How to Start a Food Truck in Detroit: Mobile Food Unit Fees, Commissary Rule and Vendor License

Starting a food truck in Detroit means clearing two layers of approval. The first is business setup at the state level: you form an entity and register for sales tax. The second is local: the Detroit Health Department approves your food unit and commissary, and the Buildings, Safety Engineering and Environmental Department (BSEED) issues the vendor license that lets you sell from the street. This guide follows that order and uses the Detroit Health Department fee schedule effective January 1, 2026.

Michigan has no general statewide business license. The Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) Corporations Division files the documents that form your company, but it does not license the business itself. Registering an LLC on the MiBusiness Registry is a filing, not a license. Your food-related approvals come from local and activity-based agencies, so Detroit's rules matter more than any single state form.

This is informational content, not legal or tax advice. Rules, fees and deadlines change. Confirm every figure with the agency named before you pay or sign anything, and consult a qualified attorney or CPA about entity structure, liability and taxes.

What you need before you start

Gather these items before you file anything. Most delays come from missing paperwork, not from the approvals themselves.

• A business name you have checked on the MiBusiness Registry business search
• Articles of Organization (Form CSCL/CD-700) if you form an LLC, or an assumed name certificate filed with the Wayne County Clerk (not LARA) if you operate as a sole proprietor under a trade name
• A Michigan resident agent with a physical address. A P.O. box alone is not sufficient.
• A federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS
• A signed agreement with a licensed commissary and its contact details
• An equipment list with model numbers for every appliance, sink, refrigerator, hood and fire suppression system
• A floor plan of the truck drawn to scale, showing sinks, cooking equipment, storage, water tanks and the service window
• Vehicle title and registration, plus proof of commercial auto and general liability insurance
• A driver's license and a menu list with ingredients and preparation methods for each item
• A budget for the fees below, with a cushion for re-submissions if a plan review comes back with corrections

Step 1: Choose the unit type that matches your menu

Detroit fees depend on the type of unit, so pick the category before you pay anything. The Health Department fees effective January 1, 2026 are:

Unit or license	Fee	Notes
Mobile food preparation unit (hot truck, soft ice cream)	$498	Includes a $44 state fee
Push cart	$278	Manual unit
Mobile pre-packaged unit	$278	Sealed, pre-packaged food only
Transitory food unit (TFU)	$318	Requires a notice of intent to the local health department
TFU paid operational inspection	$90	Listed separately from the unit fee
Street vendor license for non-state-licensed items	$248	Applies to prepackaged ice cream and whole uncut produce
Plan review, mobile or TFU preparation units	$743	Paid before construction or outfitting is finalized
Plan review, pre-packaged units and push carts	$495	Lower review cost for these categories

A mobile food preparation unit cooks or prepares food on board, such as a hot truck or a soft ice cream machine. A mobile pre-packaged unit sells only sealed food. A transitory food unit is a separate category, and the line between transitory and mobile operations comes from state guidance on the state food truck page. Read that page before you choose, because the classification determines which Detroit fee applies to you.

Step 2: Form your business and register the name

Your legal structure determines which office you file with.

If you form an LLC, file Articles of Organization (Form CSCL/CD-700) with LARA through the MiBusiness Registry portal. The filing fee is $50. The name must include Limited Liability Company, L.L.C. or L.C., with or without periods. You can hold a name for six months with Form CSCL/CD-540 for a $25 fee. The Articles must list your resident agent. Michigan calls this role a resident agent, not a registered agent. The LLC files an Annual Statement (Form CSCL/CD-2700) for $25 each year, due February 15, beginning the year after formation. An LLC formed after September 30 does not owe the statement on the February 15 immediately following. Michigan has no franchise tax on a standard LLC. Members report their share of income on the Michigan individual income tax at the flat 4.25% rate for the 2026 tax year.

If you operate as a sole proprietor, you do not form an entity. You file an assumed name certificate with the Wayne County Clerk, because Detroit sits in Wayne County. Sole proprietors file with the county clerk, not LARA. Confirm the county fee with the clerk's office, since county fees are set separately.

Expedited LARA review is available at extra cost for formation documents: $50 for 24-hour review, $100 for same-day review, $500 for two-hour review (received by 3 p.m.) and $1,000 for one-hour review (received by 4 p.m.). LARA does not publish a guaranteed standard review time, so expedite only if your launch date depends on it.

Detroit is one of 24 Michigan cities that levy a city income tax. Ask a CPA how that tax applies to your entity and income before you choose a structure.

Step 3: Register for a sales tax license

The state sales tax rate is 6%. Register through the Michigan Department of Treasury online business registration. The registration is free and can arrive in as little as 7 business days. Treasury is the agency that decides which of your items are taxable and at what rate, so confirm the treatment of prepared food and any pre-packaged items on the Treasury site before you open your point of sale system.

Step 4: Sign a commissary agreement

Detroit requires every mobile unit to return to a licensed commissary at least every 24 hours. The unit must also carry an approved commissary verification form. Without a signed commissary, you cannot run a compliant schedule, so this is the step that most often shapes your daily routine.

Before you sign, confirm the commissary's own license status and operating hours. Ask what it provides for water, waste disposal, storage and prep, and whether it limits the hours you can be on site. Keep the verification form current and on board, because an inspector may ask for it during a visit to the truck.

Step 5: Submit your plan review and any notice of intent

Submit your floor plan and equipment list to the Detroit Health Department for plan review. The review fee is $743 for mobile or TFU preparation units and $495 for pre-packaged units and push carts. A plan review may come back with corrections, such as relocating a sink or changing a refrigeration setup. Budget time and money for at least one revision cycle.

If you operate a TFU, file a notice of intent with the local health department as part of this step. Ask the department to confirm the filing sequence, since the notice and the plan review affect each other.

Step 6: Pay the unit fee and pass inspection

Once your plan is approved, pay the unit fee that matches your category from the table in Step 1. A hot truck or soft ice cream unit pays $498, which includes the $44 state fee. A push cart or mobile pre-packaged unit pays $278. A TFU pays $318, and a TFU that requires a paid operational inspection adds $90. Schedule your inspection before your first service date. Do not serve customers, promote a grand opening or book events until the inspection is complete and the approvals are in hand.

Step 7: Get the BSEED vendor license

BSEED issues vendor licenses on a two-year cycle. The current cycle expires May 31 as of 2026, so put the expiration date on your calendar the day you receive the license. Confirm the exact expiration on the license itself. The fees are:

• Foot vendor: $123
• Stationary vendor: $123
• Street (vehicle) vendor: $178
• Helper: $25, for each person who assists the vendor

Food vendors must also obtain Health Department clearance. Ask BSEED and the Health Department in which order to obtain the two approvals.

If you sell prepackaged ice cream or whole uncut produce from a vehicle and that product is not covered by a state license, the $248 street vendor license for non-state-licensed items applies. Mixed menus may need more than one license, so ask both agencies to confirm your full product list.

Step 8: Check zoning, parking and event rules

A vendor license does not give you the right to park anywhere you choose. Detroit and the other 275 to 280 cities in Michigan, plus about 255 to 258 villages and 1,240 townships, set their own zoning and street rules. Ask BSEED whether the parking spots and event sites you plan to use need additional permission, and confirm any certificate of occupancy or private property permission with the property owner. Trucks that plan to work outside Detroit must check each municipality separately.

Expected results

Completing these steps may allow you to begin operating under Detroit's rules for the unit category and products your licenses cover. It does not guarantee sales, a particular location, event bookings or any level of revenue. Plan review and inspection results vary by unit, menu and equipment, and a first inspection may still produce corrections. Careful planning, a complete equipment list and a signed commissary can reduce the number of revisions you need, though they do not remove that possibility. Keep records of your commissary visits, temperature logs and verification forms, since you will need them for future inspections.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Buying or outfitting a truck before the plan review is approved
• Choosing a unit category based on what you want to sell instead of how the unit will operate
• Signing a commissary agreement without checking that the commissary holds a current license
• Missing the 24-hour return to the commissary and leaving the verification form off the truck
• Filing an LLC name that does not include Limited Liability Company, L.L.C. or L.C.
• Operating as a sole proprietor under a trade name without filing an assumed name certificate with the Wayne County Clerk
• Letting the May 31 vendor license expiration pass without renewal
• Forgetting the Treasury sales tax registration, which is free but still required before you sell
• Ignoring the Detroit city income tax when you choose an entity structure

Tips that save time

• Ask the Health Department and BSEED for their current checklists before you finalize your equipment list, since requirements change between fee cycles.
• Use the Michigan Small Business Development Center for free-of-charge advising on the entity and budget decisions in this guide. Visit michigansbdc.org to find a local advisor.
• Check the MiBusiness Registry and the State License Search before you assume a trade-specific license is unnecessary for your menu.
• Keep one folder with your Articles, EIN letter, sales tax registration, commissary agreement, plan review approval and every license. Inspectors and event organizers ask for these often.

Next steps

Start with your entity and sales tax registration, since those filings are independent of the local approvals and can run while you finalize your truck. Then select your unit category, sign the commissary, and submit your plan review. Each approval depends on the one before it, so keep your documents in the order listed above.

This article is informational only and is not legal, tax or licensing advice. Confirm all fees, deadlines and requirements with LARA, the Michigan Department of Treasury, the Detroit Health Department and BSEED before you act. Consult a qualified attorney for contract and liability questions, and a CPA for tax treatment, including the Detroit city income tax and your personal income tax obligations.