city streets daily. Plan where the truck sleeps before you sign a lease or buy a parking space. Ask the city where overnight parking and storage are allowed for a vehicle of your size, and get that answer in writing. Your commissary may offer parking, but confirm that its arrangement is permitted under the city's rules before you rely on it.

Tips for a Smoother Launch

• Ask for plan review feedback before you buy equipment or finish the build-out. A layout change after the truck is built costs far more than a change on paper.
• Keep a single folder with your entity filings, DBA publication proof, Department of Revenue registration, commissary agreement, insurance certificate, plan review approval, inspection report and each event permission letter.
• Calendar December 31 for your LLC's Annual Renewal, even though the fee is $0. A missed filing can terminate the entity.
• Ask the Minneapolis licensing office, the MDH or MDA, and the Department of Revenue to confirm each figure in this guide before you budget.
• Use the Minnesota Small Business Development Center Network, administered by the Department of Employment and Economic Development, for free help with planning. Find it at mn.gov/deed/business/help/sbdc.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Treating the Department of Revenue registration as a license. The tax registration does not let you vend. You still need the state food license and the Minneapolis vendor license.
• Buying the truck before plan review. A layout that fails review is expensive to fix after the build-out.
• Assuming a trade name is ready once you file. A DBA must be published for two consecutive issues in a qualified newspaper, and failure to publish may make it invalid.
• Planning a route around the 21-day rule without approval. Private property vending is limited to 21 days a year at any one place unless the regulator approves more days.
• Skipping the written permission for events. You do not need a separate city license for a community event, but you do need the organizer's written permission.
• Using a kitchen that is not licensed in Minneapolis. Food preparation and storage must take place in a licensed Minneapolis kitchen.
• Budgeting only for the city fees. The $719 license and $74 inspection are not the whole startup cost. Add the state fee, entity filing, insurance, commissary rent and vehicle costs.

Budget Snapshot

The fees we could verify add up to a starting point, not a full budget. For a limited liability company with a standard food truck license and an MDH-licensed truck, the known government charges are:

• Articles of Organization: $155 online or in person, or $135 by mail
• Minneapolis Mobile Food Vehicle Vendor license: $719
• Minneapolis food vehicle inspection: $74
• MDH food cart and mobile unit fee: $150, plus the MDH base fee to be confirmed

Those items total $1,098 before the MDH base fee, the DBA if you use one, the first Annual Renewal (which is $0), insurance, commissary rent, the vehicle itself and any local sales tax setup. Confirm each figure with the agency before you commit money.

Expected Results

Operators who work through these steps in order may be better positioned to open without rework, because the approvals depend on each other. Plan review, the inspection, the commissary agreement and the insurance certificate are reviewed together, so a gap in one can hold up the others. We cannot promise approval timing, sales volume or profitability. Results depend on your menu, your location, your costs and your ability to keep the truck in compliance after you open. Check each rule on the agency pages before you rely on it.

Where to Confirm Each Step

• Minnesota Secretary of State: sos.mn.gov
• Business Filings Online: mblsportal.sos.mn.gov/Business/Search
• Minnesota Department of Revenue: revenue.state.mn.us
• New business tax registration: mndor.state.mn.us
• License Minnesota lookup: mn.gov/elicense

Disclaimer: This article is informational and is not legal or tax advice. Rules, fees and schedules change, and the agencies named above control the final answer. Consult a qualified Minnesota attorney and a CPA for your specific situation before you form an entity, sign a lease or commissary agreement, or make tax decisions.