Georgia DPH delegates food permitting to county boards of health, with no statewide reciprocity. Atlanta layers on its own Street Eats MFV program. Here's the real fee structure and timeline for 2026.
The Opportunity
Georgia is one of the fastest-growing food truck states in the country. Atlanta's BeltLine, brewery scene (Monday Night, SweetWater, Scofflaw, Wild Heaven), and tech corridor employers (Microsoft, Google, Salesforce, dozens of fintechs) drive consistent weekday and weekend demand. Savannah's tourism economy generates a year-round event calendar; Athens's UGA crowd supports a deep evening market; Augusta's Masters Week alone is a make-or-break revenue event for many operators. LLC formation is $110 with the Secretary of State, and Georgia's combined sales tax structure on prepared food is straightforward.
The catch: there is no statewide food truck license. The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) writes the food code, but every Mobile Food Service Establishment permit is issued by a county board of health — and you apply in the county where your commissary's base of operations is located. There is no reciprocity: a Fulton County permit doesn't authorize you to operate in DeKalb, Cobb, Gwinnett, or Chatham without going through each county's process. Atlanta straddles Fulton and DeKalb, and operators routinely choose one based on commissary inventory and county fee structure.
Then there's Atlanta's Street Eats program: a separate, layered city-level MFV program that operators must complete on top of the county DPH permit. The annual permit application fee is $75, the annual electronic reservation fee for public food truck vending is $350, plus $50 for the criminal background check and $20 fingerprinting. Atlanta also requires a copy of your Fulton or DeKalb County mobile food unit permit before the city application moves forward — so the city paperwork can't start until the county is in hand.
Step by Step
Register an LLC with the Georgia Secretary of State at sos.ga.gov. The filing fee is $110 (one-time). Online filings typically process in 5–7 business days. Georgia LLCs owe a $50 annual registration fee plus a $10 mandatory service fee due by April 1 each year. Get an EIN from the IRS the same day (free, instant). No publication requirement.
Your commissary's address determines which county board of health regulates your Mobile Food Service Establishment permit. Atlanta operators typically commissary in Fulton or DeKalb; Savannah operators in Chatham; Athens in Athens-Clarke; Augusta in Richmond County. The county board of health staffs environmental health under DPH's framework but sets its own fees and inspection backlog. Apply in the county where your commissary's base of operations is located.
Georgia food code requires a commissary base for any Mobile Food Service Establishment that lacks sufficient on-board cold storage, prep capacity, or wastewater handling — which in practice means nearly every truck. The commissary handles food prep, cold/dry storage, equipment cleaning, potable water refill, and wastewater disposal, and it must be a permitted food establishment. Commissary rentals run $300–$650/month outside metro Atlanta and $500–$1,100/month inside the perimeter (ITP).
Submit the county permit application with menu, equipment list, vehicle floor plan, water/wastewater system specs, and signed commissary agreement. County permit fees range from $100 to $1,000 depending on county and menu risk level — high-risk menus (raw protein cooking, multiple temperature-sensitive prep steps) land at the higher end. Plan reviews typically take 2–4 weeks. A Certified Food Protection Manager (ServSafe Manager, ~$125, valid 5 years) is required for the permit holder.
Atlanta's separate Street Eats / Motor Vehicle Public Vending program requires a copy of your Fulton or DeKalb County mobile food unit permit. The annual permit application fee is $75, the annual electronic reservation fee for public food truck vending is $350, plus $50 for criminal background check and $20 one-time fingerprinting. The reservation fee buys you access to the city's electronic reservation system for designated vending zones. Brewery, private-property, and event work generally falls outside Street Eats but follows separate event-permit rules.
Apply for a Georgia sales tax license at dor.georgia.gov (free). Georgia state sales tax is 4%; local add-ons bring most counties to 7%–8.9%. Prepared food sold by food trucks does not qualify for the grocery exemption — it's taxable at the full combined rate. In Atlanta, the combined rate is 8.9% (4% state + 3% Fulton County + 1.5% Atlanta city + 0.4% T-SPLOST). Some counties also impose a 1% MOST (Municipal Option Sales Tax) or 1% TSPLOST; verify the current local rate at the SCDOR portal before launch.
Budget Planning
Georgia is one of the more affordable startup states in the South, especially outside metro Atlanta. The biggest swing factor is whether you're enrolling in Atlanta's Street Eats program (which adds ~$500 in first-year city fees) or operating only via brewery, event, and private-property work elsewhere. Realistic startup ranges:
Food truck (used)
$35,000 – $90,000
Food truck (new/custom)
$95,000 – $200,000+
LLC filing (GA SOS)
$110 (one-time)
LLC annual registration
$50 + $10 service fee
County MFU permit
$100 – $1,000/year
Atlanta Street Eats application
$75/year
Atlanta reservation fee
$350/year
Atlanta background + fingerprint
$70 first year
Fire inspection
$50 – $150
Ansul / fire suppression install
$1,500 – $3,500
ServSafe Manager certification
$125 (5 yrs)
Commissary (ITP Atlanta)
$500 – $1,100/mo
Commissary (rest of state)
$300 – $650/mo
Commercial auto + GL insurance
$2,000 – $4,500/yr
County permit fees vary widely ($100 to $1,000) depending on jurisdiction and menu risk classification. Atlanta Street Eats fees are accurate as of April 2026. Always verify directly with the relevant county board of health and the City of Atlanta before budgeting.
Where to Operate
Deepest food truck market in Georgia by far. The BeltLine drives weekend foot traffic, the brewery scene (Monday Night, SweetWater, Scofflaw, Wild Heaven, Eventide) supports nightly rotations, and the tech employer cluster (Microsoft, Google, Salesforce, Mailchimp) generates strong weekday lunch demand. Two-county reality: Fulton and DeKalb each issue their own MFU permits, and the Atlanta Street Eats program layers on top. Expect higher startup cost (~$500 more in city fees) and higher per-service revenue.
Tourism-driven year-round market with a thick event calendar — St. Patrick's, Savannah Music Festival, Tybee Island weekends, and a steady cruise-port flow. Chatham County issues MFU permits with a manageable timeline. Savannah's Historic District has additional aesthetic and operating rules; brewery and private-property work outside the historic core is more flexible. Lower commissary costs than Atlanta, similar tourism per-service revenue in season.
UGA crowd (~40,000 students) drives a deep evening market during the school year, especially around downtown and the Five Points neighborhood. Athens-Clarke County's unified government simplifies permitting compared to surrounding counties. Strong brewery scene around Creature Comforts and Terrapin's Athens taproom. Slower summer market, but football season is enormous — a single game day can generate week's-worth of revenue.
Masters Week alone (early April) is a top-tier annual revenue event for most Augusta-based operators. Outside Masters, Augusta's downtown and Riverwalk drive consistent weekend demand, and Fort Eisenhower (formerly Fort Gordon) catering opportunities are real. Richmond County permits efficiently. Lower commissary costs than Atlanta or Savannah. Good fit for operators who want to base in a smaller market and travel for big events.
Underserved markets with growing food truck scenes. Macon's downtown revitalization and the Mercer University crowd drive demand; Columbus's downtown and Fort Moore (formerly Benning) provide steady catering opportunities. Bibb (Macon) and Muscogee (Columbus) county permits are straightforward and inexpensive. Best for operators looking to build a brand in a less competitive market before expanding.
From Experience
Atlanta straddles two counties, and the choice has real consequences. Fulton County has more commissary inventory and a more developed food truck infrastructure but slightly higher fees. DeKalb tends to permit faster but has fewer commissaries with adequate parking and water exchange. Run the numbers (commissary monthly + county permit + Atlanta Street Eats) for both before committing.
Atlanta's Street Eats reservation fee ($350/year) only buys access to the city's designated public vending zones. If your business model is brewery rotations, BeltLine event days, private-property partnerships (apartment complexes, office parks), and catered events, you can operate legally inside Atlanta city limits without Street Eats — those venues' permits or your own event permits cover the operating right. The application + background check + reservation totals nearly $500 in year one.
Georgia sales tax has multiple layers: 4% state, county SPLOST, local-option sales tax, MOST, and T-SPLOST. Atlanta combined is 8.9%; Savannah is 7%; Athens is 8%; Augusta is 8%. Prepared food does not qualify for the grocery exemption — it's taxable at the full combined rate. Operators who use the wrong rate (or default to the state 4%) get hit with back-tax assessments after audit. Look up your operating county's current rate at dor.georgia.gov before launch.
Georgia food truck markets reward repeat business — brewery regulars, BeltLine weekenders, UGA students, Augusta locals. The trucks with the longest lines in Atlanta and Savannah all run weekly customer text outreach. A QR code at the window collects subscribers; one weekly text turns one-time customers into regulars. The first 100 subscribers are the hardest to get and the most valuable revenue line on the truck.
Planning Ahead
Realistically, plan for 6–10 weeks from paperwork to first service in most Georgia counties. Atlanta operators enrolling in Street Eats should add 2–4 weeks because the city application can't start until the county MFU permit is issued:
5–7 days
Online filing at sos.ga.gov processes in 5–7 business days. Expedited service available for an additional fee. EIN from the IRS is same-day if you apply online. No publication requirement.
1–4 weeks
Atlanta inside-the-perimeter commissaries can be tight — start calling on day one. Outside metro Atlanta, inventory is more accessible. The signed commissary agreement gates the county permit application.
2–4 weeks
After you submit menu, equipment list, floor plan, water/wastewater specs, and commissary agreement, the county board of health reviews under DPH framework. Smaller counties (Athens-Clarke, Bibb) often turn around in 2 weeks; Fulton and Chatham can run 3–4.
1–2 weeks
After plan approval, the county schedules your vehicle inspection. Pass on the first try and you have your county-level permit. Common failures: handwashing setup, undersized wastewater tank, no fire suppression for grease cooking.
2–4 weeks
Required only if you plan to vend in Atlanta's designated public zones. Application requires copy of Fulton/DeKalb MFU permit, fingerprinting, background check, and reservation fee payment. Cannot start until the county permit is in hand.
3–7 days
Register state sales tax at dor.georgia.gov and any city business license in parallel. Both are quick once you have your county MFU permit number.
Bottom line: The Atlanta Street Eats program serializes after the county permit, which is why Atlanta operators who plan for street vending typically take 9–12 weeks total. If you can launch with brewery/private/event work first and add Street Eats later, you cut weeks off the path to first service.
These tracks can run in parallel. Operators who parallelize launch in 6–7 weeks; sequential operators take 12+.
Week 1
All three on day one. GA SOS turnaround is 5–7 business days. Make 8–10 commissary calls in week one. Schedule a ServSafe Manager exam 1–2 weeks out.
Week 1–3
Once you have a signed commissary agreement, finalize your menu, equipment specs, floor plan, and water/wastewater calcs. The completeness of the plan packet is the biggest determinant of how fast the county turns it around.
Week 3–6
The moment your packet is complete, submit. Call the fire marshal the same week to get on their schedule — you can stack the inspections. If you'll need Street Eats later, start gathering the city packet now even though you can't submit yet.
Week 6–10
After county plan approval, schedule the truck inspection immediately. The moment your county permit is in hand, submit the Atlanta Street Eats application (if needed) — that's the serialized step. Sales tax license and any city business license process in parallel.
Local Requirements
Georgia's MFU permits are issued at the county board of health level under DPH framework. Atlanta also runs a separate city-level Street Eats / Motor Vehicle Public Vending program. Here's what to expect in the four highest-volume jurisdictions:
Fulton County Board of Health + City of Atlanta
Fees: County $200–$600 / City $75 + $350 reservation + ~$70 background
Most-used MFU base for Atlanta operators. Fulton County permit fees vary by menu risk classification ($200–$600 typical range). The City of Atlanta Street Eats program serializes after the county permit — you cannot submit the city application until the county MFU permit is in hand. Reservation fee buys access to designated public vending zones; brewery, BeltLine event, and private-property work generally falls outside Street Eats. Combined Atlanta sales tax on prepared food is 8.9%.
DeKalb County Board of Health + City of Atlanta
Fees: County $150–$500 / City same as Fulton path
DeKalb tends to permit faster than Fulton (often 2–3 weeks for plan review vs Fulton's 3–4) but has fewer commissaries with adequate parking and water exchange. If your commissary is in DeKalb, you'll still go through the same Atlanta Street Eats program for city operations. DeKalb is also the right base for Decatur, Tucker, and Stone Mountain vending. Many east-side breweries (Wild Heaven, Eventide) are technically in DeKalb.
Chatham County Health Dept
Fees: $200–$500 county / Savannah Historic District overlay
Tourist-driven year-round market. Chatham County's environmental health office permits efficiently for a clean application. Savannah's Historic District adds aesthetic and operating rules for any vending inside the historic core; brewery and private-property work outside the historic district is more flexible. Combined Savannah sales tax on prepared food is 7%. Tybee Island and the surrounding beach communities have separate event-permit processes for shoulder-season weekend work.
Athens-Clarke County Health Dept (Northeast Health District)
Fees: $150–$400 / unified city-county licensing
Friendliest large-county process in Georgia. Athens-Clarke's unified city-county government simplifies permitting compared to surrounding counties — one application covers what would be county + city in Atlanta. UGA-driven evening and weekend market is enormous during the school year, with football game days generating a week's worth of revenue in a single shift. Lower commissary costs than Atlanta, with several food-truck-friendly options around Five Points and downtown.
Athens-Clarke County is the fastest-approving major Georgia jurisdiction. The unified city-county government means you handle one application instead of layering city and county processes. If your concept doesn't depend on Atlanta foot traffic, an Athens base gets you to revenue weeks sooner.
Fees and processing times change. Always verify directly with your county board of health and (for Atlanta) the City of Atlanta vending program before submitting applications.
Avoid These
These are the mistakes that cause most new Georgia food truck operators to push their launch back by weeks.
Georgia has no statewide reciprocity, and metro Atlanta spans Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, Gwinnett, Clayton, Henry, and Fayette counties. A Fulton MFU permit doesn't authorize you to operate at a Cobb County brewery, a Gwinnett event, or a Clayton property. If your operating geography crosses counties, you need a permit (or in some counties, a temporary permit) in each. Plan the geography before signing the commissary lease.
Street Eats's $350 annual reservation fee only buys access to the city's designated public vending zones. If you operate brewery rotations, BeltLine event days, private-property partnerships, and catered events, you can run inside Atlanta city limits legally without Street Eats. Operators routinely enroll because it sounds like 'the Atlanta permit' — it's actually one of two parallel paths. Confirm whether your venues require it before paying.
Georgia prepared food doesn't qualify for the grocery exemption — it's taxable at the full combined rate. Atlanta is 8.9%; Savannah is 7%; Athens is 8%; Augusta is 8%. Operators who default to the state 4% rate or use an out-of-date county rate get hit with back-tax assessments after audit. Look up your operating county's current rate at dor.georgia.gov and re-verify annually — local rates change with new SPLOST referenda.
The Atlanta Street Eats application requires a copy of your Fulton or DeKalb County mobile food unit permit. Submitting without it gets the city application bounced or held. Operators who try to parallelize this step end up serializing it anyway — plus an extra round of paperwork. Wait until the county permit is in hand, then submit the city application immediately.
Georgia food truck markets reward repeat business — brewery regulars, BeltLine weekenders, UGA students, Savannah tourists. Operators who launch without a customer-collection mechanism (QR code, sign-up flow) regularly lose hundreds of repeat customers in the first few months. The trucks with the longest lines in Atlanta, Savannah, and Athens all run weekly text outreach to their lists.
FAQ
Total startup costs range from $45,000 to $200,000 depending on whether you buy used or new. The truck itself is $35,000–$90,000 used or $95,000–$200,000+ new. County MFU permits run $100–$1,000/year depending on county and menu risk. Atlanta operators using Street Eats add ~$500 in first-year city fees. Commissary runs $300–$650/month outside metro Atlanta and $500–$1,100/month inside the perimeter. Insurance is $2,000–$4,500/year for commercial auto plus general liability.
No. Georgia DPH writes the food code, but every Mobile Food Service Establishment permit is issued by the county board of health where your commissary's base of operations is located. There is no statewide reciprocity — operating in multiple counties means a permit (or a temporary permit) in each. The City of Atlanta also runs a separate Street Eats / Motor Vehicle Public Vending program layered on top of the Fulton or DeKalb county permit.
Yes, in practice. Georgia food code requires a commissary base for any Mobile Food Service Establishment that lacks sufficient on-board cold storage, prep capacity, or wastewater handling. The commissary must be a permitted food establishment in the county where it operates. A signed commissary agreement is required before any county permit application will be processed.
Street Eats / Motor Vehicle Public Vending is the City of Atlanta's separate MFV program for vending in designated public zones. Annual permit application is $75; the annual electronic reservation fee is $350; criminal background check is $50; one-time fingerprinting is $20. You only need it if you plan to vend in Atlanta's designated public zones. Brewery, BeltLine event, private-property, and catered work generally falls outside Street Eats — those venues' permits or your event permits cover the operating right.
Georgia state sales tax is 4%; local SPLOST, MOST, and T-SPLOST add-ons bring most counties to 7%–8.9%. Prepared food does not qualify for the grocery exemption — it's taxable at the full combined rate. Atlanta is 8.9% (4% state + 3% Fulton + 1.5% Atlanta + 0.4% T-SPLOST); Savannah is 7%; Athens is 8%; Augusta is 8%. Verify the current rate at dor.georgia.gov.
Plan for 6–10 weeks from paperwork to first service in most Georgia counties. Atlanta operators enrolling in Street Eats should add 2–4 weeks because the city application can't start until the county MFU permit is issued. Athens-Clarke County (unified government) is typically the fastest at 4–6 weeks. The long-pole items are commissary search and county plan review.
Pro Tip
Georgia food truck customers — brewery regulars in Atlanta's BeltLine corridor, UGA students in Athens, Savannah weekenders — all behave the same way: they buy more often when you tell them you're nearby. Hoping they spot your Instagram story is not a strategy.
A QR code on your truck window collects phone numbers in seconds. Then each week, send one text with your location and special. Lines form before you open. That's how the busiest trucks in Atlanta and Savannah actually run.
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