Food Truck Floor Plans & Permits: What the Health Department Needs to See

Food trucks are regulated by several agencies at once, and the floor plan is the document most of them look at. The exact names change from state to state, but the list usually looks like this:

Plan review is the step where the health department checks your truck on paper before you build or modify it. You submit an application, fee, menu, equipment spec sheets and a scaled floor plan. The reviewer checks that the layout can support safe food handling for your menu: enough refrigeration, the right sinks, proper water supply and waste capacity, and surfaces that can be cleaned. After approval, the truck is inspected in person, and the inspector compares the truck to the approved plan. If the truck doesn't match the plan, it fails, which is why it pays to get the plan right first.

Health departments publish their own mobile food unit checklists, but almost all of them ask for the same core items. A plan that shows all of these is usually approved on the first review:

Tank size depends on your menu and how long you operate between commissary visits, but most counties set minimums. A common rule is that the wastewater tank must be at least 15% larger than the potable (fresh) water tank, because waste includes the water you add to food and ice. Some states are stricter: California requires the wastewater tank to be 50% larger than the potable tank. Many counties also set a minimum potable capacity, often 30 to 40 gallons for a truck with full food preparation. Potable tanks and hoses must be food-grade (NSF/ANSI 61). Your plan should list both tank sizes so the reviewer can check the ratio.

Any truck that prepares or serves open food needs a dedicated handwash sink that is used for nothing else, plus a 3-compartment sink for washing, rinsing and sanitizing utensils. Both need hot and cold running water. If the two sinks sit close together, most codes require a splash guard between them. Trucks serving only prepackaged food may be allowed fewer sinks, so check your county's category for your menu.

If you cook with grease (griddles, fryers, charbroilers), the fire code generally requires a Type I hood with a listed fire suppression system over the whole cooking line, and a Class K extinguisher nearby, under NFPA 96. Propane systems follow NFPA 58: cylinders are mounted outside the cooking area, secured, with leak-tested lines and shutoffs. Generators need to be vented to the outside and kept away from the serving window. Show all of these on the floor plan; fire marshals often inspect directly against it.

A good food truck layout follows the flow of food: cold storage, prep, cooking, then the serving window. Keep raw and ready-to-eat prep apart, put the handwash sink where staff pass it naturally, and keep at least about 30 inches of clear aisle (more is better for two people). Put heavy equipment and tanks over or near the axles to keep the truck balanced, and leave access to the water heater, tanks and generator for service.

The same rules apply to concession trailers and kitchen trailers, and their floor plans look the same. Food carts and kiosks are usually in a lower category with fewer requirements, especially if the menu is limited or prepackaged. Some counties also treat a truck that only reheats commissary-prepared food differently from one that cooks from raw. Your floor plan should match the category you're applying under, so confirm it with your county first.

ArchPermits draws scaled food truck and trailer floor plans to your county's checklist, with the equipment schedule, sink and tank details, hood and propane locations, and finish schedule plan reviewers ask for. You can see a full sample food truck floor plan on our food truck floor plan service page. Opening a brick-and-mortar kitchen instead? See our guide to restaurant and commercial kitchen permits.